Audi SQ5: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Audi SQ5: 8 model years scored from 102 NHTSA owner complaints and 21 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2020.
Audi SQ5: which years to avoid
Across 8 scored model years the Audi SQ5 ranges from 50/100 in 2021 to 93/100 in 2016 — a 43-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a SQ5 at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Electrical System (8 of them).
Safest years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2018, 2019, 2021.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the SQ5 changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2014–2017
Mean score 91/100, about 1 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Steering more than anything else (9 complaints). 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2018–2021
Mean score 66/100, about 3 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (19 complaints). The record falls 25 points against the years before it. 9 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 85). Worst: 2021 (score 50, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | CAUTION | $4,973 | 22 | 5 |
| 2020 | 85 | BUY | $5,052 | 7 | 4 |
| 2019 | 67 | CAUTION | $5,018 | 18 | 5 |
| 2018 | 60 | CAUTION | $5,167 | 24 | 5 |
| 2017 | 93 | BUY | $5,660 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | 93 | BUY | $5,801 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 90 | BUY | $5,943 | 8 | 1 |
| 2014 | 89 | BUY | $6,089 | 12 | 1 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the SQ5, through the years →
SQ5 sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the SQ5 on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Audi SQ5
Across every SQ5 model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System21 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine16 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other11 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Steering10 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Power Train10 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Structure7 complaints across all SQ5 years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Audi SQ5 years to buy?
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2016 at 93/100, on 6 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
Which Audi SQ5 years should I avoid?
The 2021 is the weakest year we score, at 50/100 (CAUTION), on 22 complaints and 5 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Audi SQ5 problem?
21 of the complaints filed against the SQ5 across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04