2021 Audi Q5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (13) · Power Train (10) · Engine (8)
🧭 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 (8)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2025-02-12 · campaign 25V080000 · 20,201 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Audi Q5, and 2022 A7 E Hybrid Electric PHEV vehicles. The high-voltage battery may overheat.
Risk: A high-voltage battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install advanced diagnostic software , free of charge. Volkswagen will monitor available online vehicle data and contact owners as necessary, to advise them not to charge the vehicle until the battery can be replaced. For vehicles in which online data is unavailable, owners are advised not to charge their batteries until the final remedy becomes available. Repairs will be performed free of charge. This will be a Phased recall. Phase 1 will include Interim letters 2022-2023 model
Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:cable/Cord:onboard 2023-12-13 · campaign 23V842000 · 93,196 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 Audi A8, 2019-2024 e-tron Quattro, 2020-2024 e-tron Sportback Quattro, Q5, and 2021-2022 A7 vehicles. When using the industrial 220V/240V plug at the 100% charge setting, some home power outlets may be incapable of handling the electrical current required to utilize the compact charging system, causing the outlet or charging cable to overheat.
Risk: An overheated outlet or charging cable can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised not to use the 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable and only use the 110V home charging cable or public charging stations. Dealers will supply a new 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable with an incorporated temperature sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2024. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's numbers for this recall are 93U6 and 93U8.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/Mechanical 2022-10-07 · campaign 22V753000 · 76,515 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure.
Risk: A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine failure causes an oil leak, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace an affected engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 6, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 13i4 (VW) and 13i5 (Audi).
Back Over Prevention:display Function 2022-10-05 · campaign 22V742000 · 170,296 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rear
Risk: A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.
Tires 2022-01-26 · campaign 22V034000 · 31,058 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
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.
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-08-05 · campaign 21V606000 · 45,496 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate ear
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. 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 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).
Suspension:rear:axle:non-Powered Axle Assembly 2021-04-26 · campaign 21V295000 · 40,993 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Service bulletins (1,146)
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.
Engine 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083393_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the starter/generator drive belt is noisy or came off.
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.
Electrical System 2026-09-23 · TSB_2083385_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when there is a warning message in the instrument cluster about external sound.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,146 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-29 · Electrical System“vehicle information: 2021 audi q5 component affected: electrical system / electronic control unit (body control module / bcm2) description of safety defect: the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure of the body control module (bcm / bcm2) caused by water ingress originating from a defective rear sunroof drainage tube assembly. the manufacturing …”
2026-09-24 · Power Train“we took our 2021 audi q5 to the audi dealership because our vehicle seemed to be skipping gears and making jerking motions while driving. i believe it began happening at least a couple of months ago when my wife noticed a change in driving dynamics. she is the vehicle's sole driver. after taking it to the audi dealership and driving with the techn…”
2026-09-20 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“when attempting a left-hand turn, despite the oncoming vehicle already passed me, the audi auto-breaks leaving me in the center of the oncoming lane and causes the vehicle behind me to almost crash into me. very dangerous. …”
2026-08-28 · Power Train“vin number: [xxx]. audi q5 prestige 2021 mileage 48,540 i have contacted audi corporate regarding a catastrophic transmission failure while driving. the dealership investigation discovered that bolts had loosened and the fluid was not getting to the transmission and it stopped dead while i was driving. i was on surface streets going to pick up my …”
2026-08-20 · Power Train“on 8/3/26, my 2021 audi q5 began throwing numerous different malfunction/error alerts and the engine turned off while driving after a bottle of water had partially spilled onto our backseat behind the drivers side. the vehicle was towed to a nearby mechanic who determined that liquid damaged the gateway control module located under the backseat of …”
2026-06-29 · Engine“i was driving at highway speeds when a "transmission malfunction" warning appeared, and the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate. once i was able to pull over and put the vehicle in park, it completely lost the ability to engage drive or reverse, leaving me stranded. important to note pulling over was difficult as i was on a highway driving ar …”
2026-06-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 43,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 audi q5. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated before the vehicle stalled. during the failure, the check engine, oil, and coolant warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. the dealer determi…”
2026-06-22 · Fuel/Propulsion System“if i have a sensor that will malfunction due to water then there should be a water indicator alert. my sunroof vent was blocked and water went into my trunk where the core module is. i had just come to a red light to turn on to a major highway and my car began to smell like fuel. i rolled down the windows and realized the smell was not as strong as…”
2026-06-11 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“i was driving down a regular road by my house, full sunshine, perfect road, nothing unusual. in fact, it was such a nice day, the sunroof was open and windows were down. my dog was in the back seat after just being picked up from grooming happily enjoying the day with his head out the window. i was on a road with the speed limit of 30. i was going …”
2026-05-29 · Carry Handle, Shell, Base“the car seat comes loose every month and has to be reinstalled …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.