Reliable Auto DB

2018 Audi Q5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 204 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Audi Q5 over 9 years — 15 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Q5 years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Body control module, Structure, body, and Hub.

2012 Audi Q5
Photo by Clément Bucco-Lechat, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

204

Per year

15

Recalls

6

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (73 of 204), then Engine (31) and Suspension (24). Those filings include 10 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Q5 has 42 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2019 has 52 complaints, 4 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Audi Q5. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall electrical system, body control module 2021-12-08 · NHTSA campaign 21V947000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall structure, body 2019-10-16 · NHTSA campaign 19V737000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall wheels, hub 2019-06-05 · NHTSA campaign 19V416000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Brake master cylinder 2019-04-08 · NHTSA campaign 19V277000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-06-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V369000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2016-12-29 · NHTSA campaign 16V955000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (204 total)

Electrical system
73
Engine
31
Suspension
24
Service brakes
22
Structure
21
Forward collision avoidance
19
Air bags
13
Speed control
13
Exterior lighting
12
Steering
11
Powertrain
10
Seat belts
7
Seats
5
Wheels
5
Back-over prevention
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Visibility
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Lane departure
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Tires
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

152018212019102020102021152022452023402024292025192026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I have a 2018 Audi Q5, VIN [XXX]. I am reporting a water intrusion/electrical defect involving the rear trunk area and the Comfort Control Module. My vehicle is within the model range affected by the water-intrusion…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-23
  • "Multiple electrical failures that control numerous safety systems, such as airbags, Collision avoidance, speed control, etc. Airbags will not activate in a collision. Vehicle will shut off at highway speeds, resulting…"
    Electrical system, Air bags, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-09-22
  • "Incident Description: While accelerating from a red light during rush hour, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of steering control. The steering wheel locked completely and could not be turned.…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2026-09-10
  • "Description of Incident and Safety Defect:Failed Component & Inspection Availability: The gateway control module, located in an unsealed floor compartment under the rear seat, failed due to liquid/moisture intrusion.…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-28
  • "While driving the vehicle after a bump in a pot-hole there was loud clunking noise from the engine compartment and car stopped suddenly. There was a risk of getting hit by the car from behind. Car was towed to Audi…"
    Powertrain, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-08-27

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Audi Q5 SUV AWD Early Release 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 Audi Q5 SUV AWD Later Release 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Q5 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (7-speed) All-wheel drive 23 27 25 MPG $3200

Specs and fitment

FY Q5, 2018–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (common US fills) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 235/60R18 to 255/45R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 18V-369 covers certain 2018 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles (with several Volkswagen models): brake-caliper pistons may have insufficient coating and reduce brake performance. Campaign 19V-416 covers certain 2018-2019 Q5 and SQ5 vehicles where wheel-arch cover trim may loosen and detach while driving. Confirm open campaigns by VIN; multi-model unit counts are shared.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Audi Q5 Next year 2019 Audi Q5 See every Audi Q5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Audi Q5 reliable?

Owners have filed 204 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Audi Q5 over 9 years — 15 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Q5 years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Body control module, Structure, body, and Hub.

What are common problems with a 2018 Audi Q5?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (73 of 204), then Engine (31) and Suspension (24). Those filings include 10 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Audi Q5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Q5 has 42 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2019 has 52 complaints, 4 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Audi Q5 been recalled?

The 2018 Audi Q5 has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Audi Q5?

Owners have filed 204 complaints about the 2018 Audi Q5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Audi Q5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Audi Q5 is 25 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 Audi Q5?

FY Q5 generation (2018-on).

What oil does a recent Audi Q5 take?

FY US notes commonly list 0W-20 full synthetic; earlier 8R 2.0T fills often list 5W-30—confirm the VW/Audi oil standard in the manual.

What tire sizes does an Audi Q5 use?

Common US fits span about 235/60R18 to 255/45R20 depending on trim.