Engine complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 16% | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2023 | 7 | 16% | — |
| 2022 | 4 | 18% | — |
| 2021 | 18 | 24% | 43,000 miles |
| 2020 | 4 | 16% | — |
| 2019 | 9 | 17% | — |
| 2018 | 33 | 16% | 49,000 miles |
| 2017 | 19 | 45% | 53,000 miles |
| 2016 | 33 | 42% | 43,000 miles |
| 2015 | 44 | 44% | 68,000 miles |
| 2014 | 38 | 36% | 70,000 miles |
| 2013 | 33 | 37% | 75,000 miles |
| 2012 | 47 | 28% | 80,000 miles |
| 2011 | 43 | 30% | 79,000 miles |
| 2010 | 9 | 9% | 14,000 miles |
| 2009 | 3 | 10% | 106,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I purchased a new 2025 Audi Q5 Sportback on 4/13/2026. I brought my car home that day and then had to go to the hospital for surgery so didn't drive my car for two weeks. I get in my car after a couple of weeks and the engine light came on and didn't come off I took it into Audi on May 7th. Audi said I could pick up my car on Monday May 11th and said the car battery was charged and I should be good. I brought my car home and then didn't drive it again for a week. I got in my car again and the engine light came on again. I called Audi on the Thursday before Memorial day and was told I needed to bring this back in. I took it in on Tuesday, and was told this code is a known issue and Audi is putting a fix in place to update the modules. They provided me the attached from Audi. If this is a known issue, I feel this should have been provided to me about this before buying the car. …
On December 22nd i got into the vehicle and a few errors popped up which consisted of "loose wheel warning malfunction" "brakes: limited functionality drive with causation" "active front assist and emergency assist unavailable". I called the nearest dealer and was told it's ok to drive it's just a software glitch and if i don't feel comfortable driving i should take it to the dealer and come back tomorrow for a loaner since service was closed already. So i proceeded to drive home, about 10 minutes into the drive a warning for the coolant came up so i pulled off into a parking lot and as i went to park another warning came up saying coolant too high turn off vehicle and as i was approaching the parking spot the car started to overheat and smoke. This is a BRAND new car with BARELY 1000 miles on it.
My wife and I were in the 2023 Audi Q5 with 1000 miles. I had complained to the dealer and manufacturer that this car was unsafe to drive. On June 9, 2023 I was driving slowly in my community. I tried to stop at a stop sign. NO brakes then at the same time the car had unintended sudden acceleration. We had no control, no brakes and hit a fence and shrubbery and cement fence. All airbags deployed.
we purchased a new 2023 Audi q5 at the Audi dealer at Wesley Chapel. On October 3, we noticed a malfunctioning indicator light on the dashboard. We took the vehicle back to the dealer to fix the problem. One of the service agents told us, everything was good, just a software update. I also notified the problem to manufacturing company and still no solution. It has been 4 months since when the problem occurred. The malfunction indicator lamp is on all the time when we turn the engine on and while driving. There are a lot of safety concerns while driving.
2022 Audi Q5 (VIN: [redacted] ). Engine lubrication system failure - persistent abnormal oil consumption across two separate engines over 14 months. Beginning March 2025, the low engine oil warning light began activating repeatedly, sometimes after as few as 300 miles. AutoNation Audi Bellevue confirmed 1 quart low and initiated oil consumption tests. Their technician noted in writing that oil found externally was "not enough to cause a 1 quart low oil light" - meaning the root cause was never identified. A PCV valve replacement was attempted July 2025; the warning returned after only 300 miles - same as before the fix. Audi of America approved a full engine replacement in September 2025, completed December 2025. Within weeks of pickup in January 2026, the low oil warning activated again on the brand new engine, and again after 4,000 miles in April 2026. …
Vehicle had first oil change at 10K miles on 1/1/2023 In April of 2023 started noticing smoke and a burning smell coming out of the engine, took car in to dealership. They stated on 4/25/2023 that there was a "small oil leak," and that they repaired and cleaned up the leakage but they wanted to drive the vehicle once more before they released it to me. I have this all in a text message. 12/20/2023 took vehicle in for 20K service and they said there is a major leakage they said in a video they sent me: "found lots of oil on top of the engine, the bolts that hold the Cambridge (not sure if thats what he said/spelling) down are loose, so we will be pulling this all apart and resealing and replacing all those bolts to fix those leaks"
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while she was driving 65-70 MPH, the warning message "Transmission Engine Failure" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle inadvertently stalled while attempting to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts however, the vehicle was towed to her residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ECM chip had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated while she was reversing, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the clutch had failed. The vehicle was repaired. …
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated before the vehicle stalled. During the failure, the check engine, oil, and coolant warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine bearings had failed, causing catastrophic damage to the engine. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V753000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 43,000.
Related recalls (4)
Engine
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Q5 Quattro and Q5 Sportback Quattro vehicles. The cylinder head cover screws may have been improperly tightened.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the screws as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Hard parts internal/mechanical
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace an affected engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 6, 2022.
Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4.
Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Which Audi Q5 years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2012 (47), 2015 (44), 2011 (43), 2014 (38) and 2013 (33) model years. Engine complaints make up 28% of all complaints for the 2012.
Is there a recall for Audi Q5 engine problems?
Yes — 4 recalls, including 25V-294 (engine, May 7, 2025); 22V-753 (hard parts internal/mechanical, Oct 7, 2022); 18V-229 (cooling system, Apr 11, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Audi Q5 engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles; 25% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cooling system (6 mentions), followed by the cooling system › radiator assembly (2).
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.