2025 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 2025 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 assistance2332.4%
- Electrical1825.4%
- Brakes811.3%
- Engine68.5%
- Seat belts45.6%
- Visibility34.2%
- Powertrain (other)34.2%
- Airbags34.2%
- Fuel system22.8%
- Body & structure11.4%
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
On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX]) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on [XXX]. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive Cruise Control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a T-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi Albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi Albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the Event Data Recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I bought this car in 12/2025. After putting approximately 60 miles on the car, the onboard computer would not save the inputted data. Took back to dealership and update performed. Upon returning the car for this work, the adaptive cruise control would shut itself off on the way to the dealer. They could not replicate this issue. Since having the car for about 6 months the car has been in to the dealer approximately 7 times all for different warning lights including having the module needing to be replaced that controlled the A/C. The most recent problem is the vehicle locking up its brakes and rapidly fastening down on the seatbelt while driving stating a red danger message that flashes on the informatic screen and then disappears but will not show up on the MMI screen. This has happened twice in the last 10 days. Upon the first visit I was told that Audi has been having a lot of problems with the 2025 Q5 because of the computer. The car is currently back in the shop for continued safety components selectively turning off on their own and the car slamming on its brakes when there is no adverse event. There is supposed to be a patch coming out in Quarter 3 2026, but an actual update isn't set until 04/2027 per Audi service. I have stressed how not having these functions working correctly has made the car a hazard to drive as I never know when it will act appropriately. Also the lane departure feature does not always work appropriately and will try to hold in a improper travel and will jerk the wheel. I have completely turned that function off since it has tried to turn me into on coming traffic.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX]) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on [XXX]. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive Cruise Control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a T-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi Albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi Albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the Event Data Recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
•XXX: Purchased new 2025 Audi Q5. •XXX Dashboard displayed "Check Tire Pressure" warning for all tires. •XXX: Service at Audi Marin - Reported hatch malfunction, tire pressure concerns, and repeated rollback after brake release during service visit. •XXX: Vehicle displayed "P Not Possible. Risk of Rolling Away" warning. Vehicle could not be placed into PARK, required roadside assistance (never showed after 2-hour wait), and could not be safely secured. •XXX: While stopped at a traffic light, both front seat belts tightened aggressively without warning. Passenger was a [XXX] child. •Late XXX: Collision avoidance/emergency braking warnings continued. Vehicle remained in use while awaiting loaner car availability. •XXX Oil service reminder displayed at approximately 5,000 miles. Electronic issues continue. Additional warning lights appeared. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle continues to experience unresolved safety-related and electronic malfunctions. I have been without the vehicle since XXXdriving a loaner. Dealership reported there is a pending service solution that will be released in the 3rd quarter (maybe September). That is 2 months away - unacceptable- car is unsafe to drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX]) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on [XXX]. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive Cruise Control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a T-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi Albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi Albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the Event Data Recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
•XXX: Purchased new 2025 Audi Q5. •XXX Dashboard displayed "Check Tire Pressure" warning for all tires. •XXX: Service at Audi Marin - Reported hatch malfunction, tire pressure concerns, and repeated rollback after brake release during service visit. •XXX: Vehicle displayed "P Not Possible. Risk of Rolling Away" warning. Vehicle could not be placed into PARK, required roadside assistance (never showed after 2-hour wait), and could not be safely secured. •XXX: While stopped at a traffic light, both front seat belts tightened aggressively without warning. Passenger was a [XXX] child. •Late XXX: Collision avoidance/emergency braking warnings continued. Vehicle remained in use while awaiting loaner car availability. •XXX Oil service reminder displayed at approximately 5,000 miles. Electronic issues continue. Additional warning lights appeared. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle continues to experience unresolved safety-related and electronic malfunctions. I have been without the vehicle since XXXdriving a loaner. Dealership reported there is a pending service solution that will be released in the 3rd quarter (maybe September). That is 2 months away - unacceptable- car is unsafe to drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
See attached document for complaint.
I purchased a new 2025 Audi Q5 Sportback on 4/13/2026. I brought my car home that day and then had to go to the hospital for surgery so didn't drive my car for two weeks. I get in my car after a couple of weeks and the engine light came on and didn't come off I took it into Audi on May 7th. Audi said I could pick up my car on Monday May 11th and said the car battery was charged and I should be good. I brought my car home and then didn't drive it again for a week. I got in my car again and the engine light came on again. I called Audi on the Thursday before Memorial day and was told I needed to bring this back in. I took it in on Tuesday, and was told this code is a known issue and Audi is putting a fix in place to update the modules. They provided me the attached from Audi. If this is a known issue, I feel this should have been provided to me about this before buying the car. I was also told to continue to drive the car and with the light on. How dangerous is that to drive a car with the engine light and ignore it. If something is seriously wrong, I won't know cause I am told to ignore. I would like to know how to return this car as a lemon has this was a known issue and they don't know when the fix will be in place. I am asking for assistance on how to proceed with Audi. I have read several reviews on line with others that have experienced the same issues over a year ago. Thank you !
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
•XXX: Purchased new 2025 Audi Q5. •XXX Dashboard displayed "Check Tire Pressure" warning for all tires. •XXX: Service at Audi Marin - Reported hatch malfunction, tire pressure concerns, and repeated rollback after brake release during service visit. •XXX: Vehicle displayed "P Not Possible. Risk of Rolling Away" warning. Vehicle could not be placed into PARK, required roadside assistance (never showed after 2-hour wait), and could not be safely secured. •XXX: While stopped at a traffic light, both front seat belts tightened aggressively without warning. Passenger was a [XXX] child. •Late XXX: Collision avoidance/emergency braking warnings continued. Vehicle remained in use while awaiting loaner car availability. •XXX Oil service reminder displayed at approximately 5,000 miles. Electronic issues continue. Additional warning lights appeared. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle continues to experience unresolved safety-related and electronic malfunctions. I have been without the vehicle since XXXdriving a loaner. Dealership reported there is a pending service solution that will be released in the 3rd quarter (maybe September). That is 2 months away - unacceptable- car is unsafe to drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The seat belts are sometimes locked when they should not be. I understand that the seat belts are designed to lock when the vehicle stops quickly, preventing the driver from leaning forward. However, sometimes my seat belts are locked while I am driving and have not made a fast stop. For example, several times the seat belts have been locked when I get to a drive up window or kiosk, and I cannot lean forward to get a parking lot ticket or interact with the kiosk. The seatbelts have also been locked when I am stopped at an intersection. The locked seat belts prevent me from leaning forward to look for vehicles at the intersection or to see around my passenger. I have to pull on the seatbelt a few times and release to get the belt to unlock and let me lean forward.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The windshield wipers in the vehicle do not turn on automatically until the vehicle is in drive and moving forward. If I want to see in the rain so that I can leave a parking spot, I have to use the windshield wiper control lever to manually wipe the windshield. It only wipes once when the lever is depressed. This is inadequate in heavy rain. The wipers do not go on when parked even when the wiper lever has them on. I thought my wipers were working incorrectly, but when I took it in for service, the manufacturer told that is how they are designed. It is unsafe for the windshield wipers to stop when the car is parked. Drivers need the rain wiped away before driving, not just after. In addition, the wipers do not actuate when driving in reverse, such as when backing out of a parking spot.
The contact owns a 2025 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the panoramic sunroof glass exploded without impact. The contact pulled over at a pit stop to inspect the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact resumed normal driving with shards of glass falling from the sunroof. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
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
Check engine light is on almost constantly on my car. It might turn off and stay that way for a couple of days, but always comes on again. Dealership had made two attempts to "fix" it by just clearing the faults. However, according to the service department the reason why check engine light came on was "faults for loss of communication to powertrain electronics and brake electronics" which i think is a real safety concern. After my last trip to the dealership the check engine light came on after just two days of normal driving. There was also a situation when i was unable to shift to park with the risk of rolling along with some other error messages on the dash. I was unable to lock the vehicle because of that and of course there was a risk of it rolling.
After the automatic start/stop system engages, the engine stalls and completely shuts off shortly after the vehicle begins moving again. This occurs after the vehicle restarts and travels only a few feet. When the stall happens, the vehicle loses power and the engine stops functioning while the car is in traffic. This has occurred two separate times: once on a busy highway and once while entering a roundabout. Both incidents created a dangerous situation where the vehicle could not maintain power in active traffic and could have resulted in a crash. A yellow emissions warning light also appeared on the dashboard. The dealer indicated that an intermittent oil pressure sensor code was present but no parts were replaced and no corrective action was taken. The dealer reset the system and stated they could not reproduce the problem. The vehicle is now being returned to me without repair despite the safety risk. An engine stall immediately after the start/stop system restarts the vehicle creates a serious hazard because the vehicle can lose power in the middle of traffic. I believe this issue may be related to the automatic start/stop system or an oil pressure sensor fault affecting engine operation.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The airbag light and the driving assistance warning lights appeared on the dashboard randomly one day. I took the vehicle to the dealership (Audi of Columbia), where they kept it for a week and said the software needed to be updated. They updated it multiple times, but the car would not complete the update until the last attempt. When I picked up the car, they reported that several other 2025 Q5 (new model) vehicles were being brought in for the same issue. When I picked up the car, there were no warning lights on the dashboard. Approximately 1-2 weeks later, the same warning lights appeared on the dashboard again. I brought it to the dealership again, where they recalibrated the systems, disconnected the battery, and then cleared the fault code. That cleared the warning lights, and they planned to drop off my vehicle the next business day. While they were driving to drop off the vehicle, the warning lights came back on, so they returned it to the dealership. They have replaced the airbag control module without resolution. They have been working on my vehicle for >1 month to resolve the airbag issue.
There appears to be a software problem with the car. On the display, there are malfunction messages about the airbags and safety features.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
After the automatic start/stop system engages, the engine stalls and completely shuts off shortly after the vehicle begins moving again. This occurs after the vehicle restarts and travels only a few feet. When the stall happens, the vehicle loses power and the engine stops functioning while the car is in traffic. This has occurred two separate times: once on a busy highway and once while entering a roundabout. Both incidents created a dangerous situation where the vehicle could not maintain power in active traffic and could have resulted in a crash. A yellow emissions warning light also appeared on the dashboard. The dealer indicated that an intermittent oil pressure sensor code was present but no parts were replaced and no corrective action was taken. The dealer reset the system and stated they could not reproduce the problem. The vehicle is now being returned to me without repair despite the safety risk. An engine stall immediately after the start/stop system restarts the vehicle creates a serious hazard because the vehicle can lose power in the middle of traffic. I believe this issue may be related to the automatic start/stop system or an oil pressure sensor fault affecting engine operation.
When attempting to accelerate rapidly (I.e. passing gear) the engine immediately begins to lose power. Audi dealer investigated and determined it was “TURBO LAG”. This situation happened multiple times at different speeds. When trying to accelerate to pass another vehicle or to merge onto a freeway are the scariest and most dangerous instances. Taking your foot off the accelerator does allow the engine to regain speed. The salesman that we had experienced this on a test ride with me. In reading previous turbo problems with Audi/ Volkswagen vehicles, I’m concerned that this may become a safety issue. This also occurred with the loaner vehicle they gave me which was the same year and model.
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
See attached document for complaint.
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 .