19 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Some Audi Q5, Q5 Sportback, SQ5, and SQ5 Sportback vehicles may have driver and front passenger seat belts that were manufactured incorrectly. Because of this manufacturing problem, the affected seat belts may not properly hold the driver or front passenger in place during a crash. This means the seat belts may not restrain these occupants as they are designed to.
The screws that hold the cylinder head cover in place on these SUVs may not have been tightened correctly at the factory. Over time, those screws can work themselves loose. Once they loosen, engine oil can start to leak out from under the cover. An oil leak like this raises the chance that a fire could start.
In these Audi Q5 and A7 E Hybrid vehicles, the high-voltage battery that powers the car can overheat. An overheating high-voltage battery like this creates a risk of fire, according to the notice.
Certain Audi Q5 and A7 plug-in hybrid vehicles have a high-voltage battery that may overheat. An overheating high-voltage battery increases the risk of a fire starting in the vehicle. This affects the battery that powers the vehicle's electric drive system.
An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the occupant detection system may loosen. If it loosens, the system can deactivate the front passenger air bag, meaning the air bag would not be active for that seat.
Audi is recalling certain electric and other models over the portable charging system supplied with the vehicle. When the industrial 220-volt/240-volt plug is used at the 100% charge setting, some home outlets cannot handle the electrical current the charging system needs. The outlet or the charging cable can then overheat. Dealers will supply a new 220-volt/240-volt portable charging cable with a temperature sensor built in, free of charge.
Some Audi Q5 and Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles may have damaged connecting rod bearings inside the engine. Damaged bearings can cause the engine to fail while driving. If the engine failure also causes an oil leak, that leak can raise the chance of a fire.
Volkswagen is recalling certain 2021 and 2022 Audi cars and SUVs because of a software problem with the backup camera display. When the vehicle is put into reverse, the screen may go blank or black instead of showing the view behind the vehicle. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet the federal safety rule for rear visibility. Dealers will update the software in the infotainment unit, the system that runs the center screen.
Volkswagen is recalling certain 2019 through 2021 Audi cars and SUVs, including A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, Q8 and S and RS versions. These vehicles had repairs done under an earlier recall, and the rear axle alignment may not have been checked afterward as it should have been. Rear axle alignment that is off can wear the tires out early or wear them unevenly.
This recall covers certain Audi Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water getting in through a gap in the underbody seam, may reach the gateway control module and cause it to shut down.
Volkswagen and Audi are recalling certain 2021 and 2022 cars and SUVs because of a problem with the rear seat belts. The part of the belt that locks it in place for a child seat may switch off too early, so the child seat may not be held securely. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet the federal rule on protecting people in a crash. Dealers will check the middle rear seat belts and replace them if needed.
On certain Audi models, the lock nut on a rear axle trailing arm may break because of corrosion. If this happens, the rear axle can become misaligned, affecting how the vehicle handles.
Volkswagen is recalling certain Audi Q5 and SQ5 SUVs, and Volkswagen Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI, and Tiguan vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and the backrest adjuster may not have been welded together correctly during manufacturing, meaning the weld holding these seat parts together may not be as strong as it's supposed to be.
Audi is recalling certain Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The trim cover over the rear wheel arch, the curved panel above the back wheel, can work loose and fall off the vehicle while it is on the road. Dealers will replace the four clips that hold the front part of that rear wheel arch trim in place, and the work is free for owners. Audi is contacting owners about the repair.
Volkswagen is recalling certain Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In a crash where the passenger frontal air bag deploys, the instrument panel carrier inside the dashboard may break because it was not welded correctly. If that carrier breaks, it can damage the passenger frontal air bag itself, so the air bag may not work the way it is supposed to when it is needed most.
On some Q5 and SQ5 SUVs, the trim covering the wheel arch may loosen and come off the vehicle.
On some Q5 and SQ5 SUVs, the casting used to make the brake master cylinder may be too short. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are separate and are not affected.
Certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles may have brake caliper pistons without enough protective coating. This lack of coating can reduce how well the brakes work.
⚠ NHTSA advises: do not drive this vehicle until repaired.
Some 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are part of a wider Volkswagen/Audi recall. For the Q5, the issue is with the seat belt pretensioner, the part that pulls the seat belt tight in a crash. In the affected vehicles, this pretensioner may not activate properly when needed.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 202 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| 2019 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 2020 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2021 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 71 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
NHTSA lists 19 safety recalls covering the 2018–2025 Audi Q5. 14 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Audi Q5, SQ5 Seat Belts May Not Restrain" (NHTSA campaign 26V266000), reported Apr 24, 2026.
The 2021 Audi Q5 has the most, with 8 recalls. The 2025 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
Yes. 1 Audi Q5 recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA: VW and Audi Brake Calipers May Reduce Braking (18V369000). These apply only to the affected vehicles, so check your VIN.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Audi dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: