There are 4 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2020 Audi Q5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
We were driving today at around 11:30am and all of a sudden the “Audi Presense” light came on at the same time the car brakes abruptly slowed down the car for about 5 seconds or so and then released. Today is a beautiful sunny day and there were no vehicles anywhere or anything in roadway on the road we were traveling on. The jerking /abrupt slowdown really surprised us. We will go to Audi dealer asap but now we don’t trust when it will happen again. A car could have hit us from behind.
The car was constantly smelling like smoke. It felt like it was going to catch fire. I got it serviced when it had to be serviced at 15k but Audi dealership did not warn of any recall and mentioned everything was great with the car. In the end I had to sell the car which was in April, 22 because I didn’t feel safe driving the car anymore. I would also constantly get airbag being deployed warnings on the screen and one time the car shut down automatically as I was driving at about 45Mph going up the mountain
Yesterday I driving my AUDI Q5 2020 on the expressway , then with no warning multiple warning and error messages suddenly appeared on dashboard. The Entire car immediately shut down in middle of the expressway, no time for me to put on my hazard, no time for me to safely pull over ..With difficulty moving it to safety. The car wouldn't start and I was in the middle of the expressway which put me at great risk along with my passengers and surrounding vehicles.... I was scared and shocked Very dangerous !!!!
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2020 AUDI Q5. IT WAS 6 WEEKS OLD AND HAD ABOUT 2300 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE CAR DIED. I COULD NOT GET IT STARTED NO MATTER WHAT I DID. I COULD NOT EVEN GET THE FLASHERS TO TURN ON (TO THE IRE OF THOSE TRYING TO EXIT THE LOT.) AFTER HAVING IT TOWED (I WAS ON VACATION, NO LESS!) I LEARNED THAT THE ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I AM JUST GRATEFUL THIS DID NOT GIVE OUT ON A 55 + MPH HIGHWAY, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. ALSO, SINCE THE GEAR SHIFT IS ELECTRIC, THERE IS A WAY TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL FOR TOWING PURPOSES. THIS SYSTEM DID NOT WORK AND MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED BACKWARD WHILE IN DRIVE.
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