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2021 Audi SQ5 recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 5 US recalls for the 2021 Audi SQ5, and 5 in Canada. Owners filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine.

5US recalls
0urgent recalls
13owner complaints
–overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

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 (5)

Back over prevention: display function

2022-10-05 · campaign 22V742000 · 170,296 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk and remedy

Risk: A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.

Tires

2022-01-26 · campaign 22V034000 · 31,058 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.

Risk and remedy

Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.

Structure: body

2021-12-08 · campaign 21V947000 · 288,991 vehicles

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.

Seat belts

2021-08-05 · campaign 21V606000 · 45,496 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk and remedy

Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. 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 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

Suspension: rear, axle

2021-04-26 · campaign 21V295000 · 40,993 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.

Canadian recalls (5)

Show 5 Canadian recalls

Visual system

2022-10-05 · campaign 2022-565

Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image not to appear on the display. Canadian regulations require the rearview image to display when the transmission is shifted into reverse gear. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that does not display could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the infotainment software.

Suspension

2022-01-26 · campaign 2022-022

Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear wheel alignment was not checked during recall 42L1 (Transport Canada Recall 2021-249). As a result, the steering could pull to one side or another and the tires could wear unevenly. If you continue to drive the vehicle in this condition, there may be reduced traction. Eventually, a tire could fail and lose air pressure. Safety Risk: A tire failure could cause a loss of control and 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 inspect and adjust the rear wheel alignment, as necessary. Additionally, the dealer will inspect the rear tires for premature and uneven wear due to this issue, and replace them if necessary.

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.

Seats and restraints

2021-08-04 · campaign 2021-486

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger seat belt assemblies may contain defective automatic locking retractors (ALR). As a result, the seat belts may not properly lock to secure a child seat. Safety Risk: A seat belt that is used to secure a child restraint but is not properly locked could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the seat belts. They will be replaced, if necessary.

Suspension

2021-04-26 · campaign 2021-249

Issue: On certain vehicles, the lock nuts for the rear trailing arm bolts may be defective. If a nut breaks, there could be sudden changes in rear wheel alignment. This can cause a loss of vehicle stability. Safety Risk: Reduced vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and 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 replace the rear trailing arm lock nuts. If necessary, the associated bolt(s) will be replaced as well.

Owner complaints (13)

Owners filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Audi SQ5 (1 injuries reported). Among 14 model years of this model, it ranks #3 for the most complaints (median 8).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Engine5
Electrical system4
Power train3
Steering1
Forward collision avoidance1
Exterior lighting1
Seat belts1
Air bags1

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2021 Audi SQ5.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2021 Audi SQ5 SUV AWD–––4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2021 Audi SQ5 version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
SQ5 3.0 L Automatic (S8)182420$4,100
SQ5 Sportback 3.0 L Automatic (S8)182420$4,100
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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.