2024 Audi Q5 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2024 Audi Q5, 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
- Driver assistance1144.0%
- Brakes520.0%
- Tires & wheels312.0%
- Electrical28.0%
- Body & structure28.0%
- Powertrain (other)14.0%
- Engine14.0%
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
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle exhibits multiple, unresolved safety-critical defects across software and mechanical systems that create an unpredictable and dangerous driving environment. Despite multiple repair attempts, the manufacturer has failed to certify the vehicle as safe for operation. 1. Critical ADAS Failures (Forward Collision/Lane Keeping): Automatic Emergency Braking (Pre-Sense): The vehicle suffers from unprompted alerts and phantom braking incidents, creating an immediate risk of rear-end collisions. Lane Keeping Assistance: The system has experienced unexpected steering pull, which could lead to an unprompted lane departure. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): The system consistently fails to detect lead vehicles in 40% to 50% of instances. The most recent failure was documented via timestamped screenshot on May 12, 2026, around 4:07 PM PT. This defect is reproducible and renders the automated safety suite unreliable. 2. Powertrain & Mechanical Defects: Pneumatic Air Leaks: The vehicle exhibits 100% pneumatic air leaks during acceleration. The service center has dismissively characterized a total pneumatic system failure as "normal," which I find technically unacceptable and a sign of neglected mechanical integrity. 3. Electrical & Starting System: Recurring Ignition Failures: The vehicle has experienced multiple failures to start, most recently leaving my child and me stranded for 10 minutes. Safety & Use Impairment: These intermittent failures compromise the vehicle's utility and the safety of my family. Incident History: The first time this occurred, I called Audi Roadside Assistance, but the engine started approximately 30 minutes later; as a result, I do not call roadside assistance now when it happens and instead attempt to restart it repeatedly. Current Status: I am forced to drive the car in a constant dilemma, knowing it might fail at any time and leave me stranded.
21 Dec 2025 11,743 miles Audi Pre-sense slammed on the brakes while waiting to make a left. Pointing downhill slightly. No cars in the way. Turned it off completely. Was on the the Late setting. Will not stay off.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
21 Dec 2025 11,743 miles Audi Pre-sense slammed on the brakes while waiting to make a left. Pointing downhill slightly. No cars in the way. Turned it off completely. Was on the the Late setting. Will not stay off.
The vehicle experiences sudden, uncommanded braking on clear roads due to a malfunction in the Audi Pre Sense system. The system falsely detects obstacles and applies the brakes abruptly, creating a safety hazard for occupants and surrounding traffic. The issue was reported to Audi Beverly Hills multiple times beginning July 2023, including through the dealer's online service request system. However, the dealer repeatedly failed to document braking concern on repair orders until insistent during latest visit. In one visit (August 7, 2023), the dealer reduced the Pre Sense sensitivity without creating a repair order or performing diagnostics. At other times, service advisors stated the vehicle was 'operating normally' or refused to record the concern unless it could be duplicated during a short test drive. On August 25, 2025, the dealer finally documented my complaint as 'car would brake randomly' and performed an SVM reconfiguration, but the issue persists. The vehicle is currently used rarely for safety.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was traveling on the expressway and suddenly my vehicle veered to the right. I immediately looked down to see if there was a lane-keeping assist indicator on and there wasn't. I wasn't exactly sure what was happening as no indicator lights were on. I then noticed the vehicle wasn't keeping the speed and it began slowing down. People began honking at me and a gentleman rolled down his window and yelled, "tire". At this point I looked at my driver's side mirror and notice something flapping from the tire rear tire area. Then I heard a loud noise as if there was a heavy duty truck coming up beside me and immediately pulled over on the side of the interstate. I immediately called for help and waited for assistance before exiting my vehicle. The rear driver's side tire was seperated from the rim and damaged the lining in the wheel well. The tire is a Continental Cross Contact. LX Sport 235/55 R 19. The vehicle is 2024 Audi Q5 with the original tires at the time of purchase. The vehicle has 20,785 miles as I am writing this.
The component that failed was the tire/wheel system on a rental vehicle from Enterprise. While driving on a dry highway in New Mexico, a tire pressure warning light appeared. Because we were in a remote area, we stopped at the nearest gas station and added air to the tire. After adding air, the warning light temporarily turned off, so I believed the issue was low tire pressure. However, while continuing to drive, the warning light came back on. We were traveling through an isolated area where towns and service stations were very far apart, and I was attempting to safely make it to the next available gas station or service area. While driving at highway speed, I suddenly heard a loud “boom boom boom” noise. Immediately afterward, I saw the tire detach from the vehicle and roll in front of me before going off to the side of the roadway. I quickly attempted to safely pull the vehicle over. The sudden tire separation created a serious safety hazard for myself, my passengers, and other drivers on the highway. There was a risk of losing control of the vehicle, rollover, collision, or secondary accidents caused by debris or the detached tire. Other vehicles had to maneuver around us after the incident. The problem was not caused by weather conditions, debris impact, or unsafe driving. The failure happened during normal highway driving in dry conditions. The tire itself was not recovered after the incident. An Enterprise representative later asked where the tire was, but due to the sudden nature of the event and the remote location, we were unable to retrieve it. To my knowledge, the vehicle has not yet been formally inspected by the manufacturer or an independent repair facility. However, the vehicle should be inspected for possible tire defects, maintenance failures, wheel assembly problems, or improper installation. The incident was reported to Enterprise, and I contacted customer service multiple times regarding the safety issue and resulting damages and expenses.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle exhibits multiple, unresolved safety-critical defects across software and mechanical systems that create an unpredictable and dangerous driving environment. Despite multiple repair attempts, the manufacturer has failed to certify the vehicle as safe for operation. 1. Critical ADAS Failures (Forward Collision/Lane Keeping): Automatic Emergency Braking (Pre-Sense): The vehicle suffers from unprompted alerts and phantom braking incidents, creating an immediate risk of rear-end collisions. Lane Keeping Assistance: The system has experienced unexpected steering pull, which could lead to an unprompted lane departure. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): The system consistently fails to detect lead vehicles in 40% to 50% of instances. The most recent failure was documented via timestamped screenshot on May 12, 2026, around 4:07 PM PT. This defect is reproducible and renders the automated safety suite unreliable. 2. Powertrain & Mechanical Defects: Pneumatic Air Leaks: The vehicle exhibits 100% pneumatic air leaks during acceleration. The service center has dismissively characterized a total pneumatic system failure as "normal," which I find technically unacceptable and a sign of neglected mechanical integrity. 3. Electrical & Starting System: Recurring Ignition Failures: The vehicle has experienced multiple failures to start, most recently leaving my child and me stranded for 10 minutes. Safety & Use Impairment: These intermittent failures compromise the vehicle's utility and the safety of my family. Incident History: The first time this occurred, I called Audi Roadside Assistance, but the engine started approximately 30 minutes later; as a result, I do not call roadside assistance now when it happens and instead attempt to restart it repeatedly. Current Status: I am forced to drive the car in a constant dilemma, knowing it might fail at any time and leave me stranded.
The dash board lights all came on, windows rolled down, car could not be controlled and couldn’t put the gear in park. After further research on the internet, I found that there was a recall on 288,000 Q 5s in 2021 because of this issue. Dealer said the “gateway system” that controls all the communication died and they had to replace it. I think the 2021 issue is not completely resolved.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Incident date: 06/30/25, Lift gate has closed while still trying to retrieve items from the cargo area, it seems if key is on the person and somehow the kick sensor was activated by accident the lift gate will shut down, the vehicle did make a beeping sound yet I was not clear where/what until the lift gate is coming down on me so I had to quickly move, the lift gate was quite close yet no sensor was activated to prevent the lift gate from shutting. This incident occurred prior to this date and I had to manually push the lift gate up since it was even closer to my body. I did some troubleshooting and read that the key should not be on the person, if so then someone can set off the kick sensor, designed for hands-free operation, can be sensitive and might accidentally trigger the liftgate to close if someone is too close to the rear bumper. Some users report this happening even without intentionally activating the feature. This is a safety issue that a vehicle does not have the sensor to detect an object or body to lift back up. A situation where a 2024 Audi Q5 liftgate closes by itself, potentially causing injury, is concerning. It does appear several factors can contribute to such a malfunction, causing a safety hazard. **Please note I have a video from my from home camera yet unable to upload it. I tried my best to take pictures from the video.
2024 Audi Q5, VIN: [XXX] Purchase Date: [XXX] The automatic tailgate has a foot sensing devise to open or close the tailgate. The problem is that when I am loading or unloading from the luggage area, my foot sometimes activates the sensor and the tailgate tries to close on top of me. I have not been injured yet, but it takes a significant force to overpower the tailgate and stop it. This happened on the first day I got the vehicle and has happened at least 5 more time since then. The dealer checked the vehicle and told me there were no problems shown in the OBD. I told them that I would like the foot sensor deactivated or disconnected. They told me they could not do that. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
The vehicle exhibits multiple, unresolved safety-critical defects across software and mechanical systems that create an unpredictable and dangerous driving environment. Despite multiple repair attempts, the manufacturer has failed to certify the vehicle as safe for operation. 1. Critical ADAS Failures (Forward Collision/Lane Keeping): Automatic Emergency Braking (Pre-Sense): The vehicle suffers from unprompted alerts and phantom braking incidents, creating an immediate risk of rear-end collisions. Lane Keeping Assistance: The system has experienced unexpected steering pull, which could lead to an unprompted lane departure. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): The system consistently fails to detect lead vehicles in 40% to 50% of instances. The most recent failure was documented via timestamped screenshot on May 12, 2026, around 4:07 PM PT. This defect is reproducible and renders the automated safety suite unreliable. 2. Powertrain & Mechanical Defects: Pneumatic Air Leaks: The vehicle exhibits 100% pneumatic air leaks during acceleration. The service center has dismissively characterized a total pneumatic system failure as "normal," which I find technically unacceptable and a sign of neglected mechanical integrity. 3. Electrical & Starting System: Recurring Ignition Failures: The vehicle has experienced multiple failures to start, most recently leaving my child and me stranded for 10 minutes. Safety & Use Impairment: These intermittent failures compromise the vehicle's utility and the safety of my family. Incident History: The first time this occurred, I called Audi Roadside Assistance, but the engine started approximately 30 minutes later; as a result, I do not call roadside assistance now when it happens and instead attempt to restart it repeatedly. Current Status: I am forced to drive the car in a constant dilemma, knowing it might fail at any time and leave me stranded.
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
The dash board lights all came on, windows rolled down, car could not be controlled and couldn’t put the gear in park. After further research on the internet, I found that there was a recall on 288,000 Q 5s in 2021 because of this issue. Dealer said the “gateway system” that controls all the communication died and they had to replace it. I think the 2021 issue is not completely resolved.
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 .