2018 Audi Q5 Suspension Problems

25 owners have reported suspension problems with the 2018 Audi Q5 to NHTSA — 12% of all 208 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 60,000 miles. That ranks #1 of 11 Q5 model years for suspension complaints (a typical year has 2). No suspension recall has been issued for this model year.

25complaints
60ktypical miles
0related recalls
0crashes
0fires
0injuries

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Audi Q5 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear driver's side suspension coil spring had fractured also causing damage to the rear axle and rear differential. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure previously. The failure mileage was 60,000.

60,000 miles · Mar 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the suspension coil spring was cracked at the bottom. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.

60,000 miles · May 2024

The rear passenger side suspension coil was found broken with a clean break but embedded into the coil boot during a 70k service at the Audi dealer with ~61k miles. No alarming condition of the failure was present, and if it would have dislodged while at speed on the interstate would have resulted in complete loss of control and bodily harm to the driver as well as other vehicles on the road. This was a CPO vehicle garage kept and routinely serviced by Audi, yet they denied any liability and provided no assistance when I escalated to corporate due to being out of CPO warranty by ~2 months. As a result, I had an independent VW specialist shop perform the work, document the observations as if they were to be subpoenaed in the future, and provide me all the parts from the repair (which I still have). …

Feb 2025

On July 12, 2023 I took my 2018 Audi Q5 to the dealership of Westwood in Audi Massachusetts for an oil change. according to the dealer, the coil mount was broken, and it would lead to coil spring breaking. it is concerning because the car only has 53,000 miles and it's driven only on the street and it's not used for off-road and it was never driven hard. Only this dealership ever touched my car and they had never reported any flaws while I had the extended 5-year warranty. This was my first dealership visit for no change without extended warranty. If the coil springs break, I will have no warning so it seems like a safety concern given that the car is relatively new. I searched on the web and apparently 2018 Audi Q5 seem to have a problem with the rear driver side coil springs and coil mount. Did dealership said this is normal wear and tear on the 53,000 mile Audi. …

Jul 2023

The right rear coil spring broke after only 52,679 miles. The car was NEVER taken off road and most of the mileage was on highways. It was driven by my wife, who is a very conservative driver. The dealer discovered this. The independent shop to which I took it for a second opinion stated that the coil spring looked like new but had a break in it, which they've never seen with a car in pristine condition and such low mileage. Both the dealer and independent shop stated it was a hazard and needed to have both rear coil springs replaced, since although only one was broken it was mechanically necessary to do both. The public Audi Forum [https://www.audiworld.com/forums/] posts show that several other vehicles of the same model and more interestingly the same model year had the same problem. This is clearly a safety issue and a manufacturing defect. …

Mar 2023

I was recently driving and heard a funny noise from back right of car. Looked underneath and saw a broken spring (I have the broken spring) . I am the original owner of this car and it only has 36,645 miles on it. Never been off-road, hauled anything, or had anything heavy in back. In looking online afterwards this seems to be a common problem in 2018 Audi Q5s. This defect could have caused a serious accident if I hadn't noticed the sound and had it fixed.This is ridiculous for this to fail on this expensive of a vehicle with such low mileage. I had to replace both rear springs (shouldn't only replace one) and have an alignment which ended up costing me $1013.01. I really think I should be reimbursed by Audi since this is a known defect! Thank you.

Feb 2024

My 2018 Audi Q5 has 53,000 miles per the dealer the coil spring seat is broken. Driver rear spring is broken ,rear coil spring mounts are corroded, and if left on resolved my suspension can fail. The dealer also states that this may result in uneven tire wear poor handling in for fuel economy. It is somewhat confusing because all this sounds like a major safety issue since involves the suspension. A simple, Google search also showed me that I'm not alone, that many customers are experiencing serious, similar problems with low mileage Audi cars. As always, thank you for your time I have all documentation for my car which was purchased at the dealership and serviced at the dealership without any problems being reported until now

Jul 2023

In 7/2023, I was told during a routine maintenance appt at Audi dealership that both rear suspension springs on my 2018 Q5 were broken, as in broken into two pieces. I was told it was a major safety issue. There was no indication or warning from the car's system of a problem...I only found out as a result of an inspection at the dealership. It was then repaired at the dealership. I am sharing this information because I have read about others having the same problem with the rear springs on the same model. My understanding is that spring breakage is uncommon and should not happen at 55000 miles to a car that is not driven in rocky or bumpy terrain, which mine is not.

Jul 2023

Rear spring has broken at 50k miles. This is a potentially catastrophic outcome at speed. Vehicle is not used for towing or any sort of off road use. Estimate from the dealer was $2000 to replace both rear springs. The dealer said that "it happens" and would not cover the failure. The car is driven as a commuting car - really? After some online research, apparently this is a somewhat common issue that Audi refuses to acknowledge or address - it's a "maintenance item". Sorry - this is a safety issue. No spring should fail at 50k miles.

Mar 2024

Brought to dealer for routine maintenance and was told both rear springs are broken and need to be replaced. Last time it was in the shop was for a safety inspection in March with no reported issues with springs. the springs are a critical suspension component and put me and others on the road at risk every time I drove it due to rollover, loss of control and bottom out potential while driving. Yes dealer inspected and confirmed the component failure and suggested replacement. No indication on dashboard or warning lights.

May 2023

Suspension complaints in other Q5 years

’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25224427822251
Suspension complaints per model year, Audi Q5.

Frequently asked questions

How common are suspension problems on the 2018 Audi Q5?

NHTSA has 25 complaints about the suspension of the 2018 Audi Q5, 12% of the model year's 208 complaints.

Is there a recall for 2018 Audi Q5 suspension problems?

No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2018 Audi Q5, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.

At what mileage do 2018 Audi Q5 suspension problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.