2013 Audi Q5 Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 Audi Q5 Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical240.0%
- Brakes120.0%
- Engine120.0%
- Steering120.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
- I WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON SAYING HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. - THEN AS I WAS ALMOST HOME, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A VERY STEEP DRIVEWAY, AND THE BREAKS STARTED SKIPPING (FOOT SLAMMED ON BREAKS AND CAR FINALLY STOPPED AFTER ABOUT 20 FEET). - THE ENGINE WARNING THEN READ "HYBRID SYSTEM, POWER STEERING, AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FAILURE" FLASHING IN RED (ALONG WITH OTHER SYSTEMS FAILURES) AND THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE. - SCARED FOR MY LIFE, I PUT CAR IN PARK AND HAD IT TOWED TO AUDI OF BELLEVUE - THEY SAID "A COOLANT VALVE IN THE BACK OF THE ENGINE SLOWLY LEAKED COOLANT OVER TIME, LEAKING OVER THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL HARNESS AND WICKED UP INTO THE CONTROL MODULE." - THE SERVICE TECH SAID "THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE" THAT THEY HAVE SINCE REDESIGNED - THUS INDICATING THEM KNOWING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE - AUDI ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS FOR THE A8 MODELS FOR "COOLANT LEAKING THROUGH COOLANT WIRE CONNECTION, CAUSING COOLANT MIGRATION INTO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. IF THIS HAPPENS IT CAN CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT OR POSSIBLY EVEN A STALL WITHOUT WARNING, STALLING CAN LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH." - AUDI RECALL CODE: 80B9 - SINCE MY CAR IS A Q5 IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS PARTICULAR RECALL, BUT IT IS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND CAUSED MY BREAKS TO MALFUNCTION AND CAR TO STALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A 25%. UPDATED 06/05/2017*JS
COOLANT LEAK RESULTING IN ECM MODULE FAILURE, WIRE HARNESS DAMAGE AND ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS DRIVING ON US HWY 1
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
- I WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON SAYING HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. - THEN AS I WAS ALMOST HOME, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A VERY STEEP DRIVEWAY, AND THE BREAKS STARTED SKIPPING (FOOT SLAMMED ON BREAKS AND CAR FINALLY STOPPED AFTER ABOUT 20 FEET). - THE ENGINE WARNING THEN READ "HYBRID SYSTEM, POWER STEERING, AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FAILURE" FLASHING IN RED (ALONG WITH OTHER SYSTEMS FAILURES) AND THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE. - SCARED FOR MY LIFE, I PUT CAR IN PARK AND HAD IT TOWED TO AUDI OF BELLEVUE - THEY SAID "A COOLANT VALVE IN THE BACK OF THE ENGINE SLOWLY LEAKED COOLANT OVER TIME, LEAKING OVER THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL HARNESS AND WICKED UP INTO THE CONTROL MODULE." - THE SERVICE TECH SAID "THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE" THAT THEY HAVE SINCE REDESIGNED - THUS INDICATING THEM KNOWING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE - AUDI ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS FOR THE A8 MODELS FOR "COOLANT LEAKING THROUGH COOLANT WIRE CONNECTION, CAUSING COOLANT MIGRATION INTO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. IF THIS HAPPENS IT CAN CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT OR POSSIBLY EVEN A STALL WITHOUT WARNING, STALLING CAN LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH." - AUDI RECALL CODE: 80B9 - SINCE MY CAR IS A Q5 IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS PARTICULAR RECALL, BUT IT IS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND CAUSED MY BREAKS TO MALFUNCTION AND CAR TO STALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A 25%. UPDATED 06/05/2017*JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
COOLANT LEAK RESULTING IN ECM MODULE FAILURE, WIRE HARNESS DAMAGE AND ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS DRIVING ON US HWY 1
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
- I WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON SAYING HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. - THEN AS I WAS ALMOST HOME, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A VERY STEEP DRIVEWAY, AND THE BREAKS STARTED SKIPPING (FOOT SLAMMED ON BREAKS AND CAR FINALLY STOPPED AFTER ABOUT 20 FEET). - THE ENGINE WARNING THEN READ "HYBRID SYSTEM, POWER STEERING, AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FAILURE" FLASHING IN RED (ALONG WITH OTHER SYSTEMS FAILURES) AND THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE. - SCARED FOR MY LIFE, I PUT CAR IN PARK AND HAD IT TOWED TO AUDI OF BELLEVUE - THEY SAID "A COOLANT VALVE IN THE BACK OF THE ENGINE SLOWLY LEAKED COOLANT OVER TIME, LEAKING OVER THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL HARNESS AND WICKED UP INTO THE CONTROL MODULE." - THE SERVICE TECH SAID "THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE" THAT THEY HAVE SINCE REDESIGNED - THUS INDICATING THEM KNOWING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE - AUDI ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS FOR THE A8 MODELS FOR "COOLANT LEAKING THROUGH COOLANT WIRE CONNECTION, CAUSING COOLANT MIGRATION INTO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. IF THIS HAPPENS IT CAN CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT OR POSSIBLY EVEN A STALL WITHOUT WARNING, STALLING CAN LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH." - AUDI RECALL CODE: 80B9 - SINCE MY CAR IS A Q5 IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS PARTICULAR RECALL, BUT IT IS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND CAUSED MY BREAKS TO MALFUNCTION AND CAR TO STALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A 25%. UPDATED 06/05/2017*JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .