Audi SQ5 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 118 consumer complaints across the 11 model years of the Audi SQ5 (2014–2025) that have at least 5 complaints. 2018 has the most, with 25. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (23 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All SQ5 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 800 | 1 | 875 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 6 | — | 0 | 723 | — | Too new |
| 2022 | 6 | 25,455 | 2 | 909 | — | Not enough data |
| 2021 | 13 | 10,715 | 5 | 1,015 | — | Not enough data |
| 2020 | 8 | 6,075 | 4 | 876 | — | Not enough data |
| 2019 | 20 | 7,150 | 5 | 821 | — | Rising |
| 2018 | 25 | 4,250 | 5 | 804 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
| 2017 | 5 | 24,000 | 0 | 446 | — | Not enough data |
| 2016 | 6 | 25,000 | 0 | 397 | — | Not enough data |
| 2015 | 9 | 64,966 | 1 | 462 | — | Not enough data |
| 2014 | 12 | 18,000 | 1 | 429 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine23 20%
- Electrical system20 17%
- Steering15 13%
- Forward collision avoidance15 13%
- Other or unknown12 10%
- Transmission and drivetrain11 9.6%
- Brakes10 8.7%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)9 7.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2017: “The steering system froze during operation. Sensors indicated car is not safe to drive. There was heavy rain storm prior to the failure which allowed water into steering rack module. This is a reoccurring problem with Audi SQ5 based on my research after incident. My concern this system failure could have caused a catastrophic accident if failure occurred during high speeds and high traffic. Also, the car had its regular maintenance a few week prior to incident.”
NHTSA complaint #11408630, filed 2021-04, 51,000 miles2014: “While driving the vehicle I heard a tapping / knocking noise coming from the engine and as I began to accelerate the sound became louder and faster then suddenly without any lights or notification the engine produced a loud boom, white smoke plume and the engine locked up. Meanwhile the smell of oil entered the interior of the car and it coasted for approximately half a mile and left me stranded on an exit ramp.”
NHTSA complaint #10670983, filed 2015-01, 17,200 miles2018: “I was stopped in a designated left turn lane waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. As the last car was passing me going the opposite direction I began to accelerate and make my left turn. The Audi pre-sense slammed on the brakes. So now I'm in the lane of oncoming traffic with my car temporarily disabled. This is the fourth time this has happened. If I had had my dog in the back of the car, he would have been thrown into the windshield. I've been driving for 50 years, my wife, for 48 and have never been in an accident. …”
NHTSA complaint #11269311, filed 2019-10, 12,700 milesOther Audi models
2,893 complaintsAudi A6
1,653 complaintsAudi Q5
1,348 complaintsAudi Q7
1,052 complaintsAudi A3
727 complaintsAudi S4
577 complaintsAudi A5
324 complaintsAudi TT
306 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology