There are 6 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2014 Audi Q5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Invoice from mechanic states my water pump failed along with other engine components which led to a domino effect of system failures and leaks with potential to cause fire. Similar recalls have been issued for 2014 Audi Q5s
On 12/1, around 7:20am my fiancé and I were getting ready to leave for work; there was frost on the car so my fiancé went out to start it and turn on the defrosters. After starting the car, he turned on the heater and front and rear defrosters, he then went inside to retrieve some items we needed to load into the car. He was inside for about 5 minutes before coming out to see smoke emanating from right side of the trunk, which quickly turned into a small fire, whose point of origin was the rear fuse compartment. He ran inside to grab water to try and put it out, but due to how quickly it was spreading, as well as the fact that it was electrical nature, the water only served to temporary diminish but not extinguish the flames. We then used an ABC rated fire extinguisher from our kitchen, which did suppress and extinguish the fire. The vehicle still started, and we were able to drive it from our driveway to the side of our home, however, with the risk of it igniting again or creating any other failures, in addition to the guidance provided by our insurance company and Audi Corporate, we had the vehicle towed to an Audi dealership for further investigation. There was no indication prior to this that would lead us to believe the car would catch fire. We consider ourselves to be lucky that we were not driving as we would have no way to extinguish the fire on the side of the road. Since this incident, an investigation was done by Audi corporate. It was determined that there was corrosion within the right trunk compartment caused by water at some point which caused a short considering the body module and fuses are located there. However, Audi claims no responsibility in the water getting into the trunk or any manufacturing defects. Upon our own research though, we’ve seen many reports of Q models have sunroofs draining into the interior. The car has since been totaled by insurance due to repair estimates nearing $29,000 and taken to Copart auction.
I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AUDI AND HAD IT PARTIALLY FIXED. THEY STATED THERE WERE TWO PARTS TO THIS PHASE. I COMPLETED PHASE 1; HOWEVER, THE RECALL HAS NOT BEEN LIFTED BECAUSE PHASE 2 HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED BY AUDI TO THE DEALERSHIPS YET. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD HAPPEN LATE THIS WINTER. THE PROBLEM I FACE IS THAT I HAVE TO SHIP MY POV TO GERMANY FOR A MILITARY ASSIGNMENT THERE. I NEED TO HAVE NO RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE IN ORDER TO DO SO. PLEASE ASSIST. THANK YOU.
AUDI DEALERSHIP KEEP SAYING THERE IS NO OPEN TIME FOR APPOINTMENT ON MONDAYS; THE ONLY DAY I HAVE OFF AT WORK. I CAN ONLY TAKE THE VEHICLE ON A MONDAY.
I HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD TODAY THAT AUDI PREVIOUSLY ISSUED A RECALL, THEIR NUMBER 19M1, FOR THESE CARS INCLUDING MY CAR (2.0T ENGINE) TO REPROGRAM THE AUXILIARY COOLANT PUMP TO PREVENT FIRES. ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD THE CAR MAINTAINED BY AUDI, AND HAVE HAD OTHER RECALLS PERFORMED BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PERIOD, I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THIS RECALL NOTICE FROM AUDI. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE ARE RECALLS THAT ARE APPARENTLY NOT BEING SENT OUT. I'VE NEVER HAD THIS RECALL MENTIONED BY ANY DEALERSHIP WHILE I WAS THERE FOR OTHER PURPOSES, EITHER. AUDI HAS ISSUED A NEW SECOND RECALL STATING THAT THE ENTIRE PUMP WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED BUT THEY ARE DRAGGING THEIR HEELS, CLAIMING IT WILL BE MORE THAN SIX MONTHS (2019) BEFORE THEY HAVE ANY IDEA OF A PROGRAM TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. SIX MONTHS TO ACT ON A FIRE DANGER IS ARGUABLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
DRL (DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS) BURN OUT PREMATURELY.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026