2020 Audi Q5 Problems & Complaints

Traffic stopped very quickly. The automatic breaking did not engage, resulting in a crash and a total loss of the vehicle. I bought the Audi due to quality safety features so this incident was very disappointing and costly for our family.

Purchased a 2020 Audi Q5 sold as-is. Within 30 days, the transmission malfunctioned and the vehicle lost power. A dealer estimated repairs would cost around $27,000. This sudden loss of drive ability poses a safety risk.

I purchased a pre-owned Audi in August 2023 from a franchised dealer. I was explicitly told there were no open recalls or issues. In May 2024, the vehicle suffered a complete electrical failure during use—warning lights flashed, wipers activated on their own, the steering wheel moved without input, and the windows opened/closed erratically. It was inoperable and could not shift into neutral. A flatbed tow was required, and the vehicle had to be physically forced off the truck at home. The next morning, the authorized service center initially refused the tow but later accepted it after I explained the severity. A service advisor confirmed the failure was due to an active safety recall and that a replacement control module was unavailable. I was denied a loaner until I escalated the issue to a manager. For months, I received repeated notices that there were no updates or parts available. The loaner was significantly smaller and disrupted both personal and work transportation. On June 5, 2025, the dealer said the part would never arrive and advised me to request a buyback through Audi corporate. I did so. On June 10, the dealer claimed the buyback was approved and told me to return the loaner. When I asked for verification, they changed their story. I contacted Audi corporate and was told the buyback had been denied, confirming the dealer had misrepresented the situation. This experience reflects deceptive business practices, potential violations of recall disclosure laws, and failure to resolve a known safety defect. My safety—and that of my pregnant wife—was placed at risk due to the sale of a recalled vehicle. I urge NHTSA to investigate. Their actions show a disregard for safety, federal compliance, and consumer rights. Others may not be as lucky.

The seatbelt comes loose and Nuna sent me a pad and screwdriver and refused to replace the seat. The harness won’t stay tight and I do not trust the seat to be safe for my child

Without warning, on [XXX, my 2020 Audi Q5 stopped working. I called Audi Care, who arranged a tow to the nearest Audi dealer, the Q5 was under manufacturer warranty. Audi had previously recalled its gateway control module; resolution, put a bag over the part. Audi completed the “fix” upon recall. Failure of that part is catastrophic; it renders the vehicle disabled; it cannot even be put into Neutral. My Q5 was chain dragged onto a flatbed and taken to Audi for service. Audi confirmed the gateway control module failed, stating the component needed to be replaced. The part was back-ordered and would take 7-10 business days. After nearly 8 weeks with no part, on April 2, 2024 the Q5 and repair were transferred to the Audi dealer I purchased the Q5 from. The part was listed as “high priority”, the Q5 was not drivable. April, May, June and July passed, no part. Audi service continued to claim the part was being made in Germany. Each month I was told the part would arrive, it never did. In August 2024, I contacted VW America (Audi’s parent company), to request a buyback. Six months had passed, there was no sign of the part. VW America requested the repair order, purchase agreement, warranty info and registration. On [XXX], I submitted a buyback request with all documents. On [XXX], VW of America refused to settle, and suggested I initiate a case with the Better Business Bureau. BBB determined the Q5 was eligible and opened a claim. I uploaded all requested documents to the BBB case. Audi did not respond. The case was set to go to arbitration, then BBB suddenly determined the Q5 was not eligible; it was over three years old, it had been over three when the case was opened. Nearly 10 months after the Q5 stopped working, I contacted the dealer, asking them to intervene. Audi refused to admit it could not make the part. Their solution, buy a new car. Audi still owes me thousands of dollars for an extended warranty on a Q5 it could not repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My dealership informed me that my tires were feathering at the edges and wearing unevenly. I found information that there was a recall for this problem. There was a recall (4215) that stated there was a misalignment in the suspension creating the uneven wearing. This included my car model. I need information regarding why my car isn't listed for the recall. The car does have a weird skip in making hard turns.

On 12-18-2024, I brought a Audi Q5 2020 from Lynbrook Audi dealership in New york, approximately weeks after the vehicle engine oil light came on to replenish engine oil. I notified the sales representative of the issue, he stated that the vehicle was serviced on 09-2023. After our conversation the vehicle engine oil light continue to light up for oil replenish every 2 to 3 weeks for the past 7 months, I contacted the manufacturer and dealership and both of them is pointing fingers at each other instead of fixing the vehicle. Every time the engine oil light came on i have to take the vehicle to the dealership to replenish. The problem was never resolved.

Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Vehicle Safety Issue with 2020 Audi Q5 Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding a critical safety issue with my 2020 Audi Q5, as advised by the New York State Division of Consumer Protection. Please find attached a copy of the Division's correspondence dated May 21, 2024, concerning my initial complaint against Audi of America, Inc., along with supporting documents pertinent to this case. On April 10, 2024, while parking in the driveway despite applying the brakes, and despite the reduced speed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated (launching/jumping forward motion) and collided with the side of the house. On April 11, 2024, my auto insurance adjuster confirmed the vehicle was towed to the Southampton Audi Dealership for an investigation, of which supporting documentation is also attached. Following this incident, I alerted Audi of America on April 15, 2024, and have since made several follow-up communications concerning the safety risks posed by the vehicle's unexpected behavior. Copies of these communications are enclosed for your reference. Unfortunately, there has been a significant lack of substantive responses from Audi of America, leaving the issue unresolved and ongoing safety concerns unaddressed. I appreciate your assistance with this matter and look forward to your assistance in ensuring that this safety concern is adequately resolved. Very truly yours

We were driving today at around 11:30am and all of a sudden the “Audi Presense” light came on at the same time the car brakes abruptly slowed down the car for about 5 seconds or so and then released. Today is a beautiful sunny day and there were no vehicles anywhere or anything in roadway on the road we were traveling on. The jerking /abrupt slowdown really surprised us. We will go to Audi dealer asap but now we don’t trust when it will happen again. A car could have hit us from behind.

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was intermittently blank or distorted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and to a second dealer, Santa Monica Audi (1020 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401), on several occasions; however, the dealers were unable to duplicate the failure. The dealers replaced the rearview camera twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the second dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Stopped on the road, the rear window exploded with a very loud boom. I pulled over and talked to the driver behind me who also pulled over and asked if he saw anything, he said no, only heard the boom. We looked in the back of the car and no projectile or foreign object. I moved to a nearby parking lot and pushed as much of the broken glass into the car as I could so it wouldn't fall off on the road. There were no cracks or defects identifiable before hand. The car was clean and any issues would have been visible. There was no warning of the explosion. I have brought the car in to the dealer, Fletcher Jones in Chicago.

Incident occurred as I was waiting third in line to add fuel to my Audi. Usually when I am in a long wait I put my vehicle in neutral and to move forward then I have to put my foot on brake to change gears. In this incident I did just that when car in front moved up, but the car suddenly accelerated forward quickly and hit with force the car in front. I put car in reverse to back off with intent to shut down car to exit in order to assess damage and provide insurance information. Instead when I went into reverse the car shot uncontrollably backward 20-30 feet at high speed striking another car entering the fueling area. In either the forward motion and or the backward motion of car did the sensors or brake assistance system deploy. The car will be inspected by both Audi America and also by a third party appointed by my insurance provider.

I have this car and it "drinks" about 300mL of coolant between 800-1000 miles. I have to add coolant once a while, but not much... Went to the dealership and they did an inspection and pressure test and came back all normal. They told me the car will use coolant during summer?! I see many other people having similar issues on the Audi Forum. Please investigate as VW tends to make poor-quality water pump and I hope it is not the engine consuming it...

The car was constantly smelling like smoke. It felt like it was going to catch fire. I got it serviced when it had to be serviced at 15k but Audi dealership did not warn of any recall and mentioned everything was great with the car. In the end I had to sell the car which was in April, 22 because I didn’t feel safe driving the car anymore. I would also constantly get airbag being deployed warnings on the screen and one time the car shut down automatically as I was driving at about 45Mph going up the mountain

Sun roof exploded for no reason. No rock hit it, driving on the highway with no other cars around

The hood has opened 3 different times with no warning while driving down the road.

Yesterday I driving my AUDI Q5 2020 on the expressway , then with no warning multiple warning and error messages suddenly appeared on dashboard. The Entire car immediately shut down in middle of the expressway, no time for me to put on my hazard, no time for me to safely pull over ..With difficulty moving it to safety. The car wouldn't start and I was in the middle of the expressway which put me at great risk along with my passengers and surrounding vehicles.... I was scared and shocked Very dangerous !!!!

Gateway control modular failure. At dealer currently. We took pictures. Multiple reports of the exact same thing on Audi forums online. Audi confirmed same issue. While driving car it suddenly stopped and the emergency brake was automatically applied. No warning, no way to Live the car to safety, all the warning lights began to flash, windows started to rolling up and down. Then the car just turned off. Unable to start it, turn it on, move it, nothing. Needed a special tow truck to have it towed to dealer. A serious safety issue. I am 8 m pregnant, had my brother and 4 year old nephew in car. I am concerned for my safety but equally concerned for every Q5 has this gateway module in this location. Every person driving a Q5 and other drivers can be affected by the design flaw of the location/ lack of protection of this gateway module. We were lucky we were not on the highway. What if this happened on a highway at high speeds or in a curve.

On July 14, 2020, my daughter and I drove my leased Audi Q5 to Cari’s sister’s home. As I pulled in the driveway, and before I turned off the vehicle and exited the car, smoke began to billow from the engine compartment and enter the interior. My daughter and I were suddenly engulfed by white smoke, and evacuated the vehicle immediately. With the use of a garden hose and fire extinguishers, my sister, brother-in-law, and I were able to subdue the fire until the fire department arrived and extinguished it fully. My Audi Q5 was totaled due to this fire that, suddenly and without warning, engulfed the engine compartment. After the incident, Audi inspected the vehicle. Ultimately, Audi stated that the cause/origin of the engine compartment fire was due to the turbocharger electronic waste gate malfunction. My daughter and I were stunned, shocked, and scared by the car’s sudden and unexpected combustion. Naturally, the trauma and terror of having a car ignite for seemingly no reason are significant, and weigh on my daughter and me. First, the terror of having to fend off a car fire from surrounding people and property is arduous and horrible. Second, my daughter, to this day, still thinks that a car in which she is a passenger may erupt in flames at any given moment. She does not realize that this may have been a one-off accident, and fears simply riding in a vehicle as a result. No person should have to go through the harrowing experience of pulling their daughter out of a burning car and extinguishing the fire before it can damage even more property or take a life. Importantly, the smoke that engulfed the vehicle’s passenger compartment exacerbated my asthma. For months after the incident, my breathing was strained and I suffered more severe asthma symptoms. Audi/VW made a minimal offer and I have had to engage attorneys to seek compensation for the damages my daughter and I suffered as a result of this incident.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2020 AUDI Q5. IT WAS 6 WEEKS OLD AND HAD ABOUT 2300 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE CAR DIED. I COULD NOT GET IT STARTED NO MATTER WHAT I DID. I COULD NOT EVEN GET THE FLASHERS TO TURN ON (TO THE IRE OF THOSE TRYING TO EXIT THE LOT.) AFTER HAVING IT TOWED (I WAS ON VACATION, NO LESS!) I LEARNED THAT THE ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I AM JUST GRATEFUL THIS DID NOT GIVE OUT ON A 55 + MPH HIGHWAY, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. ALSO, SINCE THE GEAR SHIFT IS ELECTRIC, THERE IS A WAY TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL FOR TOWING PURPOSES. THIS SYSTEM DID NOT WORK AND MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED BACKWARD WHILE IN DRIVE.

OVERALL PROBLEM: AUDI Q5 2020 APPEARS TO HAVE A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION THAT INSTANTLY DISABLES ALL SYSTEMS. VEHICLE 'SHUT ITSELF OFF' AT A BRIEF STOP AND BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, ROLLING INTO INTERSECTION. DETAILS: I STOPPED CAR AT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD STOP SIGN (BRIEF AND COMPLETE STOP, NO WAIT), IMMEDIATELY READY TO PROCEED FORWARD. AUDI'S 'AUTO STOP/START' FEATURE SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, THEN IMMEDIATELY ALL ELECTRONICS SHUT DOWN. THE CAR BASICALLY 'TURNED ITSELF OFF.' VEHICLE THEN BEGAN DRIFTING/COASTING INTO INTERSECTION. CONTROLS WERE UNRESPONSIVE. I REALIZED THE POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING WERE DISABLED. I BRAKED VERY HARD, WHICH STOPPED THE CAR. HAD TO KEEP BRAKES PRESSED VERY HARD TO KEEP CAR FROM MOVING. IGNITION BUTTON WAS UNRESPONSIVE. I THEN NOTICED A SMALL MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD CONTROLS WHICH READ SOMETHING LIKE 'START/STOP IGNITION SYSTEM DISABLED ' PUT CAR IN P.' (THIS WAS THE ONLY WORKING ELECTRICAL FEATURE I NOTICED, THE EVENT WAS FRIGHTENING AND DISORIENTING, BUT I'M FAIRLY SURE NOTHING ELSE WAS FUNCTIONING). I THEN SHIFTED GEARSHIFT TO PARK, AND WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND DRIVE AWAY. I REPORTED PROBLEM TO DEALER. DEALER CLAIMED TO INSPECT VEHICLE, AND SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. DEALER SAID VEHICLE'S COMPUTER HAD NO RECORD/MEMORY OF THE INCIDENT. DEALER ALSO SEEMED RESISTANT TO PROPERLY DOCUMENTING THE INCIDENT ON THEIR PAPERWORK. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO AUDI CORPORATE IN AUBURN HILLS MI, EXPLAINING I NO LONGER FELT SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR, AND WOULD NOT DRIVE IT AGAIN. AUDI CLAIMED TO PERFORM THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION, AND THEIR BRIEF REPLY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT OBLIGATED TO DO ANYTHING UNDER APPLICABLE LEMON LAWS. CAR WAS IN 3RD MONTH OF LEASE, ~150 MILES. PREVIOUSLY I DROVE AN AUDI A4 2017 FOR 3 YEARS SO I WAS/AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE WAY AUDIS OPERATE.

ANY TIME MY APPLE CELL PHONE SE MODEL IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE SEAT BELT UNBUCKLED ALARM INTERMITTENTLY IS ACTIVATED ON THE DASH. I SEE THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE PARTICULARLY IF A CHILD WAS IN THE BACK SEAT, SINCE IT COULD BE REALIZED AS A FALSE ALARM, BUT ACTUALLY BE A TRUE UNBUCKLING SOMEWHERE IN THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURS WITH THE VEHICLE IN MOTION, BUT THE PHONE STATIONARY (IE. NOT TRAVELING OVER ROAD BUMPS, POTHOLES OR CORNERING) AND IS UNPREDICTABLE. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE I TOOK POSSESSION NOV 30 LAST YEAR AND WAS NOT ABLE TO BE RECTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP OR BY THEM CONTACTING AUDI CENTRAL FOR GUIDANCE. ALL THAT WAS DONE WAS RESETTING THE ELECTRONICS TO FACTORY SETTINGS WHICH DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. ONLY SUGGESTION WAS NOT TO ALLOW THE PHONE TO SIT IN THE SEAT?