Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 11 of 52 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Service Brakes. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
52 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 16, 2026
Power Train
The vehicle is experiencing an issue withe the All-Wheel Drive system where its function is affected by an issue Audi calls Shutter or Shudder. The degradation in this system's performance is characterized by drive system torque oscillations when the steering wheel is turned. A hazardous condition is introduced when the AWD syst…
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The vehicle is experiencing an issue withe the All-Wheel Drive system where its function is affected by an issue Audi calls Shutter or Shudder. The degradation in this system's performance is characterized by drive system torque oscillations when the steering wheel is turned. A hazardous condition is introduced when the AWD system is required for traction control and the system either outputs oscillatory torque, or binds up at a time where smooth torque at each wheel is required to provide traction and directional control (e.g. snow and ice or rain conditions). Audi has stated that they do not consider this a safety issue. Audi is aware of the issue and has released a Technical Service Bulletin 39 24 60 2059057/8 April 3, 2024 entitled "Quattro Ultra Vibrations or Binding in Tight Turns." This TSB has multiple revisions and covers several of their models over several production years. The Audi prescribed procedure to address the issue is to verify the condition, then flush and fill the AWD system with a new, unique oil which is called out in the TSB. Unfortunately, this oil is not available and they are deferring repair of the affected vehicles. The condition appears to be related to wear/wear debris and the functional effects degrade with the accumulation of additional driving time.
NHTSA ODI #11764639
Mileage unknown · Sep 16, 2026
Engine
Received a malfunction drive train alert on a 2019 Audi with approximately 66,000 miles at the time. Took it in to have it addressed and was advised it needed a new Turbo. The turbo has since been replaced. However, a vehicle with very low miles should not be having any drive train issues. There is a class action lawsuit against…
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Received a malfunction drive train alert on a 2019 Audi with approximately 66,000 miles at the time. Took it in to have it addressed and was advised it needed a new Turbo. The turbo has since been replaced. However, a vehicle with very low miles should not be having any drive train issues. There is a class action lawsuit against Audi for the same issue. However my vehicle was not included. This is a known issue with Audi.
Severe consequential safety defect involving total anti-lock braking system (ABS) failure stemming from a manufacturer recall defect and volatile CAN-bus network conditions during repair. This vehicle has less than 7,500 miles and has been grounded at an authorized dealership, Audi Brooklyn- Lic# [XXX], 700 Hicks Street, Brookly…
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Severe consequential safety defect involving total anti-lock braking system (ABS) failure stemming from a manufacturer recall defect and volatile CAN-bus network conditions during repair. This vehicle has less than 7,500 miles and has been grounded at an authorized dealership, Audi Brooklyn- Lic# [XXX], 700 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, for exactly 20 days since being flatbed-towed on [XXX], due to total power failure caused by the known manufacturing defect of clogged sunroof drains flooding the critical interior electrical network. The dealership replaced the comfort control module under the VIN recall warranty. However, during the dealer's active programming phase of this recall component, a fatal communication fault was introduced to the J104 ABS safety module. My original Service Advisor documented explicitly in writing via text that the technician observed the ABS faults materialize specifically during the recall programming process. No prior warning signs other than the vehicle's sudden loss of power. The manufacturer's design defect allowed moisture ingress to destabilize the vehicle's localized CAN-bus communication network, leading directly to the catastrophic failure of a critical braking system (ABS). Dealership management is now attempting to evade safety liability and force an out-of-pocket repair payment by manipulating records. They have actively backdated internal "Ready for Pickup" dates for the vehicle from August 24 to September 1 to hide an 8-day window where they concealed a New York State safety inspection failure from me and attempted to release an illegal, uninspected vehicle with compromised brakes back to a vulnerable consumer. The owners of the vehicle are [XXX]. Furthermore, despite claiming the ABS module was a severe safety hazard, the facility logged 50 unauthorized miles (odometer jumped from 7,437 to 7,487) on public roads while it has been in their custody. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11761511
Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2026
Back Over PreventionVisibility/wiper
2019 Audi Q5 had the hardware fail which controls the rear view camera (controls other functions too) It's known as the MMI and the replaced part says "MIB2 Main-Unit" on the housing. I have the old part that the dealer replaced in my possession. Dealer confirmed the part was broken and would require replacement. not having …
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2019 Audi Q5 had the hardware fail which controls the rear view camera (controls other functions too) It's known as the MMI and the replaced part says "MIB2 Main-Unit" on the housing. I have the old part that the dealer replaced in my possession. Dealer confirmed the part was broken and would require replacement. not having a rear camera impacts safety in parking lots, backing in to streets etc, as well as increased risk of backing off the road esp in tight settings. there was no initial warning - it 100% stopped working then would give some warnings or random short term use the past 3 months while scheduling replacement. Completely unreliable for day to day safety, as we back on to a busy road multiple times per day.
NHTSA ODI #11752899
Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2026
Service Brakes
Went to Mavis on Weber Rd in Bolingbrook, IL for front brake replacement on June 6, 2026. It took 6.5 hours when I was originally told when I called to schedule the appointment it would only take 1.5 hours, so it was obvious that something was wrong. Within 100 yards of leaving their parking lot after the service appointment, an…
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Went to Mavis on Weber Rd in Bolingbrook, IL for front brake replacement on June 6, 2026. It took 6.5 hours when I was originally told when I called to schedule the appointment it would only take 1.5 hours, so it was obvious that something was wrong. Within 100 yards of leaving their parking lot after the service appointment, an obvious clattering was present. I immediately called them to let them know the replacement had not been performed correctly. Booked appointment with Audi of Naperville first thing Monday morning to have them fix whatever was wrong - the earliest appointment I could get was June 11. Drove the car until Wednesday evening when something went very wrong and constant clatter was replaced by loud scraping and brake lockup when I exited 355 on my way home from work. Called someone that night to have it towed to Audi for the next day's service appointment. Audi videoed their inspection and shared the video. Their inspection revealed one caliper entirely missing from the driver side brakes and the other caliper on that brake very loose. I paid Audi personally for that repair. I called Mavis customer service to notify them of my findings. After pulling the shop video from my brake appointment that day, they got back to me and said they would refund me for that appointment, the tow to Audi, and the Audi repairs. I have since been in touch with them and they said they mailed me a check on July 2. Since it has been 17 days since that date and it doesn't take mail that long to get to most of North America, I tend not to believe them. I have since learned that this Mavis brake replacement was negligent and could have resulted in an accident, with the potential of injury. I am contacting you because I don't want Mavis to take their responsibilities for the safety of their customers so casually.
NHTSA ODI #11751401
Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2026
Air Bags
Seat occupancy sensor, it's associated with code "B12251B".
NHTSA ODI #11746962
Mileage unknown · May 12, 2026
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
2019 Audi q5 drive system malfunction/start stop malfunction. Error code will come on randomly in traffic and when you try to put your foot on the gas it hesitates and you need to push harder on the gas. Car will also lose acceleration power and take longer to reach desired speed. Drive system malfunction light will come on as w…
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2019 Audi q5 drive system malfunction/start stop malfunction. Error code will come on randomly in traffic and when you try to put your foot on the gas it hesitates and you need to push harder on the gas. Car will also lose acceleration power and take longer to reach desired speed. Drive system malfunction light will come on as well as an error stating start/stop system malfunction. Have had multiple sensors and battery replaced with only temporary results. Start stop malfunction will come on randomly at any time and then go away for a certain amount of time and come back again. This malfunction is constantly going on and off and is sometimes dangerous because you don’t know when it will happen, if it does happen you don’t know if you need to press harder on the gas, or if you do accelerate you don’t know if you’re damaging your engine. After multiple fixes at Audi dealership and other repair shops, them attempting to address this issue has done nothing for the car leaving me to believe this could be a fault. This issue has been going on for at least 10 months with multiple dealer visits attempting to address this issue.
NHTSA ODI #11737448
Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2026
Seat BeltsUnknown Or Other
My seat belt warning has been going off intermittently. I received an extended warranty from Audi Subject: Seat Occupancy Detection System Limited Warranty Extension extending the warranty for my car. However, when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the sound. I provided them a video of it happening. They said it w…
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My seat belt warning has been going off intermittently. I received an extended warranty from Audi Subject: Seat Occupancy Detection System Limited Warranty Extension extending the warranty for my car. However, when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the sound. I provided them a video of it happening. They said it was not showing as a fault on the computer and therefore refused to repair the seat under the warranty extension. This is a safety issue and it's recognized as one by Audi. This sensor is obviously malfunctioning for a lot of people or they would not have extended the warranty. Regardless of being able to "replicate" the issue, they should replace the sensor since it's a known issue and they extended the warranty on it.
NHTSA ODI #11733149
Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2026
Engine
A failed (frozen) Turbocharger Wastegate Actuator. An engine warning light came on and engine had less power. It had to be replaced. There was a settled law suit for the same issue covering this item in previous vehicles settled in 2025.
NHTSA ODI #11732112
Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2026
Power Train
My 2019 Audi Q5 has 23,300 city-driven odometer miles. The vehicle has been serviced and maintained per the Audi Service Manual, based on months in service, not accumulated mileage. The vehicle has been garaged both at home and at work. The vehicle has never been driven off-road. When driving, an “All-wheel Drive: malfunction! Y…
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My 2019 Audi Q5 has 23,300 city-driven odometer miles. The vehicle has been serviced and maintained per the Audi Service Manual, based on months in service, not accumulated mileage. The vehicle has been garaged both at home and at work. The vehicle has never been driven off-road. When driving, an “All-wheel Drive: malfunction! You may continue driving. Please contact Service” warning message sounded and appeared on the instrument panel. The malfunction was diagnosed by Audi Honolulu and another Audi repair shop as a Shift Fork Unit issue and/or Quattro differential failure, which needs to be replaced. Audi has has a Technical Service Bulletin for a similar problem for the Q5. Audi Honolulu and Audi America refuses to provide a goodwill repair citing the age of the Q5. While the vehicle is 7 years old, a Shift Fork or Quattro Differential should not fail at 23,300 miles, regardless of age. I have been told by both repair facilities that the Shift Fork Unit or Quattro Differential could suddenly fully fail and seize causing a sudden loss of forward movement. I am afraid that if this happens at freeway speeds coming to a sudden stop could cause serious injury and if a vehicle behind mine slammed into me at freeway speeds a catastrophic or deadly accident could occur, especially at night or in inclement weather conditions.
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.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.
Consequence: A damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.
Consequence: A damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
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.
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.
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.
2019 Audi Q5 Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year