2021 Audi Q5: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
69 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
69 NHTSA owner complaints · 8 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 13.8
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I was driving at highway speeds when a "Transmission Malfunction" warning appeared, and the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate. Once I was able to pull over and put the vehicle in Park, it completely lost the ability to engage Drive or Reverse, leaving me stranded. Important to note pulling over was difficult as I was on a highway driving ar 70mph speed and trying to locate safe space to stop avoid collusion. M…
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated before the vehicle stalled. During the failure, the check engine, oil, and coolant warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine bearings had failed, causing catastrophic damage t…
Control module located under rear seat became slightly wet from spilled liquid, and failed. Engine and electrical failure as a result of control module failure. Audi refuses to cover damages as warranty period is over. Vehicle design is defective.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V606000 | Seat Belts:Rear/Other:Retractor | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, … |
| 22V742000 | Back Over Prevention:Display Function | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sport… |
| 22V753000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Hard Pa | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atla… |
| 21V947000 | Electrical System:Body Control Module/Bc | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liqu… |
| 25V080000 | Electrical System:Propulsion System:Trac | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Audi Q5, and 2022 A7 E Hybrid Electric PHEV vehicles. The hig… |
| 23V842000 | Electrical System:Propulsion System:Char | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 A… |
| 22V034000 | Tires | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021… |
| 21V295000 | Suspension:Rear:Axle:Non-Powered Axle As | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Aud… |
EPA combined 25 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,050
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (25 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 48/100, computed from 69 NHTSA complaints and 8 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaign(s) for the 2021 Audi Q5, 4 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 05/08/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.