77 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Engine · verdict BUY 72/100
“Driving on May 20, 2026 near my home in Florida, power steering assist failed suddenly making it very difficult to steer. Red light on dashboard lit up indicating steering failure. According to a search of the NHTSA records, this is a known issue with these cars. (NHTSA Campaign 15V452000, Audi Action Code 48M1. If I had been on a highway or busy street, the sudden failure would have likely caused an accident. The”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Audi Q5 owner
“1) Rear subframe supports differential, axels, suspension, brakes, wheels and tires 2) If rear suspension fails , above noted assemblies will fall out of the car 3) Yes, dealer and independent garage have inspected and condemned 4) Manufacturer is aware of the problem, 5) No warnings or messages appeared, 6/29/26 at garage for oil change, garage was installing a subframe for another q5 so he was familiar with the”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Audi Q5 owner
“Mechanic was checking the car and noticed subframe is rusted through underneath the plastic cladding. Audi dealers should cover this under warranty as it’s a safety issue. This happened due to poor designing.”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Audi Q5 owner
| Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 05/10/2017 | Electrical System:Wiring SAFETY | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater |
| 03/01/2017 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped w |
| 03/01/2017 | Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resul |
| 11/04/2018 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicl |
| 03/05/2017 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump SAFETY | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Audi Q5 and 2013-2017 Audi Q7 vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to l |
On the federal record it scores 72/100: 77 owner complaints (7.7 per year on the road) and 5 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems.
The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Engine, with 26 of 74 categorised reports.
The 2016 Audi Q5 scored 72/100 on the federal record.