2018 Audi Sq5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (3) · Electrical System (3) · Visibility/Wiper (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi Sq5 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Structure:body 2021-12-08 · campaign 21V947000 · 288,991 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.
Risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.
Structure:body 2019-10-16 · campaign 19V737000 · 174,278 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. The rear wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach from the vehicle.
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four clips securing the forward part of the rear wheel arch trim, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 66K8.
Wheels:hub 2019-06-05 · campaign 19V416000 · 126,161 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66K6.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2019-04-08 · campaign 19V277000 · 12,645 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.
Risk: A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.
Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-06-01 · campaign 18V369000 · 10,225 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
Service bulletins (804)
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 804 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-22 · Engine“[b9 sq5 - ea839 3.0t v6 cwgd] - remove front bumper & activate radiator support service position - drain cooling system - remove & replace water pump, thermo- pneumatic valve, & vacuum line set w/ solenoids & all necessary hardware - remove & replace thermostat assembly w/ seal - remove & replace both accessory drive belts - fill & bleed cooling sy…”
2026-08-09 · Power Train“i purchased my 2018 audi sq5 on september 12, 2025, from audi denver (mcdonald automotive group). on xxx, at 114,145 miles, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic engine failure while driving on the highway near [xxx], caused by defective rocker arm needle bearings in the 3.0t ea839 v6 engine. the early-design needle bearings disintegrated wi…”
2026-07-05 · Power Train“while driving a 2018 audi sq5 with the ea839 3.0t engine, a coolant warning light activated and engine temperatures began rising to 210-215°f. the vehicle was pulled over immediately. upon inspection the coolant reservoir was found to be nearly empty with dried coolant residue on the exterior indicating an active leak. the vehicle was towed to an a…”
2024-12-29 · Electrical System“heavy rain leaked into the cabin of my suv,and damaged the module, no controls worked through the key fob, no start . i keep my suv under cover 90% of the time. a recent wind storm damaged my car port that i usually keep it under, so lately it’s been outside more often, especially if wind is in the forecast. i still use it if no wind is forecasted,…”
2024-11-22 · Exterior Lighting“car's electrical system fried overnight during a rainstorm. all systems unresponsive to keys or key faub. car was towed to used dealership and they told me due to drainage system blockage a pool of water collected in rear battery compartment and submerged the battery. …”
2024-08-13 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“during a rainstorm, water drained from roof drains that are apparently supposed to be cleaned & maintenance done by dealership on a regular basis but were clogged due to them not being any maintenance done. water shorted out the entire control module for the entire vehicle computer after leaking into the rear inside behind hatch where battery and …”
2024-08-12 · Engine“oil leaking from the engine. mechanic determined that it was the filter housing. they replaced the filter housing and since then, the problem is all good. i spent over $5000 to identify this problem and get it repaired.…”
2024-05-15 · Unknown Or Other“after a hard rainstorm the comfort system control module (ccm) errored apparently from getting wet from a clogged sun roof drainage line, causing water to enter the rear left side compartment in which the ccm is housed (behind the insulation). the entire area is still damp 3 days later, and water is also located in the tire well and the rear right …”
2023-07-10 · Electrical System · 73,949 mi“the contact owns a 2018 audi sq 5. the contact stated while driving 65 mph in rainy weather, several unknown warning lights started blinking and the rear windshield wiper independently activated, and contact was unable to turn off the rear windshield wiper. the contact pulled over on the side on the road and turned off the vehicle. once the contact…”
2023-07-07 · Steering“i’m hearing squeaking noise from the steering column when steering left or right slowly of my audi sq5 2018 model. i noticed the noise can be heard loud after driving the vehicle for 30 min on the road or longer time driven. the squeaking noise from steering wheel column is often heard when taking the vehicle out from parking lot or moving the vehi…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.