Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Audi Q5 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 24 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
The front subframe on the vehicle is severely rusted and corroded through rust. Part of it has fallen off, and the rest of it is badly damaged. A structural integrity, a major safety risk. The Audi Dealer inspected it and confirmed. The car is unsafe to drive.
Rear coil springs broke. No heavy duty cycle. 46,000 miles. Spring retention pads dislocated and destroyed. Powder coat anti rust prevention in 90% good shape. No reason for coil springs to break other than assembly defect or supplier material defect.
The rear passenger side suspension coil was found broken with a clean break but embedded into the coil boot during a 70k service at the Audi dealer with ~61k miles. No alarming condition of the failure was present, and if it would have dislodged while at speed on the interstate would have resulted in complete loss of control and bodily harm to the driver as well as other vehicles on the road. This was a CPO vehicle garage kept and routinely serviced by Audi, yet they denied any liability and provided no assistance when I escalated to corporate due to being out of CPO warranty by ~2 months. As a result, I had an independent VW specialist shop perform the work, document the observations as if they were to be subpoenaed in the future, and provide me all the parts from the repair (which I still have). The spring coating is completely intact on both rear coils and during the repair process it is evident that the part number has changed from what was originally installed to the current version. The clean break suggests part defect either in design for use or in the spring manufacture. Further investigation on various Audi forums as well as the NHTSA shows this is a prevalent failure for the 2018 Q5 and Audi should be doing something about this.
When going in for an oil change and tire change the dealer noticed both rear springs were broken.
My dealer informed me during a routine inspection that the rear coils springs were about to break and needed replacement at only 66653 miles. Web search revealed many others who have actually failed. Manufacturer will not cover 'out of warranty' repair. As a mechanical engineer with 45 years in the light vehicle industry - 30 in safety - I can say that coil springs do not routinely fail, especially at this mileage. If the do fail at speed I'd certainly expect potential loss of control by the surprised diver.
Motor mounts leaking, car at only 45K miles Audi dealer indicates fix will be ~$3,200 Many posts online (AudiWorld discussion forums, etc.) - many drivers encountering issue at even fewer mileage Concerning that there was no warning on vehicle
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the suspension coil spring was cracked at the bottom. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.
Notified by Audi dealership of a rear coil spring break. Zero corrosion present, powder coating fully intact (picture available), low mileage. Was advised and verified that this serious safety issue is occurring with many 2018 Audi Q5 models. Audi has not, as of yet, recognized this as a defective part and issued a safety recall. Please add my complaint to the many others regarding this safety issue and mandate Audi issue a recall.
In 7/2023, I was told during a routine maintenance appt at Audi dealership that both rear suspension springs on my 2018 Q5 were broken, as in broken into two pieces. I was told it was a major safety issue. There was no indication or warning from the car’s system of a problem…I only found out as a result of an inspection at the dealership. It was then repaired at the dealership. I am sharing this information because I have read about others having the same problem with the rear springs on the same model. My understanding is that spring breakage is uncommon and should not happen at 55000 miles to a car that is not driven in rocky or bumpy terrain, which mine is not.
Rear spring has broken at 50k miles. This is a potentially catastrophic outcome at speed. Vehicle is not used for towing or any sort of off road use. Estimate from the dealer was $2000 to replace both rear springs. The dealer said that "it happens" and would not cover the failure. The car is driven as a commuting car - really? After some online research, apparently this is a somewhat common issue that Audi refuses to acknowledge or address - it's a "maintenance item". Sorry - this is a safety issue. No spring should fail at 50k miles.
I was recently driving and heard a funny noise from back right of car. Looked underneath and saw a broken spring (I have the broken spring) . I am the original owner of this car and it only has 36,645 miles on it. Never been off-road, hauled anything, or had anything heavy in back. In looking online afterwards this seems to be a common problem in 2018 Audi Q5s. This defect could have caused a serious accident if I hadn't noticed the sound and had it fixed.This is ridiculous for this to fail on this expensive of a vehicle with such low mileage. I had to replace both rear springs (shouldn't only replace one) and have an alignment which ended up costing me $1013.01. I really think I should be reimbursed by Audi since this is a known defect! Thank you.
My 2018 Q5 with around 60k miles had a rear passenger side coil spring break. There is a forum with many other people that have the exact same issue and I believe this is a defect/ faulty design as we all have had the coil break in the same location under similar low mileage. There are 5-6 people on this page alone with the same issue [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Passenger side broken Rear Spring was uncovered when Audi Q5 was brought in for it's annual service. There were no warning lights or messages indicating the suspension was broken. This vehicle is drive gently, is NOT used to tow, carry heavy loads or go off road.
The right rear coil spring broke after only 52,679 miles. The car was NEVER taken off road and most of the mileage was on highways. It was driven by my wife, who is a very conservative driver. The dealer discovered this. The independent shop to which I took it for a second opinion stated that the coil spring looked like new but had a break in it, which they've never seen with a car in pristine condition and such low mileage. Both the dealer and independent shop stated it was a hazard and needed to have both rear coil springs replaced, since although only one was broken it was mechanically necessary to do both. The public Audi Forum [https://www.audiworld.com/forums/] posts show that several other vehicles of the same model and more interestingly the same model year had the same problem. This is clearly a safety issue and a manufacturing defect. I have uploaded photos I took of the coil spring after it was deinstalled from the vehicle.
On July 12, 2023 I took my 2018 Audi Q5 to the dealership of Westwood in Audi Massachusetts for an oil change. according to the dealer, the coil mount was broken, and it would lead to coil spring breaking. it is concerning because the car only has 53,000 miles and it’s driven only on the street and it’s not used for off-road and it was never driven hard. Only this dealership ever touched my car and they had never reported any flaws while I had the extended 5-year warranty. This was my first dealership visit for no change without extended warranty. If the coil springs break, I will have no warning so it seems like a safety concern given that the car is relatively new. I searched on the web and apparently 2018 Audi Q5 seem to have a problem with the rear driver side coil springs and coil mount. Did dealership said this is normal wear and tear on the 53,000 mile Audi. They also said that the engine mount would have to be replaced soon in the near future, and they said it was normal wear and tear. I guess the engine could fall on the ground, another safety problem without any warning. Thank you for your time.
My 2018 Audi Q5 has 53,000 miles per the dealer the coil spring seat is broken. Driver rear spring is broken ,rear coil spring mounts are corroded, and if left on resolved my suspension can fail. The dealer also states that this may result in uneven tire wear poor handling in for fuel economy. It is somewhat confusing because all this sounds like a major safety issue since involves the suspension. A simple, Google search also showed me that I’m not alone, that many customers are experiencing serious, similar problems with low mileage Audi cars. As always, thank you for your time I have all documentation for my car which was purchased at the dealership and serviced at the dealership without any problems being reported until now
Rear suspension coil spring was broken, with only 62,000 miles. This sounds similar to the problem with this car's cousin, the 2018-19 VW Tiguan, which had a recall. (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/volkswagen-recalls-cars-suvs-springs-could-break/)
Brought to dealer for routine maintenance and was told both rear springs are broken and need to be replaced. Last time it was in the shop was for a safety inspection in March with no reported issues with springs. the springs are a critical suspension component and put me and others on the road at risk every time I drove it due to rollover, loss of control and bottom out potential while driving. Yes dealer inspected and confirmed the component failure and suggested replacement. No indication on dashboard or warning lights.
The contact owns 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear driver’s side suspension coil spring had fractured also causing damage to the rear axle and rear differential. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure previously. The failure mileage was 60,000.
During a normal service visit it was brought to my attention that the rear suspension coil was broken. They attributed this to normal wear and tear after only 52,000 miles. Upon research it seems this is far more common in 2018 Q5s than it should be this is early.
Rear coil spring on passenger side broke and became detached, wedging against lower control arm. Coil spring had no signs of other damage; seems to be defective metallurgy (see attached photographs). Vehicle had 55,645 miles on it. Dealer charged $720 to repair. From online search, there seems to be a high number of Audi Q5's from 2018 model year with this problem, but Audi dealers claim it is a 'normal wear' item and is not covered.
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.
Both rear coil springs observed to have failed (broken) upon bringing car to mechanic for brake job. Less than 60k miles.
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.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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