2019 Audi SQ5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Audi SQ5 over 8 years — 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most SQ5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Body control module, Structure, body, and Inflator.

2014 Audi SQ5 — Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (4 of 19), then Service brakes (4) and Electrical system (3). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 SQ5 has 24 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2020 has 8 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 Audi SQ5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

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 air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-06-19 · NHTSA campaign 19V473000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.

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.

Complaints by component (19 total)

Engine

Service brakes

Electrical system

Exterior lighting

Air bags

Structure

Visibility and wipers

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Steering

Suspension

Show 4 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Piston skirt extended warranty calls for replacement of the pistons. This does NOT fix the issue if the vehicle was driven long term with damaged pistons. In my case the vehicle started knocking 1000 miles after…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-07
"There’s a knocking noise coming from the engine that could lead to potential engine failure. There is a known manufacturers defect in these engines. Audi has extended a warranty, but not all cars are eligible. This…"
Engine · filed 2026-01-15
"Piston skirt recall and warranty. Bulletin number AWA-25-08. Needs investigated. Based off average Audi owner statistics along with NHTSA statistics, when this bulletin was released in August of 2025, over 60% of…"
Engine · filed 2025-12-17
"The rear brake lights on my 2019 Audi SQ5 stopped functioning due to a failure of the Comfort System Central Control Module (J393). This defect is documented by Audi in Technical Service Bulletin 2055123/5 and earlier…"
Electrical system · filed 2025-12-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Audi SQ5 SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	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
SQ5	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	19	24	21 MPG	$3800

Specs and fitment

FY generation, 2018–present

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20 (confirm on cap)

Tire size 255/45R20 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V369000 covers certain 2018 Audi SQ5 and Q5 vehicles (with several Volkswagen models in the same campaign) where brake caliper pistons may have insufficient coating, which can reduce brake performance. Recall 19V416000 covers certain 2018-2019 SQ5 and Q5 models where wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach while driving. Recall 19V277000 covers certain 2018-2019 SQ5 and Q5 models for a brake master cylinder concern. Recall 19V737000 covers certain 2018-2019 SQ5 and 2018-2020 Q5 models for a rear structure/body issue on that campaign list.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Audi SQ5 Next year 2020 Audi SQ5 See every Audi SQ5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Audi SQ5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Audi SQ5?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (4 of 19), then Service brakes (4) and Electrical system (3). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2019 Audi SQ5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 SQ5 has 24 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2020 has 8 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Audi SQ5 been recalled?

The 2019 Audi SQ5 has 5 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 2019 Audi SQ5?

Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 2019 Audi SQ5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Audi SQ5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Audi SQ5 is 21 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What SQ5 generations does this site track?

8R (2014-2017) and FY (2018-on).

What does recall 18V369000 cover on the FY SQ5?

Certain 2018 Audi SQ5 and Q5 vehicles (with several Volkswagen models): brake caliper pistons may have insufficient coating, which can reduce brake performance.

Is oil specified on this SQ5 record yet?

Not yet with a sourced US fill — confirm Audi/VW oil spec from the filler cap and owner’s manual for your engine.