2019 Audi Sq5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (5) · Service Brakes (4) · 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.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-06-19 · campaign 19V473000 · 28 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.
Risk: A damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
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 bulletins (821)
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.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2065871_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides informaiton when dtc b200ff0 is stored.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 821 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-13 · Engine“engine rocker arm failed, per audi tech metal shavings in oil.…”
2026-09-07 · Engine“piston skirt extended warranty calls for replacement of the pistons. this does not fix the issue if the vehicle was driven long term with damaged pistons. in my case the vehicle started knocking 1000 miles after replacement. unsafe to drive and i now how to pay for a new engine on my own. …”
2026-01-15 · Engine“there’s a knocking noise coming from the engine that could lead to potential engine failure. there is a known manufacturers defect in these engines. audi has extended a warranty, but not all cars are eligible. this should be a recall because if the engine fails on a high speed through a highway, it could be a highly dangerous situation…”
2025-12-17 · Engine“piston skirt recall and warranty. bulletin number awa-25-08. needs investigated. based off average audi owner statistics along with nhtsa statistics, when this bulletin was released in august of 2025, over 60% of vehicles with this 3.0t engine code ea839 would be disqualified from repairs for under 80,000 miles. …”
2025-12-09 · Electrical System“the rear brake lights on my 2019 audi sq5 stopped functioning due to a failure of the comfort system central control module (j393). this defect is documented by audi in technical service bulletin 2055123/5 and earlier versions. the malfunction causes the “rear lighting warning” to appear in the instrument cluster, and the brake lights do not illumi…”
2025-05-12 · Structure · 60,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 audi sq5. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the front passenger’s side wheel flare detached. the driver’s side wheel flare was loosened. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact called the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was prov…”
2024-08-30 · Visibility/Wiper“panoramic roof glass exploded outwards while driving on the highway. no sign of rock damage or debris hitting. the glass is deformed outwards. the glass was sent towards the interior of the car. the sunroof shade was closed and many pieces of glass were caught by this otherwise the driver would have been hit by glass shards. …”
2024-04-28 · Suspension“no warning lights or fault codes. took it to audi of dallas and without a code they said they couldn’t troubleshoot it. the car makes a whining noise only while under acceleration and is prominate between 20-50 mph. also the fuel gauge (electric) does not show the correct amount of fuel. i have already ran out of fuel and it still showed 200+ miles…”
2024-03-29 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“the adaptive cruise control erroneously detects things such as shadows when going under bridges as stationary objects positioned in front of the vehicle, and aggressively applies the brake, causing an unsafe situation. if this occurs on wintry roads or icy conditions, this could create a safety hazard, especially at highway speeds. there is also …”
2023-08-23 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“collision on highway and airbags did not deploy. white powder was present on dashboard after accident but not deployment of any airbags. was hit on driver side and pushed off the highway were i struck a metal pole knocked that down and crashed into woods and trees area. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.