Audi Q5 Complaints

1,386 consumer complaints on file.

#11428427August 9, 2021
ENGINE
While driving a brand new Audi Q5 it suddenly went into "Panic mode" with the windows going up & done,Steering malfunctioning, warning the driver to pull over. The car shuts down unexpectedly without reason. The whole car freezes ! While at the dealership, the tech told us there was another car being repaired with the same issue .Turns out if the back battery gets wet(hidden under the back cup holder)the car shuts down. A cup of coffee spilled in the back seat but there are many reports online (part #J533) with any incidence of wetness. Audi is aware of this problem and although they ordered a new part, the problem is NOT repaired permanently .It can happen again and again .Audi needs to have a major recall on all Q3, Q5 and Q7. We were on a residential street when this happened but a multi vehicle crash would have taken place if on a highway.We are asking for a refund since the car was 2 weeks old at the time with less than 5,000 miles. We need the public to know they are driving a car with a a major design flaw and could cause serious accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428184August 7, 2021
ENGINE
while driving, my 2021 Audi q5 with 1400 miles, it began to malfunction; every light & warning (transmission, brakes, AWD , etc.) began flashing as failing on the dashboard. The windows begin going up & down. Steering began to be hard. Finally, I was able to steer the q5 out of traffic. Traffic was going about 40-50 mph. 2. the q5 was towed to Audi for diagnostic 3. Audi called & said that the gateway got wet and the cost for the part is $1200. It will take 2 weeks to get the part in. Audi has no openings until October. 4. They stated that the water drains are working and that they found a water bottle cap in the backSeat of the car; therefore, the gateway will not be covered under warranty. Huh? 5. I am unsure why the warranty will not cover any Safety issues on a 4 month old car. 6. Audi is assuming there was a water spill, because there was a water bottle cap in the car. 7. What are you talking about, Audi? Why are you assuming things? What is the real cause of this traumatic experience? 8. Secondly, no one told me not to have a water bottle cap in the q5 backseat area; the q5 without warning, began to shut down. 9. The engine light stayed on. 10. Audi is not acting in good faith, why are there assumptions made? 11. Audi must recall the q5 and announce a public safety warning of the danger that is lurking in the back seat called a gateway. 12. Audi must clearly state “Danger! Danger! No water bottle caps allowed in backseat”. 13. Also, not to mention, there were no Audi loaner cars available; this gives off the appearance that Audi is making a lot of repairs and they are aware of this $1200 “water bottle cap” problem called a gateway. 14. I am aware my experience is possibly rare, BUT it must not happen ever. This was a dangerous scary experience that must not happen again to me or any family! 15. Pls demand Audi to recall these q5s to relocate the gateway, before someone dies!!! 16. I will trade in q5 to avoid death...
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427158July 30, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
It says driver system malfunction. Day before that it says Auto Start and Stop malfunction failure. When you are the traffic light and slow down and take a turn then the car gives kinds of couple of pushes as if the It gearbox is not able to adjust the speed automatically . You need to accelerate to keep the balance of the Car. Every passenger of the car feel the same. After 2 days I started getting Driver system malfunction warning. The car is not safe to drive on highways or local road as gearbox has some issues. There is a class action lawsuit for the similar problem which Audi did not address yet. https://margarianlaw.com/audi-class-action-lawsuit/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426144July 23, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2021 Audi Q5 parked (not running) in parking lot , outside temperature 95F, gasoline dripping from under right rear passenger area (approx 1/4-1/2 liter). Audi Service Center inspected and said the fuel pump needs replacing. Fuel system warning light had been yellow and gas cap gasket had been replaced .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11425342July 18, 2021
ENGINE
Oil consumption is getting worse and worse. Currently, I am adding a quart of oil every 3 days in between regular oil changes. This is a real issue. I just spent 5,000 dollars approx. on a tune up at a foreign car body shop but they could not repair the oil issue. This is now a known issue with Audis. What can be done to help this issue?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11424741July 14, 2021
AIR BAGS
Front left door pillar is becoming soaked from an apparent water leak possibly coming from the panoramic sunroof or windshield. Regardless it has to be running into the pillar airbag and has to be a safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11424179July 10, 2021
POWER TRAIN
I leased a 2021 Audi Q5 (VIN: WA1BAAFY7M2[XXX]) in November 2020. 2021 Audi Q5 has gateway module underneath the middle row seat. The gateway module is like the brain of the car and if it stops working the car stops - basically the car is brain dead. In my case, I was driving the car with my family i.e. wife, 7 and 3 year old kids when the car abruptly shut off. Luckily, I was on a road with 45 MPH speed limit and no traffic, so nothing happened to us. If this happened on a highway or other situation anything could have happened to me and my family. After safely parking the car and getting it towed to Audi Westmont, the car was inspected, and I was informed about the gateway module issue. To my shock, the mechanic said that it’s a design flaw that Audi is aware of but doesn't have a solution yet. Furthermore, he said that just at Laurel Audi in Westmont 4 cars were repaired for this problem. When I googled, several Audi owners have faced this problem. As I mentioned earlier, despite knowing the issue Audi didn't inform the owners and yet to inform the owners despite this being a serious enough problem that could put owners/families in a life threatening situation. Here's the link to the video taken during the diagnosis of the problem: https://asr.autonation.com/tV0Ij5Ym5c. I have also attached picture of the hodgepodge fix i.e. wrapping gateway module in plastic. The reason I say it is hodgepodge is that wrapping in plastic won't prevent water from condensing on gateway module and the problem repeating. Preceding the days my car had this problem, there were heavy rains and humidity was very high, as noted in the video there is no source of water leak or water entering the gateway module externally, given that finding and the fact that there was heavy rains, high humidity in the preceding days - condensation can likely be the potential cause of the problem. There are thousands of 2021 Audi Q5's and every single one has this risk. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMA
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11423432July 5, 2021
ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption. Needs 1 quart of oil per tank of gas, more often with city driving. Issues most likely with original rings and pistons. Repair likely $6000. Oil consumption not disclosed as a problem when I bought the car 4000 miles ago. Currently 106,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11423235July 2, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Panoramic sunroof glass panel shattered. Obviously, if the glass had fallen while I was driving, I (or any passengers) could have been cut and injured. I also could have been distracted and injured myself or someone else in a crash. Rockville Audi has not inspected it yet; although, they are scheduling the repair. The vehicle was inspected on July 1st at about 9:00pm by two Washington National Cathedral Police Officers (Sergeant Lozano and Officer Reyes or Navarro) shortly after it was discovered. The phone number to reach Washington National Cathedral Police is (202) 537-5667. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms that this was going to happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422837June 29, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING
The 2nd generation Audi Q5 (roughly 2017-2021+) has a major susceptibility to immediate, catastrophic failure as evidenced from my own experience and dozens of episodes reported online. This failure typically causes a $2000-$3000 repair bill that Audi will not cover and will claim is the fault of the owner. My wife was driving the vehicle with our 5-year-old daughter in the car In the middle of the rear seat. The daughter spilled part of a 500 ml water bottle onto the seat next to her. Within 20 seconds of this happening, the car began alerting about steering malfunctions, braking malfunctions, and the windows began seizing up and down repeatedly. The car was completely inoperable. We are lucky this was on a slow city street and not on the interstate or tollway! Once stopped, we no buttons generated any actions from the vehicle. we couldn't power it on, put it into neutral to be towed away, raise the windows, or perform ANY other function at all. The car was a useless brick. We were charged $125 for the towing service and another $2200 from Audi Plano in Texas. After countless conversations, even debates, with David (director Audi Plano) and even Audi USA customer experience team, they REFUSED to admit any fault in a poor design and help cover any of the costs whatsoever, and we are even still in warranty. The part that was damaged is DIRECTLY below the cupholders and has no effective liquid protections - what did they think would happen! Here are other examples from online: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mkii-discussion-218/water-bottle-leak-%241800-damage-3009540/ https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mkii-discussion-218/control-module-ruined-moisture-corrosion-3001605/page5/ https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/shopping/3641294-Audi-Q5-taken-out-by-DD-water-spill-in-rear-seat https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=11350209
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422846June 29, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driver was with 2 passengers (3 young females) driving in a new 2021 Audi Q5 (less than 5 months old and less than 6000 miles) at about 70 mph on Garden State Parkway in NJ. A brake malfunction warning light appeared on the dashboard and within 5 seconds the car completely shut down in the middle lane of the parkway (in a black car at 10pm). This was the first notification or warning--nothing in the prior minutes or days. The driver was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts and was unable to drift to the shoulder of the parkway. The SOS button in the vehicle didn't work and hazards didn't appear to be working either. Several cars driving at or above the 65 mph speed limit were braking and swerving at the last second to avoid collision and several cursed at the vehicle (as they were unable to see the vehicle in the darkness). Passenger in front seat called 911 to request assistance to provide a roadblock as it seemed imminent that the vehicle was going to be hit. 911 operator said safest place was to remain in the vehicle given the vehicle location and the speed of other drivers. The radio briefly turned back on and then turned off. Nothing else was working. When the tow arrived, the driver notified the individuals that the front hazards were working but the back hazards were not. The vehicle was towed to the local Audi Service Center. Eleven days after Audi accessed the vehicle, a report was received which said that the vehicle had an "elec[trical] malf[unction]" and that they "found car would not turn on and no communication to any control units. [They] performed hard reset to gate way control unit[,] found fuse blown for control unit[,] replaced fuse [and] still same concern found[.] [G]ateway control unit internally faulty causing car not to start[.] [R]eplaced and recoded control unit [and] cleared faults and test drove car[.]" The report also notes that 3 weeks after the car was leased, the vehicle owner indicated that the car was stalling out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422446June 26, 2021
ENGINE
Water was spilled in the backseat of the car (less than 12 ounces of water). This caused a complete electrical failure impacting the engine and power steering. The failure happened at a slow speed in a parking lot but would have been much more dangerous on highway. The car would not turn on or off and would not shift into any gear after coming to a stop. Was told that the water caused a failure in the data bus control module.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421775June 22, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Extreme oil consumption (burning 2+ quarts in less than 500 miles); cutting off while idling. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. If this is a leak, it could possibly catch on fire while my child is driving to school, or it could cut off while driving causing a bad accident. Yes it has been confirmed by a repair facility. Check/add oil indicator; check engine light; emits black smoke from rear. Issues appeared 2 days after purchasing the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421907June 22, 2021
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am writing about an incident that happened to my wife while she was driving my car from Los Angeles, CA to Phoenix, AZ on June 16, 2021. My wife was driving the Audi Q5 at approximately 75mph and 125 miles west of Phoenix (near the CA/AZ border) when the car suddenly loss power. She stepped on the gas and noticed the speed gradually dropping. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind and barely had enough time to pull over to the shoulder. It was at this point that she called to tell me that the car would no longer start and the “check engine” and “EPC” light indicators were illuminated. This occurred at approximately 12:30 noon during a severe heatwave where the outside temperature was 117 degrees. I asked her to wait for 10 minutes to try to restart the car; the car would not restart. She called AAA Towing and was told the wait would be over one hour because of the rural location (Quartzsite, AZ). She ended up waiting a little over 3 hours in her car, without air conditioning, in 117 degrees for a tow truck driver to arrive. The car was towed to her sister’s house in Goodyear, AZ at a cost of $673. The next day, she had the car towed to the Audi Dealership in Peoria, AZ where it was diagnosed the car had suffered a fuel vapor lock due to the heat. The car has less than 28,000 miles on the odometer when the incident happened. Audi Peoria kept the car for a couple of days because the parts had to be ordered from Los Angeles. Ultimately, the repair bill from the dealership came to $1,983. I felt helpless and scared for my wife that I was not able to assist her as I was 3 hours away. What if my wife (or another driver) was unable to pull over to the side of the road? The chances of an accident are dramatically increased if the vehicle was stuck on the highway. As you can imagine, my wife has been traumatized by this incident and we are both fearful that this incident can happen again. Therefore, we request that NHTSA investigate this incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421673June 21, 2021
TIRES:TREAD/BELT, TIRES
We got a screw in our tire while driving on the highway and received a low tire pressure indicator. We kept driving, not knowing it was a screw, until we could find a rest stop. Before we were able to reach a safe place to stop, the entire tread of the tire came off while we were driving, immediately disabling the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421380June 18, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The panoramic Sunroof exploded while driving spontaneously. Luckily no one was injured due to the shattered glass due to the cloth screen being drawn fully. The problem was reported to Audi and to the local dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected by insurance or police. There were no warning indicators prior to the incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421134June 16, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal rattling sound was coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the coolant pump and serpentine belt needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V229000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and that the repair would be an out of pocket expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the Vin was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421169June 16, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is a module under the back seat called the J533 that I am told got wet. This completely shut down the entire car as my wife and child were driving down the highway. We were very disheartened to find out that this is an out of pocket expense for a common thing to happen in the back of an SUV. After searching online, I came across this link, which is an identical account: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mkii-discussion-218/control-module-ruined-moisture-corrosion-3001605/ I'll highlight one area in this link thread, as it most strongly relates to your questions above: "Audi (VOA) faces considerable legal exposure for any injury caused by a liquid finding its way into a component that poses such a high risk of harm if the module fails. . which evidently it does via corrosion following moisture intrusion of some sort. This is particularly the case given the absence of any mention or warning in the manual about avoiding spillage, and more pertinent to liability, Audi’s failure to anticipate the considerable risk of harm stemming from a readily foreseeable occurrence, ie, spillage. To frame it in more stark terms, no one reasonably expects to face a death ride when they spill their soda."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11421025June 15, 2021
ENGINE
On July 14, 2020, my daughter and I drove my leased Audi Q5 to Cari’s sister’s home. As I pulled in the driveway, and before I turned off the vehicle and exited the car, smoke began to billow from the engine compartment and enter the interior. My daughter and I were suddenly engulfed by white smoke, and evacuated the vehicle immediately. With the use of a garden hose and fire extinguishers, my sister, brother-in-law, and I were able to subdue the fire until the fire department arrived and extinguished it fully. My Audi Q5 was totaled due to this fire that, suddenly and without warning, engulfed the engine compartment. After the incident, Audi inspected the vehicle. Ultimately, Audi stated that the cause/origin of the engine compartment fire was due to the turbocharger electronic waste gate malfunction. My daughter and I were stunned, shocked, and scared by the car’s sudden and unexpected combustion. Naturally, the trauma and terror of having a car ignite for seemingly no reason are significant, and weigh on my daughter and me. First, the terror of having to fend off a car fire from surrounding people and property is arduous and horrible. Second, my daughter, to this day, still thinks that a car in which she is a passenger may erupt in flames at any given moment. She does not realize that this may have been a one-off accident, and fears simply riding in a vehicle as a result. No person should have to go through the harrowing experience of pulling their daughter out of a burning car and extinguishing the fire before it can damage even more property or take a life. Importantly, the smoke that engulfed the vehicle’s passenger compartment exacerbated my asthma. For months after the incident, my breathing was strained and I suffered more severe asthma symptoms. Audi/VW made a minimal offer and I have had to engage attorneys to seek compensation for the damages my daughter and I suffered as a result of this incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11421060June 15, 2021
ENGINE
This SUV has a 2.0 engine that consumes oil. I have to add a quart every 200-300 miles as the IP light indicates the engine is at the minimum oil level. This is not normal to be adding oil this frequently. Audi/VW has had problems in the past with vehicles that used excessive amounts of oil and a settlement was reached with owners. It seems they have not fixed the issue and I believe an investigation is needed and corrective action should be taken again by Audi/VW to make owners whole and to finally fix the problem. They need to find the root cause of this problem and fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Audi Q5