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Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (6)
Do not driveService brakes, hydraulic: foundation components, disc
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk and remedy
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
Structure: body
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Structure: body
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
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.
Wheels: hub
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.
Risk and remedy
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66K6.
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components, master cylinder
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.
Risk and remedy
Risk: A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.
Remedy: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Risk and remedy
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Canadian recalls (5)
Show 5 Canadian recalls
Electrical
2021-12-09 · campaign 2021-740
Issue:
On certain vehicles, if you spill liquid on the rear seat, or drive through heavy rain or deep water, the gateway control module could be damaged. If this happens, the vehicle may enter emergency mode and suddenly lose power to the wheels.
Note: The power steering and braking systems will continue to work. You may also see warning messages on the instrument panel when this happens.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of power to the wheels may increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam, as necessary.
Structure
2019-10-16 · campaign 2019-520
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the cover trim for the rear wheel arches may become loose. This could cause the trim to detach while driving.
Safety Risk:
Trim that completely detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the four clips that secure the forward part of the rear wheel arch trims.
Structure
2019-06-05 · campaign 2019-265
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the cover trim for the wheel arches may become loose. This could cause the trim to detach while driving.
Safety Risk:
Trim that completely detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to secure each wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut.
Brakes
2019-04-08 · campaign 2019-173
Issue:
Some vehicles were built with an incorrect brake master cylinder. The master cylinder may be too short, which could cause it to fail. This could cause a complete loss of braking (with the exception of the emergency/parking brake function).
Safety Risk:
A loss of brakes can create the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the brake master cylinder. If your vehicle is equipped with the incorrect part, it will be replaced with the correct one.
Brakes
2018-06-01 · campaign 2018-292
On certain vehicles, a problem with the brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction in brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will bleed the front or rear brakes as necessary. Note: In the interim, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicle until the defect has been repaired. Affected owners should call Volkswagen's Roadside Assistance number at 1-800-411-6688.
Owner complaints (209)
Owners filed 209 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Audi Q5 (10 crashes, 5 injuries reported). Among 18 model years of this model, it ranks #1 for the most complaints (median 74).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Electrical system | 74 | |
| Unknown or other | 45 | |
| Engine | 31 | |
| Suspension | 25 | |
| Service brakes | 22 | |
| Structure | 22 | |
| Forward collision avoidance | 19 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 14 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Audi Q5.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2018 Audi Q5 SUV AWD Early Release | 5★ | 5★ | 5★ | 4★ |
| 2018 Audi Q5 SUV AWD Later Release | 5★ | 5★ | 5★ | 4★ |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2018 Audi Q5 version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Q5 2.0 L Automatic (S7) | 23 | 27 | 25 | $3,300 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.