2011 Audi Q5

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2011 Audi Q5 has 192 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (35% of all complaints), specifically: after my q5 has been in the service department 3 times for the same issue broke down on a very busy highway with my small child on board. my audi advisor told me to try to bring it to the dealer. we did not make it. car had to be towed. after 2 weeks, i was advised i needed a new engine at the c. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 5 crash reports 2 injuries

192

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

67 complaints

35%

• AFTER MY Q5 HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE BROKE DOWN ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY WITH MY SMALL CHILD ON BOARD. MY AUDI ADVISOR TOLD ME TO TRY TO BRING IT TO THE DEALER. WE DID NOT MAKE IT. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. AFTER 2 WEEKS, I WAS ADVISED I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AT THE C
• TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFA
• TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTU

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“AFTER MY Q5 HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE BROKE DOWN ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY WITH MY SMALL CHILD ON BOARD. MY AUDI ADVISOR TOLD ME TO TRY TO BRING IT TO THE DEALER. WE DID NOT MAKE IT. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. AFTER 2 WEEKS, I WAS ADVISED I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AT THE C”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

43 complaints

22%

• CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR
• LESS THAN 1 YR AFTER I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OIL CONSUMPTION. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY DID OIL CONSUMPTION TEST AND REPLACED CRANKCASE BREATHER VALVE AND FRONT MAIN SEAL & ECM UPDATE. HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION CONTINUED, DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS ACCEPTABLE AS LONG A
• VEHICLE IS BURNING AND CONSUMING OIL. I TAKE TO DEALER FOR OIL CHANGES AND LAST ONE INDICATED GREAT. EVERY 4 DAYS I HAVE TO PUT A QUART OF OIL IN THE TRUCK. I ONLY HAVE 67,000 MILES AND NO WARRANTY. AUDI ISN'T TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CAR. AND THERE ARE NO BULLETINS OR RECALLS FROM AUDI AL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

“CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

33 complaints

17%

• CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR
• MY CAR (2011 AUDI Q5) ENGINE ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN AT LOW SPEED TWICE ON THE SAME DAY, ONCE AT A STOP SIGN AND SECOND TIME WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO, THE CAR STOPPED WHILE TRYING TO PULL OUT OF A PARKING LOT AT SPEED OF ABOUT 10 MPH OR LESS. FUEL TANK WAS MORE THAN HALF FULL AN
• TRANSMISSION OFTEN JERKS WHEN SLOWING DOWN BELOW 10 MPH, CAR JERKS FORWARD

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

12 complaints

• WHILE TAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, THE AUDI Q5 3.2 TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE AUDI Q5 STOPPED AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY; HOWEVER, THE GEARS WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE. THE AUDI Q5 DISPLAYED A
• I PURCHASED A CERTIFIED PREOWNED AUDI Q5 LAST MARCH 2013. THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE. NO PROBLEMS OR CONCERNS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUDI DEALER IN FEBRUARY 2014 FOR AN ANNUAL SERVICE AND ALSO IN MARCH 2014 FOR MY YEARLY INSPECTION/EMISSIONS TESTING. ON APRIL 2014, I HAD LOSS THE VEHICLE DU
• 1. Q5 2.0 HAS A VERY HARSH DOWNSHIFT WHETHER IN AUTOMATIC MODE OR IN MANUAL/SPORTRONIC. SPECIALLY 4->3 AND 3->2 AND 2->1. AS A RESULT THE CAR COMES TO A STOP AND THEN JERK FORWARD AFTER THE STOP (2-1), CAUSING ACCIDENTS IN PARKING GARAGES SPECIALLY IN TIGHT SPOTS. AUDI HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE,

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“WHILE TAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, THE AUDI Q5 3.2 TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE AUDI Q5 STOPPED AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY; HOWEVER, THE GEARS WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE. THE AUDI Q5 DISPLAYED A”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

8 complaints

• IN DECEMBER 2014 CLIMAT CONTROL MOTOR AND MODULE BLOW OUT ,2 MONTH LATER MMI SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING .IT 'S ONLY 36 000 MILES . VERY DISAPOOINTED WITH THIS CAR .
• WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 ON THE HIGHWAY, A LIGHT CAME ACROSS MY DASH THAT SAID 'PARKING BRAKE MALFUNCTION!' MOMENTS LATER MY 2011 AUDI Q5 CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING A 3 CAR PILE UP. MY CAR HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED IN JUNE AND GOTTEN NEW BRAKES AT THAT TIME AS WELL.
• I AM EMAILING THIS LETTER AND HOPEFULLY SOMEONE WILL RESPOND TO MY REQUEST OF REOPENING MY CLAIM REGARDING MY 2011 AUDI Q5'S RECENT AND PATTERN LIKE PROBLEMS. HOPEFULLY THE REFERENCE NUMBER ABOVE SHOWS MY CARS HISTORY AND EXPLAINS HOW IT'S ALL GOTTEN TO ME ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM AGAIN. AROUND THA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“IN DECEMBER 2014 CLIMAT CONTROL MOTOR AND MODULE BLOW OUT ,2 MONTH LATER MMI SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING .IT 'S ONLY 36 000 MILES . VERY DISAPOOINTED WITH THIS CAR .”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 192 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: AFTER MY Q5 HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE BROKE DOWN ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY WITH MY SMALL CHILD ON BOARD. MY AUDI ADVISOR TOLD ME TO TRY TO BRING IT TO THE DEALER. WE DID NOT MAKE IT. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. AFTER 2 WEEKS, I WAS ADVISED I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AT THE C
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: CRANK SENSOR FAILURE AND AND FUEL PUMP FAILURE. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: WHILE TAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, THE AUDI Q5 3.2 TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE AUDI Q5 STOPPED AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY; HOWEVER, THE GEARS WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE. THE AUDI Q5 DISPLAYED A
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)