2021 Audi SQ5 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Audi SQ5 has 13 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 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 Display, Tires, and Body control module.

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 (5 of 13), then Electrical system (4) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 SQ5 has 8 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Audi SQ5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall back-over prevention, display 2022-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 22V742000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000

Summary 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.

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.

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 seat belts, rear or other, retractor 2021-08-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V606000

Summary 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."

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).

Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000

Summary 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.

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.

Complaints by component (13 total)

Engine

Electrical system

Powertrain

Air bags

Back-over prevention

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel and propulsion system

Seat belts

Service brakes

Steering

Show 4 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I noticed my car started to lose coolant, I checked my water pump and I saw there was a leak on of the hoses. Once I discovered that I also heard a tapping noise coming from the engine. I took it to my local Audi shop,…"
Service brakes, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-23
"The engine water pump on this vehicle is leaking both internally and externally. This vehicle uses the 3.0T (EA839) engine, which uses a vacuum-actuated water pump with a shroud sleeve mechanism. A licensed repair…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-13
"While driving at normal operational speeds, the vehicle suffered a sudden, un-commanded, and catastrophic loss of motive power while navigating a live traffic intersection. The transmission completely disengaged all…"
Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-06-18
"My car has a known issue with a piston skirt defect that can cause engine failure. Audi of America acknowledged this issue with the EA839 and only warranted an 80k mile warranty. I am outside of that warranty and in…"
Powertrain · filed 2026-05-03
"The contact owns a 2021 Audi SQ5. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for routine service at the dealer, and the contact was informed that the coolant pump was starting to fail. The contact was advised that…"
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2025-09-16

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 Audi SQ5 SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars
2021 Audi SQ5 Sportback 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	18	24	20 MPG	$4000
SQ5 Sportback	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	24	20 MPG	$4000

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 2020 Audi SQ5 See every Audi SQ5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi SQ5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi SQ5?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (5 of 13), then Electrical system (4) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2021 Audi SQ5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 SQ5 has 8 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Audi SQ5 been recalled?

The 2021 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 2021 Audi SQ5?

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 2021 Audi SQ5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi SQ5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Audi SQ5 is 20 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.