There are 2 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2016 Audi Q5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
In short my front right brake caliper failed. To be clear, brake fluid seeped out of the main 2 halves of the caliper. After some investigation there appears to be a recall on this issue on 2017 models and newer but not on my 2016. Per my mechanic this failure is rare and unusual and could have been catastrophic. The brake light warning did come on, but the amount of fluid that seeped was significant in that even 1 day after my light came on and driving a short distance to the shop, almost all of my brake fluid had seeped out.
VEHICLE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS COMPLETELY WORN OUT AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 20K MILES. WHEN QUESTIONED THE DEALER, THE SIMPLE REASON THEY GAVE US RUST. WHEN ASKED, WHERE THE RUST IS COMING FROM - THERE WAS NO ANSWER. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, WHERE I HAVE TO REPLACES ROTORS AND BREAK PADS, FOR VEHICLE WHICH HAS LESS THAN 20K MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS REGULARLY COMMUTED 15 MILES EVERY DAY.
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 25, 2026