2018 Audi Q5

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Audi Q5 has 313 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (22% of all complaints), specifically: hey, im carmen, im german and i m diplomatic, i work at the permanent mission of germany for the united nations till march 2019. my question is, i want to bring a audi q5 , brand new model , a german model, from germany to new york. and afte my job in 2019, i want to take it back to germany. is the.

12 crash reports 4 injuries

313

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

68 complaints

22%

• HEY, IM CARMEN, IM GERMAN AND I M DIPLOMATIC, I WORK AT THE PERMANENT MISSION OF GERMANY FOR THE UNITED NATIONS TILL MARCH 2019. MY QUESTION IS, I WANT TO BRING A AUDI Q5 , BRAND NEW MODEL , A GERMAN MODEL, FROM GERMANY TO NEW YORK. AND AFTE MY JOB IN 2019, I WANT TO TAKE IT BACK TO GERMANY. IS THE
• 2018 AUDI Q5 PRESTIGE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO THE HEADS UP DISPLAY FUNCTION ON VEHICLE. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE SUN REACHED A CERTAIN ANGLE, A WHITE SOLID REFLECTION BOX APPEARS ON THE WINDSHIELD. THIS CREATED A VISIBILITY ISSUE FOR THE DRIVER. *JS
• VEHICLE TRAVELING STRAIGHT ON HIGHWAY AT 70MPH WITH PHONE PLUGGED IN TO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND CONNECTED TO CARPLAY. CENTER SCREEN SHUT OFF, AND AUDIO CONTROLS UNRESPONSIVE ON BOTH THE DASH AND STEERING WHEEL. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, WHICH WAS DISPLAYING GOOGLE MAPS, THEN BLACKED OUT, WITH ONLY THE

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

“HEY, IM CARMEN, IM GERMAN AND I M DIPLOMATIC, I WORK AT THE PERMANENT MISSION OF GERMANY FOR THE UNITED NATIONS TILL MARCH 2019. MY QUESTION IS, I WANT TO BRING A AUDI Q5 , BRAND NEW MODEL , A GERMAN MODEL, FROM GERMANY TO NEW YORK. AND AFTE MY JOB IN 2019, I WANT TO TAKE IT BACK TO GERMANY. IS THE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

43 complaints

14%

• MY VEHICLE HAS A SAFETY FEATURE CALLED AUDI PRESENCE. MY NEW VEHICLE Q5 PRESTIGE (LESS THAN 150 MILES, JUST 6 DAYS OLD) HAD MALFUNCTIONED WITH AN UNEXPECTED AUTOMATIC BREAK ON JAN 17TH 2018 AT AROUND 7:29PM CENTRAL TIME WHILE ON SERVICE ROAD OF HIGHWAY 114 GOING TOWARDS WEST (STRAIGHT ROAD IN MOTION
• SINCE WE LEASED THIS CAR LAST YEAR IN APRIL, WE HAVE HAD MANY ISSUES WITH THE PRE-SENSE PREMATURELY GOING OFF IN THE LATE SETTING ( AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM TO PREVENT REAR COLLISIONS. THERE HAVE MANY TIMES WHERE MY WIFE WAS BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND EVEN IN THE LATE SETTING IT PICKED UP V
• I AM WRITING TO FORMALLY REPORT AN INCIDENT OF CONCERN. I PARKED MY AUDI Q5 IN MY DAUGHTER'S DRIVEWAY, LEAVING MY (VERY MINIMAL, NO METAL, JUST FLANNEL) POCKETBOOK IN THE CAR WITH THE AUDI FOB. IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES, I BROUGHT MY GRANDDAUGHTER WHO IS 4 DOWN TO THE CAR AND STRAPPED HER IN HER CAR SEAT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“MY VEHICLE HAS A SAFETY FEATURE CALLED AUDI PRESENCE. MY NEW VEHICLE Q5 PRESTIGE (LESS THAN 150 MILES, JUST 6 DAYS OLD) HAD MALFUNCTIONED WITH AN UNEXPECTED AUTOMATIC BREAK ON JAN 17TH 2018 AT AROUND 7:29PM CENTRAL TIME WHILE ON SERVICE ROAD OF HIGHWAY 114 GOING TOWARDS WEST (STRAIGHT ROAD IN MOTION”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

31 complaints

10%

• WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY IN CHICAGO, TRANSMISSION, AND ALL SAFETY FEATURES COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT, AND WITH LIMITED STEERING WAS ABLE TO PULL TO ROADSIDE BARELY MISSING HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. EXPRESSWAY ROADSIDE IS NARROW, SO WAS NEARLY HIT BY MANY CARS WH
• THE MIL LIGHT IS ON, PREVIOUS OWNER RETURNED THE CAR IN 8 MONTHS, WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR THEY TOLD ME THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED WITH ANOTHER NEW ENGINE AND IT'S ALL SET, YET AFTER ONE MONTHS OF BUYING THE 10K MILES CAR THE MIL LIGHT CAME ON???
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUT-OFF AS THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED MULTIPLE TIMES TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. ENGINE FAILURE - CONTACT DEALER, MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED

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

“WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY IN CHICAGO, TRANSMISSION, AND ALL SAFETY FEATURES COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT, AND WITH LIMITED STEERING WAS ABLE TO PULL TO ROADSIDE BARELY MISSING HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. EXPRESSWAY ROADSIDE IS NARROW, SO WAS NEARLY HIT BY MANY CARS WH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SUSPENSION

24 complaints

• Both rear springs broke. Possible risk to wheel and arm support. No towing, road hazard or excessive load. Car has 48,000 miles. Others reported same problem on Audi members site. Unable to reach Audi USA. Dealer says my problem.
• Both rear coil springs observed to have failed (broken) upon bringing car to mechanic for brake job. Less than 60k miles.
• Two issues: 1. We have needed to repeatedly replace brake booster. 2. Passenger side rear spring has broken and dealer is indicating the driver side should also be replaced.

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

“Both rear springs broke. Possible risk to wheel and arm support. No towing, road hazard or excessive load. Car has 48,000 miles. Others reported same problem on Audi members site. Unable to reach Audi USA. Dealer says my problem.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

23 complaints

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 AUDI Q5. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE COLLISION ALERT SYSTEM INDEPENDENTLY ENGAGED THE BRAKE SYSTEM, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AND REGAIN HIGHWAY SPEED. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE COLLISION SYSTEM MAY HAVE SEN
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT STATE THAT THE VEHICLE INDEPENTLY ENGAGED THE COLLISION BRAKE SYSTEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE FIRST WAS THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 12TH AT APPROXIMATELY 19:00 EST. WHILE TRAVELING SOUTH ON LAHSER ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES IN THE
• 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

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 AUDI Q5. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE COLLISION ALERT SYSTEM INDEPENDENTLY ENGAGED THE BRAKE SYSTEM, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AND REGAIN HIGHWAY SPEED. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE COLLISION SYSTEM MAY HAVE SEN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

SUSPENSION(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 313 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: HEY, IM CARMEN, IM GERMAN AND I M DIPLOMATIC, I WORK AT THE PERMANENT MISSION OF GERMANY FOR THE UNITED NATIONS TILL MARCH 2019. MY QUESTION IS, I WANT TO BRING A AUDI Q5 , BRAND NEW MODEL , A GERMAN MODEL, FROM GERMANY TO NEW YORK. AND AFTE MY JOB IN 2019, I WANT TO TAKE IT BACK TO GERMANY. IS THE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: MY VEHICLE HAS A SAFETY FEATURE CALLED AUDI PRESENCE. MY NEW VEHICLE Q5 PRESTIGE (LESS THAN 150 MILES, JUST 6 DAYS OLD) HAD MALFUNCTIONED WITH AN UNEXPECTED AUTOMATIC BREAK ON JAN 17TH 2018 AT AROUND 7:29PM CENTRAL TIME WHILE ON SERVICE ROAD OF HIGHWAY 114 GOING TOWARDS WEST (STRAIGHT ROAD IN MOTION
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY IN CHICAGO, TRANSMISSION, AND ALL SAFETY FEATURES COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT, AND WITH LIMITED STEERING WAS ABLE TO PULL TO ROADSIDE BARELY MISSING HIGH-SPEED TRAFFIC. EXPRESSWAY ROADSIDE IS NARROW, SO WAS NEARLY HIT BY MANY CARS WH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SUSPENSION: Both rear springs broke. Possible risk to wheel and arm support. No towing, road hazard or excessive load. Car has 48,000 miles. Others reported same problem on Audi members site. Unable to reach Audi USA. Dealer says my problem.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)