10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,831 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Audi Q5 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Audi Q5:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2018 Audi Q5 Owner Comments

problem #9

Nov 292023

Q5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This was unintentional acceleration case: When I got into the parking space, the car was almost stopped and I was about to press the park button (gear) and the car suddenly accelerated and in a fraction of a second, climbed the curb, crashed into the fence, broke the fence and crushed on a tree. I was still applying brake to stop it and I could not do anything else. The following facts show that the acceleration was totally out of my control. 1.vehicle climbed the curb 2. and climbed the dirt part, shrubs 3. to hit the fence and broke it; It looked like something mall functioned. As a matter of fact, no safety feature worked and no sound signals went on ! Even vehicle's collision system did not kick in when car was climbing over the curb. Fortunately, I could get out of that car and my body was aching due to the seat belt and airbag explosion. (Driver side bag exploded for sure. I do not remember if the other side bag exploded.)

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #8

Oct 142023

Q5

  • miles
Suddenly car entry stopped working. Warning messages on display about start/stop, engine starting malfunction, every single light. I found the driver rear side full of water where the fuse panel and control modules are located. There was water soaked into the insulation at the bottom of the space as well as the insulation over the wheel well. Water drops were viewed on the controllers in that space.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #7

May 012023

Q5

  • miles
The car is totalled. My car tripped 9+ malfunction warnings, after starting and driving. These included rear brake lights, directionals, start/stop system, and more. It appears that the sunroof leaks, and the roof drains were clogged (even though they were specifically checked and cleaned by the dealer 2 months earlier). This led to water accumulating in the areas under the back seat (a prior recall which allegedly had been addressed...NHTSA campaign number: 21V947000. Audi-??s number for this recall is 90S9.), and in the rear wheel well area, where electronics control modules live. The car eventually had to be towed to the dealer. It was initially estimated to cost $9,500 to repair. But, after several weeks, more water was found and it was declared not worth repairing.

- Newburyport, MA, USA

problem #6

Jan 302023

Q5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Jan. 2023 my coolant pump had blockage which caused the coolant hose to break and discharge coolant all over my engine and overheat. I have the repair receipt from Audi Dealer and requested a copy of the inspection report from them. Pictures also attached. I also have my car at the Audi dealer as we speak due to a week later the car would not accelerate properly with a Drive System Malfunction error light, which is now the Turbo Charger needing replacement. Towed to Audi Dealer on 2.7.2023 and waiting for Turbo Charger delivery, currently on back-order. These are not normal wear and tear items on a vehicle with 53,000 miles.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #5

Jul 282021

Q5

  • miles
It says driver system malfunction. Day before that it says Auto Start and Stop malfunction failure. When you are the traffic light and slow down and take a turn then the car gives kinds of couple of pushes as if the It gearbox is not able to adjust the speed automatically. You need to accelerate to keep the balance of the Car. Every passenger of the car feel the same. After 2 days I started getting Driver system malfunction warning. The car is not safe to drive on highways or local road as gearbox has some issues. There is a class action lawsuit for the similar problem which Audi did not address yet. https://margarianlaw.com/audi-class-action-lawsuit/

- East Brunswick , NJ, USA

problem #4

Apr 152020

Q5 4-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
Audi pre-sense braking fault; recall needed! 1- while moving forward on an empty, flat, 2-lane, Suburban road at approximately 35mph, the brakes suddenly activated, bring my vehicle to a near stop, with a loud, grinding sound. Terrifying. There were no objects or vehicles on the road, no glaring sunlight or other problems that could have caused this. April 15, 2020. 2- twice or more, in the few weeks or so prior to this event, while backing up into my garage, the vehicle suddenly stopped with a loud grinding sound. There were no objects, vehicles, glaring lights, or anything that would have caused the vehicle to brake this time vs. The hundreds of other times the same process had been completed. Between January 1, 2020, to present. Vehicle was approximately 1.5 years old and approximately 10,000 miles when these braking events happened. I believe the problem is caused by an error in the Audi pre-sense system, which causes the vehicle to brake to prevent a collision.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #3

Feb 042020

Q5

  • 15,483 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle was in motion after starting from a complete stop. I took my foot off the accelerator and the vehicle continued to accelerate without my foot on the gas pedal. It seemed liked the gas pedal was stuck. I then put my foot on the brake and slammed on the break to get the vehicle to stop.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #2

Oct 252019

Q5

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. While the vehicle was in a parking lot with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into a stairway rail of an apartment building. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The contact called Audi livermore (3400 las positas rd, livermore, ca 94551) and informed them of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 9,000.

- San Ramon, CA, USA

problem #1

May 092018

Q5

  • miles
Hey, im carmen, im german and I M diplomatic, I work at the permanent mission of germany for the united nations till March 2019. My question is, I want to bring a Audi Q5, brand new model, a german model, from germany to New York. And afte my job in 2019, I want to take it back to germany. Is there any problem"? must I change any stuff because of other safety rules or something? other lights, miles per hour, electricity"

- New York, NY, USA

Not what you are looking for?