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

Suspension complaints

24 reports

Clear category filter

Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2024

Suspension

Read full complaint

I was recently driving and heard a funny noise from back right of car. Looked underneath and saw a broken spring (I have the broken spring) . I am the original owner of this car and it only has 36,645 miles on it. Never been off-road, hauled anything, or had anything heavy in back. In looking online afterwards this seems to be a common problem in 2018 Audi Q5s. This defect could have caused a serious accident if I hadn't noticed the sound and had it fixed.This is ridiculous for this to fail on this expensive of a vehicle with such low mileage. I had to replace both rear springs (shouldn't only replace one) and have an alignment which ended up costing me $1013.01. I really think I should be reimbursed by Audi since this is a known defect! Thank you.

NHTSA ODI #11572691

Mileage unknown · Feb 5, 2024

Suspension

My 2018 Q5 with around 60k miles had a rear passenger side coil spring break. There is a forum with many other people that have the exact same issue and I believe this is a defect/ faulty design as we all have had the coil break in the same location under similar low mileage. There are 5-6 people on this page alone with the same…

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #11569919

Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2023

Suspension

Passenger side broken Rear Spring was uncovered when Audi Q5 was brought in for it's annual service. There were no warning lights or messages indicating the suspension was broken. This vehicle is drive gently, is NOT used to tow, carry heavy loads or go off road.

NHTSA ODI #11551320

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2023

Suspension

Read full complaint

The right rear coil spring broke after only 52,679 miles. The car was NEVER taken off road and most of the mileage was on highways. It was driven by my wife, who is a very conservative driver. The dealer discovered this. The independent shop to which I took it for a second opinion stated that the coil spring looked like new but had a break in it, which they've never seen with a car in pristine condition and such low mileage. Both the dealer and independent shop stated it was a hazard and needed to have both rear coil springs replaced, since although only one was broken it was mechanically necessary to do both. The public Audi Forum [https://www.audiworld.com/forums/] posts show that several other vehicles of the same model and more interestingly the same model year had the same problem. This is clearly a safety issue and a manufacturing defect. I have uploaded photos I took of the coil spring after it was deinstalled from the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11541745

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2023

Suspension

Read full complaint

On July 12, 2023 I took my 2018 Audi Q5 to the dealership of Westwood in Audi Massachusetts for an oil change. according to the dealer, the coil mount was broken, and it would lead to coil spring breaking. it is concerning because the car only has 53,000 miles and it’s driven only on the street and it’s not used for off-road and it was never driven hard. Only this dealership ever touched my car and they had never reported any flaws while I had the extended 5-year warranty. This was my first dealership visit for no change without extended warranty. If the coil springs break, I will have no warning so it seems like a safety concern given that the car is relatively new. I searched on the web and apparently 2018 Audi Q5 seem to have a problem with the rear driver side coil springs and coil mount. Did dealership said this is normal wear and tear on the 53,000 mile Audi. They also said that the engine mount would have to be replaced soon in the near future, and they said it was normal wear and tear. I guess the engine could fall on the ground, another safety problem without any warning. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ODI #11533130

Mileage unknown · Jul 14, 2023

Suspension

Read full complaint

My 2018 Audi Q5 has 53,000 miles per the dealer the coil spring seat is broken. Driver rear spring is broken ,rear coil spring mounts are corroded, and if left on resolved my suspension can fail. The dealer also states that this may result in uneven tire wear poor handling in for fuel economy. It is somewhat confusing because all this sounds like a major safety issue since involves the suspension. A simple, Google search also showed me that I’m not alone, that many customers are experiencing serious, similar problems with low mileage Audi cars. As always, thank you for your time I have all documentation for my car which was purchased at the dealership and serviced at the dealership without any problems being reported until now

NHTSA ODI #11532297

Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2023

Suspension

Rear suspension coil spring was broken, with only 62,000 miles. This sounds similar to the problem with this car's cousin, the 2018-19 VW Tiguan, which had a recall. (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/volkswagen-recalls-cars-suvs-springs-could-break/)

NHTSA ODI #11525079

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2023

Suspension

Read full complaint

Brought to dealer for routine maintenance and was told both rear springs are broken and need to be replaced. Last time it was in the shop was for a safety inspection in March with no reported issues with springs. the springs are a critical suspension component and put me and others on the road at risk every time I drove it due to rollover, loss of control and bottom out potential while driving. Yes dealer inspected and confirmed the component failure and suggested replacement. No indication on dashboard or warning lights.

NHTSA ODI #11520671

60,000 miles · Mar 31, 2023

Suspension

Read full complaint

The contact owns 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear driver’s side suspension coil spring had fractured also causing damage to the rear axle and rear differential. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure previously. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11514724

Mileage unknown · Dec 21, 2022

Suspension

During a normal service visit it was brought to my attention that the rear suspension coil was broken. They attributed this to normal wear and tear after only 52,000 miles. Upon research it seems this is far more common in 2018 Q5s than it should be this is early.

NHTSA ODI #11498469

Official recalls

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Air Bags:side/window

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.

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

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.

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

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.