RoadVitals

2019 Audi Q5

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
49
+2 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
5
Latest Dec 8, 2021
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
5
6 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 49 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2019 Audi Q5, most frequently naming the electrical, driver assistance and engine categories. 5 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 1,012 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

5 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM; STRUCTURE:BODY

Dec 8, 2021
288,991 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.
The risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 90S9View on NHTSA.gov

STRUCTURE:BODY

Oct 16, 2019
174,278 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. The rear wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach from the vehicle.
The risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
The remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four clips securing the forward part of the rear wheel arch trim, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 66K8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 66K8View on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Jun 19, 2019
28 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.
The risk: A damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.
The remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 90N1View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistanceVisibility
Filed Jul 26, 2026

2019 Audi Q5 had the hardware fail which controls the rear view camera (controls other functions too) It's known as the MMI and the replaced part says "MIB2 Main-Unit" on the housing. I have the old part that the dealer replaced in my possession. Dealer confirmed the part was broken and would require replacement. not having a rear camera impacts safety in parking lots, backing in to streets etc, as well as increased risk of backing off the road esp in tight settings. there was no initial warning - it 100% stopped working then would give some warnings or random short term use the past 3 months while scheduling replacement. Completely unreliable for day to day safety, as we back on to a busy road multiple times per day.

NHTSA ID
11752899
Incident
May 1, 2026
Brakes
Filed Jul 19, 2026

Went to Mavis on Weber Rd in Bolingbrook, IL for front brake replacement on June 6, 2026. It took 6.5 hours when I was originally told when I called to schedule the appointment it would only take 1.5 hours, so it was obvious that something was wrong. Within 100 yards of leaving their parking lot after the service appointment, an obvious clattering was present. I immediately called them to let them know the replacement had not been performed correctly. Booked appointment with Audi of Naperville first thing Monday morning to have them fix whatever was wrong - the earliest appointment I could get was June 11. Drove the car until Wednesday evening when something went very wrong and constant clatter was replaced by loud scraping and brake lockup when I exited 355 on my way home from work. Called someone that night to have it towed to Audi for the next day's service appointment. Audi videoed their inspection and shared the video. Their inspection revealed one caliper entirely missing from the driver side brakes and the other caliper on that brake very loose. I paid Audi personally for that repair. I called Mavis customer service to notify them of my findings. After pulling the shop video from my brake appointment that day, they got back to me and said they would refund me for that appointment, the tow to Audi, and the Audi repairs. I have since been in touch with them and they said they mailed me a check on July 2. Since it has been 17 days since that date and it doesn't take mail that long to get to most of North America, I tend not to believe them. I have since learned that this Mavis brake replacement was negligent and could have resulted in an accident, with the potential of injury. I am contacting you because I don't want Mavis to take their responsibilities for the safety of their customers so casually.

NHTSA ID
11751401
Incident
Jun 6, 2026
Airbags
Filed Jun 27, 2026

Seat occupancy sensor, it's associated with code "B12251B".

NHTSA ID
11746962
Incident
Jun 27, 2026
Electrical
Filed May 12, 2026

2019 Audi q5 drive system malfunction/start stop malfunction. Error code will come on randomly in traffic and when you try to put your foot on the gas it hesitates and you need to push harder on the gas. Car will also lose acceleration power and take longer to reach desired speed. Drive system malfunction light will come on as well as an error stating start/stop system malfunction. Have had multiple sensors and battery replaced with only temporary results. Start stop malfunction will come on randomly at any time and then go away for a certain amount of time and come back again. This malfunction is constantly going on and off and is sometimes dangerous because you don’t know when it will happen, if it does happen you don’t know if you need to press harder on the gas, or if you do accelerate you don’t know if you’re damaging your engine. After multiple fixes at Audi dealership and other repair shops, them attempting to address this issue has done nothing for the car leaving me to believe this could be a fault. This issue has been going on for at least 10 months with multiple dealer visits attempting to address this issue.

NHTSA ID
11737448
Incident
Apr 22, 2026
Seat belts
Filed Apr 22, 2026

My seat belt warning has been going off intermittently. I received an extended warranty from Audi Subject: Seat Occupancy Detection System Limited Warranty Extension extending the warranty for my car. However, when I took it to the dealer they could not replicate the sound. I provided them a video of it happening. They said it was not showing as a fault on the computer and therefore refused to repair the seat under the warranty extension. This is a safety issue and it's recognized as one by Audi. This sensor is obviously malfunctioning for a lot of people or they would not have extended the warranty. Regardless of being able to "replicate" the issue, they should replace the sensor since it's a known issue and they extended the warranty on it.

NHTSA ID
11733149
Incident
Apr 22, 2026
Engine
Filed Apr 18, 2026

A failed (frozen) Turbocharger Wastegate Actuator. An engine warning light came on and engine had less power. It had to be replaced. There was a settled law suit for the same issue covering this item in previous vehicles settled in 2025.

NHTSA ID
11732112
Incident
Apr 2, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 16, 2026

My 2019 Audi Q5 has 23,300 city-driven odometer miles. The vehicle has been serviced and maintained per the Audi Service Manual, based on months in service, not accumulated mileage. The vehicle has been garaged both at home and at work. The vehicle has never been driven off-road. When driving, an “All-wheel Drive: malfunction! You may continue driving. Please contact Service” warning message sounded and appeared on the instrument panel. The malfunction was diagnosed by Audi Honolulu and another Audi repair shop as a Shift Fork Unit issue and/or Quattro differential failure, which needs to be replaced. Audi has has a Technical Service Bulletin for a similar problem for the Q5. Audi Honolulu and Audi America refuses to provide a goodwill repair citing the age of the Q5. While the vehicle is 7 years old, a Shift Fork or Quattro Differential should not fail at 23,300 miles, regardless of age. I have been told by both repair facilities that the Shift Fork Unit or Quattro Differential could suddenly fully fail and seize causing a sudden loss of forward movement. I am afraid that if this happens at freeway speeds coming to a sudden stop could cause serious injury and if a vehicle behind mine slammed into me at freeway speeds a catastrophic or deadly accident could occur, especially at night or in inclement weather conditions.

NHTSA ID
11731739
Incident
Mar 13, 2026
Body & structureElectrical
Filed Apr 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stopped and jerked, and the RED master warning light illuminated, and the message “Electrical Control Module” failure was displayed. On other occasions, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the turn signals and brake lights failed to operate as intended, and the message "Faulty Brake Light" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that there was water trapped in the clogged sunroof drain, and the water leaked, and the control module was covered in water. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ID
11728482
Incident
Dec 25, 2025
Mileage
95,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB_2082846_1

This bulletin provides a statement regarding the bottleneck of supply for VW approved oil types VW 504.00 and VW 507.00.

TSB_2081573_4

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible.

TSB_2078648_2

STRUCTURE:BODY

This service information TSB provides warranty coverage information for vehicles with a broken sunroof panel.

TSB_2073747_4

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides informatoinw hent here are scratches or a coating on the cover of the instrument cluster, or particles inside of the housing.

TSB_2073282_1

STRUCTURE:BODY

This bulletin provides information when there is a film/visible rings on the clear glass cover of the headlight when the dipped beam is switched on.

TSB_2081573_3

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Audi Q5 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026200
2025401050.2
2024194051.0
2023425064.8
2022214066.3
2021698055.4
2020236060.6
2019Viewing495062.0
20181976055.4
2017425057.2
2016775062.1
2015976057.0
20141055057.6
2013895050.3
20121686049.0
20111425048.6
2010994045.4
2009306049.3
2008010

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.