NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Audi Q5. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Component/System: Engine. The vehicle was destroyed by fire but the remains are available for inspection depending on insurance/salvage status. Safety risk: Around [XXX] on [XXX], my 2023 Audi Q5 began smoking as I was exiting the vehicle with my [XXX] daughter and then caught fire and was completely destroyed. This created an immediate risk of serious injury or death to me and my child. I live across from a park and there were many children and families nearby who were at risk as well. Dealer/service confirmation: I just learned of recall 15ZK (loose cylinder head cover screws/oil leak fire risk) after the fire. I never received a recall notice despite owning an affected vehicle. Inspections: The incident was responded to by Silver Spring/MCFRS Fire Station 19 along with local police on April 12. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by my insurance company. They are expected to send an inspector on April 13. Prior warning symptoms: I recently noticed a fuel/burning smell originating from the front of the vehicle. The smell was detectable from outside the car after driving but was not present inside the cabin. No warning lights appeared on the dashboard. The smell persisted for several days prior to the fire without resolving, consistent with the oil leak described in recall 15ZK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I owned the car for two weeks when I had my dog in the front and it automatic braked going down the freeway. It threw him into the screen and broke it, luckily he was ok. (He was belted in.) This has happened three more times and been inspected but they are not able to reproduce the problem. This only happens when the dog is in the car with me. This last time, the dog hit the dash and screen again and broke it, and I had to pay to have it replaced again. (Thankfully dog just fine.) They keep saying no fault found because they can’t get it to do it on their test drives. This is a serious safety issue and could cause an accident by someone rear ending me. The roads aren’t wet, and nothing is around when it has happened each time. They turned down the presensor this time, so i am hoping this helps.
SoS emergency call malfunction. Besides transmission or engine mounting shakes on idle positions car still 6800 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Audi Q5 equipped with a Vredestein Spare Tire, Tire Line: Spare Wheel Space Master, Tire Size: 195/75/R18, DOT Number: DVVB. The contact stated that AAA was called to the scene to change a tire and discovered that the spare tire could not be inflated while needed. While attempting to inflate the spare tire, air was continuously leaking from the tire. The contact stated that the tire was unusable. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available.
The over dashboard screen didn't turn on when the car was open or the ignition turned on. Sometime it would take minutes though on a few occasions it simply didn't turn on. The consequence is I couldn't see how fast I was going, any information related to the car such as fuel level, tachometer, temperature. etc. I had the part replace by Audi, but it was over 3K to fix on part and/or system that should not fail. This started in the month of December 2025 though I just had it fixed.
VIN plate missing over 150 days.
My dashboard VIN plate was destroyed when the windshield was being replaced. I’ve been trying to get Audi to send me a new VIN since October 23, almost 6 months ago. They assigned an executive case manager 2 months ago but that’s accomplished nothing. The vehicle is out of compliance with federal law without a VIN plate and I cannot trade or sale the car. Please help me.
While travelling at highway speeds in the passing lane, a warning appeared “Transmission Malfunction! Safely stop vehicle” at which point the vehicle acceleration suddenly stopped. Fortunately despite the heavy and fast traffic I was able to get to the side of the road, but the vehicle would not move. The deslership noted this was part of technical bulletin 2064312/7 that caused this issue. Fortunately the Ohio Highway patrol came to keep me safe until the tow truck arrived. This is an extremely dangerous flaw that could have led to a serious accident. I urge you to investigate and order a recall for this potentially fatal issue.
Total engine failure at ~13.5k miles. 2 out of 4 cylinders and pistons failed, found damage on cylinder walls. Cylinder pressure too high. Failed cylinder leak down test and pressure test. Metal shavings found in oil filter and housing.
I am not sure of what happened and I am not seeing any remedy also in the finding. My car has been idle since May 7th and hence please help me in resolving it as the recall status says that remedy not available.
We have a leased 2023 Audi Q5 that has been to the Audi Service Department twice so far to determine the source of the problem with our SOS sensor, which turns on randomly and now stays on and won't turn off. The first time, on April 23rd, Audi Service did not address the issue because they forgot to. The second time, on April 29th, the Audi Service rep, Kyle Blomberg, reported that the SOS sensor issue may be fixed with a software update coming out later this year. He will speak with the service foreman today for more information. This is a safety issue if the car is ever in an accident, as we are not sure if the airbags will deploy, whether the seat belt tension will be activated, or whether the eCall system will automatically contact emergency services. It's unacceptable for Audi not to deploy an update more expeditiously, as waiting nearly seven months is entirely ludicrous. Please investigate this further.
1 Steering wheel makes noise. Dealership fixed in December 2024 but same sound come back again. 2 Oil burning smell comes while driving.
The lane keeping system randomly will malfunction and will veer the car either into oncoming traffic or out of the lane i am driving in. The most recent it tried to veer me off the road completely and into a sign off the road. The vehicle will also sometimes trigger the Audi collision avoidance system randomly. It has done it twice while turning left that the car will come to an abrupt halt for no reason. Both of these concerns can create car accidents if someone is either following closely behind or if the car veers into a different lane. I have reported this to the dealer multiple times and have escalated to Audi corporate. They are unable to replicate the issue, because it happens randomly and say the vehicle is operating within the standard. There have been no warnings or lamps that would indicate that the car has an issue.
2023 Audi Q5 driver side floor carpet is lifting near the Brake and Gas pedals. Inspected by Audi Dealer where the car was bought and they agreed the customer did not cause it, nor did they. The dealer checked all other like Q5's, even ones with just a few hundred miles and saw the the carpet in the same lifted condition. They say they cannot fix it. Audi USA said they cannot fix it as it is something the dealer did not report as a defect??? The driver's foot can be caught in the carpet as it continues to lift from the floor of the car, this is a safety defect that Audi needs to fix ASAP! Audi USA Case # 06464915
3 times this vehicle did not try to stop in time to keep from rear ending a vehicle. The imminent crash warning would come on but the vehicle did not try to stop. This model is supposed to apply the brakes on its own to keep from rear ending someone but it did not apply brakes. If I hadn’t taken hard and immediate braking action we would have rear ended vehicles. The vehicle has an $5800.00 option to brake in emergency situations. There have been at least 3 instances where the vehicle will not engage with lane keeping attempts while being on. This vehicle will also not notify the driver that the vehicle is leaving its lane even though it has lane keeping technology options turned on and purchased.
TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring) erroneously lights up, hence, incorrectly disabling all the safety driving features of the vehicle. We have already checked this with Audi. Audi has confirmed to us that there is a DEFECT and that they are working on a fix which is due as of Sept'2024 (estimated). A PPS has been created. This is dangerous as the system disables all safe driving features like ABS, Traction control etc.. the moment TPMS error activates up incorrectly.
When making a left turn at green light, 4 lane road with oncoming traffic, part way into the turn SUV abruptly slammed on brakes came to immediate dead stop; driver & front seat passenger were restrained by seat belts. Literally SUV was almost rear-ended, plus oncoming traffic "was still oncoming" at 40+ mph and had to steer clear of SUV that came to dead stop partway into intersection. Clearly a defect with the driver assistance automatic breaking system. Easily could have been serious, multi-vehicle, possibly fatal accident.
Bought it new in July 2023. Have done 4300 miles. Urban roads. CV Joint front is leaking. I understand 2019/2020 had the same issues. Reporting it for your records. Will now have to go to the Audi dealers if they will cover it
The contact had leased a 2023 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, an abnormal sound like a gunshot sound was heard. The contact pulled over at the nearest exit and discovered that the rear panoramic sunroof had shattered without impact. The contact Audi New Orleans (3400 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie, LA 70002); Audi Chattanooga (6001 International Dr, Chattanooga, TN 37421); Audi Asheville (621 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806) and was informed that the panoramic sunroof could not be replaced. The contact was referred to other independent mechanics. The contact stated that one dealer offered a temporary repair by placing tape over the sunroof; however, the tape flew off the vehicle soon after leaving the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Car was being driven normally within a parking lot of a shopping center. Proceeded to park the vehicle in a parking space. Upon pressing break and holding break pedal pressed, went to push the parking button on gear shifter and car erratically jolted and drove forward and stopped upon impact with barriers/debris/crash. Multiple alerts and warnings illuminated right prior to the incident. Reviews of other drivers of this vehicle reveals similar incidents of unintended acceleration while breaks are actively being applied. No parking button options were stopping vehicle, impact/crash stopped car. Property of shopping plaza/target was damaged, my vehicle, Audi, was damaged and another vehicle parked next to claims their vehicle was involved/hit as well. Safety was critically in danger as breaks did not work and car accelerated on its own without accelerator being pressed rather break was actively engaged and pressing of parking break to shift car from drive to park. Audi pre sense, parking break, TPMS and caution symbol alerts displayed. Problems confirmed and reviewed by Audi dealer service. Paperwork is attached along with pictures. Alerts from car has been present for sometime and car has been taken to audi numerous times with no action by dealer, car is new and is a lease. Audi is aware of these issues had took no action to audit/fix cars systems. Shortly after those visits to dealers this incident occurred. Believe these control modules having a correlation with cars sporadic behavior. Audi Service documents: Story: 5354 TSB 2070571/2 DUPLICATED CUSTOMER CONCERN DURING THE INITIAL TEST DRIVE. RAN GFF WITH DIAG ID 186214649 FOUND DTC P060C00: Internal Control Module Main Processor Performance. FOUND TSB 2070571/2. AS PER TSB "1 Clear the DTC P060C00 and return the vehicle to the customer. 2. Explain to the customer that a solution is expected to be available by the end of the 1st quarter of 2024 (subject to change) and that no repairs are necessary at this point.
I was at a park on March 8,2024 and was parking between two cars. When I was about to press park, vehicle's accelerator self -engaged and the car took off at high speed, This resulted in a collision with a tree about 10 feet from the curb. All front airbags were deployed and the front end got damaged. Reported the incident to the dealer on March 14, 2024. Insurance company informed me that the car is total loss. The car was transferred to the insurance company for inspection and damage assessment. Auditalk was also contacted. Car was sold by insurance company as salvage.
Happens weekly, the car breaks randomly when making a left turn, but it slams on the breaks to where you feel like you’ve made impact. It does this in the middle of the intersection and we could be hit head on or rear ended. It continues to happen, it has been in for service at least 3 times over the past year and Audi continues to say there isn’t a problem. Yet people are complaining about this all over social media, and Audi does have a fix for this on their other models, just not the Q5 which is what we are leasing. Please help! We are in danger and are nervous every time we drive this car!
235/55 R 19-101H, manufacture defect in the tread, there are remnants components of the fabric belt that are imbedded in the tread of the tire. The tires only have 5,200 miles on them. This was brought to the attention of the Audi Service Department on Saturday 16 March 2024, where they inspected the tire and replaced it the same day.
Audi pre-sense slammed on brakes on a dry empty road while I was driving between 45-50mph. Had there been a car behind me, as there usually is in this location, I would certainly have been rear-ended. As it was, my head, neck and back got a heavy jolt, and of course the whole thing distracted me from safely driving the car. I had to pull over to catch my breath (just because it was scary) and figure out how to turn the thing off for the drive home. The dealer checked the computer system and reported that there were no "faults" recorded there. In other words, the system is working "properly". Dealer cannot turn it permanently off because it's a SAFETY feature. The only way to prevent future dangerous deployments is to navigate through 3 layers of touchscreens to turn it off *each time I start the car*, but this has to be done every trip. I have had the brakes erroneously applied several times at lower speeds, one of those times (in the 2018 model) the seatbelt reeled me back into the seat squeezing my chest. Again, no obstacle or hazard of any kind was present, just the hazard of erratic and aggressive car automation.
Car suddenly applies brakes and sounds alarms when driving out of a sloping driveway or parking lot. It appears that the sensors point at the pavement at the inflection point of the sloped driveway/road and detects that as an obstacle. This happens regularly at certain parking lots - all the blinking and braking make it very difficult to navigate into the traffic lane safely. Audi dealership assures me this is normal. It also suddenly brakes (sometimes) and sounds alarms as I back out of my own gently sloped driveway. I am always paying attention to my surroundings and not operating a phone or doing other activities while I'm driving. There is unquestionably NO hazard or obstacle. The risk for damage to my neck is fairly low at these speeds, but when I'm backing I generally look over my shoulder, and a good jolt (even at low speeds) is pretty unpleasant and could definitely cause injury.
I am writing to file a complaint against Audi of America. My new vehicle, a 2023 Audi Q5 that I was involved in a minor car accident on [XXX]. That evening my car was side swiped during a merge after a toll both in Woodbridge, NJ off. Both vehicles were moving at relatively low speeds (30-35 mph). The damage to my car occurred on the passenger side panel and multiple air bags deployed including all 4 curtains as well as the passenger side seat air bag (though I did not have a passenger in the car with me). My car was towed to a local lot and has been with an auto body shop since [XXX]. Though all repairs were completed by mid-January, the car has been untouched since then due to the lack of availability of one part - the right front seat air bag. Part# 80A880242G which has been on order since Dec. 14th. So far, Audi has repeatedly claimed that the part ETA is unknown. My research online through Audi and car forums has shown that many other Audi drivers who have been in accidents are in the same predicament because the side air bag is deploying even when unnecessary creating a parts shortage with no solution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The digital dash screen system continually disconnects from the phone and will not reconnect. It disconnects during 911 calls. It disconnects when navigation is activated. It is very dangerous to drive a car that does this. I’m sure I paid thousands a dollar for this digital dash screen system, and is very frustrating that it does not work yet the Audi dealership and Audi corporate refused to, and or cannot fix my car. I’ve done research and it appears this is a very common problem and the service department at the dealership says they hear this complaint all the time.
My wife was pulling into a parking spot when all of a sudden the cars engine accelerated causing the car to jump one curb, hit a step and striking a pole before finally the brakes stopped the car from going through a storefront. None of the safety crash features stopped the vehicle. My wifes foot was on the brake, not the accelerator. Previously we had the vehicle in for service to reset the computer that kept freezing. Unfortunately we did not research Audi in detail before we bought. Since this occurrence, we have seen that some of Audi's models have had a history of "unintended sudden acceleration" and that there was actually a class action lawsuit years ago. After reading about those occurrences, we believe that this is what occurred. Audi corporate sent their engineers to download the computer data. They concluded that there was no computer error and no evidence of impact. Clearly there was impact since the car had to be repaired. I have since driven the exact route into the parking lot to see if possibly my wifes foot could have been on the accelerator. I made a right turn, quick left turn and quick right turn into the parking spot and my foot was on the brake the entire time. All third parties that have looked at the vehicle don't believe that there was a computer acceleration malfunction because the engineers said that they didn't identify a problem. I will never drive an Audi again. After this incident, I have spoken with other Audi owners and there seems to be issues with the german engineered "safety" controls. Apply brakes when not necessary, lane control jerking back into traffic when in an exit only lane. I am thankful that no person was in front of my vehicle when this occurred.
WHEN THE HATCHBACK ON THIS CAR HAS BEEN OPEN ON AT LEAST 8 OCASSIONS IT HAS AUTOMATICALLY PEEPED AND BEGAN TO CLOSE ON ME WHILE, FOR EXAMPLE I WAS LEANING INTO THE BACK PUTTING IN OR TAKING OUT GROCERIES. THIS CAR HAS REAR BUMPER SENSOR TO ALLOW ONE TO OPEN THE HATCH WITH YOUR FOOT. THIS SENSOR IS ON THE LEFT END OF THE BUMPER. MY FEET HAVE NEVER BEEN NEAR THE SENSOR WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED, THIS HATCH HAS ALSO CLOSED ON MY HUSBAND SO I DONT FEEL IT SOMETHING UNIQUE THAT I AM DOING.
This is in line with the 2023 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX] with only 4k miles on the odometer), which has several system malfunctioning errors that populate periodically. The same error occurred while running on the first day I collected this Audi Q5 from Audi Dallas showroom on [XXX]. This error was permanent and appeared every time i started the vehicle. As suggested by the Audi Dallas service department, I returned the car for review on the same day i bought it. After nearly two weeks, the car was returned to me, and it was highlighted that there could be a glitch in the software. So that the reset will sort out the issue. However, on [XXX] ( 5350 miles on the odometer), the same error populated and persisted. I arranged a drop-off with Audi Dallas at around 2 pm, [XXX], and the car was fixed and returned after two weeks. On [XXX], the same warning error for airbags appeared for the third time in 2 months (Odometer reading 6245 miles) and I am still waiting for a response from Audi. I am a bit concerned about this, as it could be a physical issue than a software issue. Audi Dallas Person in charge : Ricardo Viveros, Mob 214-561-1824 , Email: rviveros@audidallas.com Regards [XXX] Mob [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
we purchased a new 2023 Audi q5 at the Audi dealer at Wesley Chapel. On October 3, we noticed a malfunctioning indicator light on the dashboard. We took the vehicle back to the dealer to fix the problem. One of the service agents told us, everything was good, just a software update. I also notified the problem to manufacturing company and still no solution. It has been 4 months since when the problem occurred. The malfunction indicator lamp is on all the time when we turn the engine on and while driving. There are a lot of safety concerns while driving.
I was riding the car and all of a sudden tv my car stopped right in the middle of the street, totally shut down and non of the keys were working not even the hazard lights to alert other cars to turn around me. So I had to get out of my car right in the middle of the street to let the other cars to move away . I finally got back in the car, tried on and off switch couple of times and finally engine started . Audi took the car and they are saying it’s alternator failed and they have replaced it
I moved forward and hit this stone and then when I hit the stone. I tried to reverse and I lost control of my car. The car began spinning and I had no control of the car. The car finally crashed on it’ s own. I could not brake or nothing. I was rushed to the emergency room. I had a headache and my body was sore.
when stopped and proceeding to make a left turn the pre sense system activated the emergency braking almost causing the car behind me to hit me.. There were no vehicles approaching me in front or on the left side.. A car was passing me on the right at a slow speed. This has happened numerous times. It has been into the Audi dealership previously for the same problem. I spoke with Audi USA Today who said there is nothing they can do and that maybe I should shut the pre sense off..A less than brilliant and acceptable solution.
This has happened several times. After waiting for traffic to clear to make a left turn, as I start to accelerate, the Audi Presense triggers (message comes up) and slams on the brakes. There was no traffic that could have caused any hazard. It could have left me stranded in oncoming traffic. There are many other people reporting this same issue on Audi forums.
My wife and I were in the 2023 Audi Q5 with 1000 miles. I had complained to the dealer and manufacturer that this car was unsafe to drive. On June 9, 2023 I was driving slowly in my community. I tried to stop at a stop sign. NO brakes then at the same time the car had unintended sudden acceleration. We had no control, no brakes and hit a fence and shrubbery and cement fence. All airbags deployed.
On 21 April 2023 while driving on a highway, the US specification 2023 Audi Q5 engine began to make noise and a yellow engine warning light came on. During the process of moving the vehicle off the highway to a safe location to stop, the engine began to progressively lose power and the noise became much more noticeable and distinctly sounded like metal on metal. The Audi repair shop provided a report of diagnostic tests run but did not open the engine for further inspection. The repair shop ordered a replacement engine. Due to delays in delivery of a replacement engine, the vehicle is still at the repair shop five weeks after the incident. The vehicle had less that 550 miles (900 kilometers) on the odometer and had been in service only one month from delivery. The vehicle was sold by Audi USA through Military Auto Source direct to the user in Germany. The vehicle was used only in Germany and is presently at the Audi repair shop in Germany (Autohaus Lutz, Vaihinger Str. 91, 70567 Stuttgart, Germany). Based upon cursory research of existing recall issues for this model vehicle, the problem appears very similar to a connecting rod failure identified for engines manufactured in a prior period. Attempts to work with Audi USA to identify if this is indeed the same connecting rod problem and attempts to obtain confirmation that this engine was checked/tested for the known connecting rod issue both have proved unsuccessful. The local Audi repair shop has not been forthcoming with details of what specifically caused the engine failure or actions that Audi is taking to identify the source of the problem. This is being brought to the attention of the NHTSA because this may be a continuation of the connecting rod issue previously identified and declared resolved by Audi.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026