2016 Audi Q5: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 77 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 5 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
77
Complaints
5
Recalls
9
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
7
Injuries
127.3
Severity index
Severity index 127.3 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Audi Q5 ranks 17 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 88% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 26 | 33.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 11 | 14.3% |
| STEERING | 10 | 13.0% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 | 13.0% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 9 | 11.7% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 8 | 10.4% |
| AIR BAGS | 5 | 6.5% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 5.2% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 26 of 77 complaints (33.8%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 15 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 7 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.6x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17V622000 | 05/10/2017 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt. |
| 17V002000 | 03/01/2017 | 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. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump th |
| 17V001000 | 03/01/2017 | VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the |
| 18V229000 | 11/04/2018 | 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. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric c |
| 17V298000 | 03/05/2017 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Audi Q5 and 2013-2017 Audi Q7 vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.