Audi Q5

Which Audi Q5 years should you avoid?

Going by 1,353 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Audi Q5 years to avoid are 2018 and 2012.

• 2018209 complaints, 2.5× a typical Q5 year, most often about the electrical system.
• 2012168 complaints, 2.0× a typical Q5 year, most often about the airbags.

Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →