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2018 Audi Q5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Q5 years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Audi Q5 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 52.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

64 reports with mileage · 138 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

12 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2026
Air BagsSeats

The Seat Occupancy Detection System is malfunctioning. The passenger airbag warning light activates when a passenger occupies the passenger seat and the passenger overhead reading light remains on when the seat is occupied including overnight. These are established symptoms of Seat Occupancy Detection System failure. The manufac…

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The Seat Occupancy Detection System is malfunctioning. The passenger airbag warning light activates when a passenger occupies the passenger seat and the passenger overhead reading light remains on when the seat is occupied including overnight. These are established symptoms of Seat Occupancy Detection System failure. The manufacturer issued a warranty extension specifically covering this defect for 10 years and unlimited miles. When the vehicle was presented at an authorized dealer for diagnosis and repair under the warranty extension, the service advisor deliberately omitted the airbag warning light symptom from the repair order and inserted pre-emptive warranty denial language before any diagnosis was performed. The airbag system malfunction remains unrepaired despite an active manufacturer warranty extension covering this exact defect. The dealer’s failure to properly document and address an airbag warning light constitutes a safety concern that NHTSA should investigate.

NHTSA ODI #11725152

Mileage unknown · Oct 10, 2025
Air Bags

Car displayed a warning sign that safety system malfunctioned. Airbag indicator showed “passenger airbag off”. This error occurred sporadically and for a limited amount of time. It also kept sensing that passenger seat was occupied when it wasn’t. From what I understand , the issue is related to passenger side PODS sensor.

NHTSA ODI #11692617

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2025
Air BagsForward Collision AvoidanceSeat Belts

Safety System Malfunction message appears on dash. Passenger side air bag goes on and off while driving. Whole system chimes and random messages flashing on screen constantly. At times system doesn’t recognize that I have my drivers side seatbelt buckled. So system keeps chiming cars Stanton. Random messages flash on dash.…

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Safety System Malfunction message appears on dash. Passenger side air bag goes on and off while driving. Whole system chimes and random messages flashing on screen constantly. At times system doesn’t recognize that I have my drivers side seatbelt buckled. So system keeps chiming cars Stanton. Random messages flash on dash. Traffic jam assist (3 cars symbol) unavailable and image flash on dash and does another chime. Vehicle has given random warning beeps when reversing 2 times since these issues started and has done automatic breaking both times as I was trying to reverse. Issues happen randomly and started about 300 miles ago (2 weeks or so) seem to be getting more frequent in past few days. I was trying to check today for open recall and was surprised to not have any for this issue / vehicle. I have not yet called the dealership but plan on doing so this week. This “Safety System Malfunction” and all the chimes, flashes, beeps, screen messages and the automatic vehicle responses is VERY dangerous!!

NHTSA ODI #11686158

120,000 miles · Jul 9, 2025
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the warning light was int…

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the warning light was intermittently illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI #11672383

Mileage unknown · Mar 16, 2025
Air BagsEngineUnknown Or Other

I have owned the car for 2 years, purchased a 2018 Q5 from an Audi dealer. Within the first year, my thermostat failed causing the car to lose power and turn off while driving with my newborn baby. I also received the passenger airbag alert daily, which I did see there was a recall for this prior to buying the car. I also receiv…

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I have owned the car for 2 years, purchased a 2018 Q5 from an Audi dealer. Within the first year, my thermostat failed causing the car to lose power and turn off while driving with my newborn baby. I also received the passenger airbag alert daily, which I did see there was a recall for this prior to buying the car. I also received the “add a quart of oil” message about 3 months after an oil change. I would like this car to be reviewed for excessive oil consumption. At the times of these messages no oil leak was found. Now, my car went in for an oil change and an oil and transmission oil leak has been found. Within 2 years of owning a car that has had regular maintenance, I have spent over $6,000 on service and repairs, which is unusual. I need help.

NHTSA ODI #11648525

Mileage unknown · Jun 18, 2024
Air BagsSeats

Audi of Greenville gave us a quote to replace the pods unit that is causing this code and said that the air bag could deploy at anytime. Here is the quote that was given for the PODS unit. The code that was stored in the system was B1022F0. The Occupant Sensor Control Unit suppresses the deployment of passenger air bag when t…

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Audi of Greenville gave us a quote to replace the pods unit that is causing this code and said that the air bag could deploy at anytime. Here is the quote that was given for the PODS unit. The code that was stored in the system was B1022F0. The Occupant Sensor Control Unit suppresses the deployment of passenger air bag when the condition of the passenger seat is empty or child and child-seat. And turns on the cut-off telltale lamp when the condition of the passenger seat is child-seat and child. In the case of malfunction, the blinking of the SRS air bag warning lamp reports the malfunction to the driver and by the on board self-diagnosis system. This Occupant Sensor Control Unit classifies occupant in the passenger seat and detects electrical malfunctions in Occupant Classification System, and transmits malfunction information to air bag control unit. It is integrated into the seat sensor mat and detects the occupants with Occupant Classification System (OCS) control unit that classifies the occupants. Read more at [XXX].

NHTSA ODI #11595018

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2024
Air BagsSeat BeltsSeats

The seatbelt and passenger airbag systems go on and off making alarms go off. Making the vehicle unsafe in accidents. After taking my vehicle in for inspection, Audi stated that the component that has to be changed has been a recall in other Audi vehicles and is not covered under warranty.

NHTSA ODI #11592191

Mileage unknown · Apr 2, 2024
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeats

I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults fro…

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I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure why this isn’t covered under extended warranty or a recall. It basically disables the passenger airbag. I have seen other Audi vehicles with recalls for similar issues with harness under the passenger seat. I think they have a design issue but are wanting to charge me (and probably others) $220 to diagnose and $695 plus tax to put two wire ties on the harness to supposedly fix (or bandaid) a bad harness.

NHTSA ODI #11580693

85,600 miles · Apr 5, 2023
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air bag control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage …

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air bag control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,600.

NHTSA ODI #11515581

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2022
Air Bags

When a front seat passenger is present, the passenger airbag warning light comes on with a "malfunction" error displayed, then goes off.

NHTSA ODI #11488224

Official recalls

6

21V947000 · Electrical System:body Control Module/bcm; Structure:body

Dec 8, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Structure:body

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

Electrical System:body Control Module/bcm

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

19V737000 · Structure:body

Oct 16, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. The rear wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four clips securing the forward part of the rear wheel arch trim, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 66K8.

19V416000 · Wheels:hub

Jun 5, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66K6.

19V277000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Apr 8, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.

Remedy: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.

18V369000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Jun 1, 2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.

16V955000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:side/window; Seat Belts:pretensioner

Dec 29, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Seat Belts:pretensioner

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:side/window

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.