2017 Audi Q5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (13) · Fuel/Propulsion System (5) · Steering (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi Q5 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System 2018-04-11 · campaign 18V229000 · 342,867 vehicles
Defect: 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 coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.
Risk: A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (Prndl) 2017-05-03 · campaign 17V297000 · 5 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. Due to a manufacturing defect within the gearbox, despite selecting the Park position, the vehicle may still unexpectedly roll.
Risk: Despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the geabox in the affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37K6.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2017-05-03 · campaign 17V298000 · 240,487 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange if cracks are present. Flanges that do not have cracks will have a protective film applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Z8. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-660.
Air Bags:side/Window 2017-01-03 · campaign 17V001000 · 234,057 vehicles
Defect: 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 corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System 2017-01-03 · campaign 17V002000 · 342,867 vehicles
Defect: 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 that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.
Risk: If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.
Service bulletins (744)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
Structure:body 2026-09-18 · TSB_2078648_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Showing the 6 most recent of 744 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-15 · Engine“coolant tank empty - leaking. coolant leaking from the thermostat housing to engine. had to replace the thermostat housing and reseal the valve cover because the oil leak coming from the valve cover is causing oil to reach the thermostat sear and cause the rubber seal to expand and blow out causing the coolant to leak from the thermostat. this cos…”
2026-05-14 · Structure:body“my rear subframe is completely rotted out and the dealership i bought it from but a new inspection sticker sold it to me and told me it was perfect condition …”
2026-01-26 · Engine“oil consumption. audi q5 oil consumption in my car is not functioning properly. i have to put oil in it about every 3 weeks or less depending on how much i’m driving. …”
2026-01-20 · Engine“piston rings failure, large oil consumption and water pump leaking …”
2025-12-29 · Service Brakes“on 12/13/25 around 8:00am in the morning. i was driving between 20-25 mph and started to brake for the corner stop sign. i applied the break as i normally would however, the car continued to roll and did not respond to my applying pressure to the brake pedal. no matter how much pressure i apply to the brake the car continued to coast without stoppi…”
2025-06-23 · Engine“coolant is leaking from pump and tstat housings. pump was replaced in 2018 and 2019 by audi due to audi recall. now it is leaking after only 6 years. seems like faulty materials and creates hazardous situation. leaks confirmed via diagnostics by premier1 auto and certified technician. first received low coolant indicator light in may. fille…”
2024-04-22 · Engine“the pcv valve malfunctioned and required an extensive repair bill to solve. i've learned that this very engine (3.0) is already a subject of a recall for this concern, but the recall cuts off at 2016 audis, and mine is a 2017. please update your recall list to include all audi models with this 3.0 engine, as the problem is the same regardless of th…”
2024-02-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my suv had stopped heating/defrosting and vehicles car charging ports appear to not be working any longer. it was discovered that my coolant pump was blocked with debris. the heat has returned, still no power to the charge points in vehicle. while driving on highway, my vehicles dash started to light up instructing me to turn off engine coolan…”
2024-01-16 · Steering“steering is occasionally exhibits resistance when turning left or right. steering becomes very stiff intermittently. i have taken the to a repair twice but the does not duplicate. the repair did a scan to see if there were any codes but none came up. we also have an odb2 scanner and scan the vehicle right when problem occurred but no codes were dis…”
2023-08-10 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 101,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 audi q5. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally high whistling pitch sound coming from the vehicle. the contact had to add additional oil to the engine. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.