2018 Audi Q5 complaints

While driving, the power steering completely went out and lost the ability to steer, while on the road. There were no prior warnings or feeling in the steering to present a possible future failure of steering under power. Put myself, my wife and the other operators at risk as I lost all power steering and had to pull over immediately. I have a current repair order open at a local shop and the PSM module has failed, of course requiring a full steering rack replacement to the tune of +$5k.

Water intrusion from sunroof floods electronics modules and shorting out, making the car unoperable

2018 Audi Q5 comfort System Control Module is faulty due to corrosion from water and or humidity. No incidents have occurred with my vehicle that has less than 70k miles. I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-owned with 7700 miles on the car. The dealership claims that outside forces have cause the module to corrode and that I am responsible for the 10k payment to replace and/or repair.

While driving, the steering wheel suddenly locked up and could not be turned. Several warning lights simultaneously appeared on the dashboard including: "Steering malfunction! Please stop vehicle", "Audi adaptive light malfunction! See owners manual", "Start/stop system malfunction! Function unavailable", and "Audi pre sense currently limited" - No warning lights were present prior to this event. The sudden loss of steering could have caused serious injury to myself and to other drivers or pedestrians nearby. I was thankfully able to stop the vehicle, but I could not pull over because the steering wheel could not be turned. The car was towed to the Audi dealership and I was told the "Electronic power steering rack" would need to be replaced costing nearly $5,000.00.

2018 Audi Q5 (2.0, 40K miles, excellent condition) experienced severe electronic failure, due to sunroof drainage lines depositing water into the rear side wells where sensitive electronics are housed, impacting all tail-lights, wipers, sensors, internal dashboard sensors, etc., rendering the car highly unsafe and undrivable. The issue is a design and manufacturer defect that has allowed rainwater to leak into the rear side compartments destroying sensitive electronics & wiring, from faulty/kinked drain lines in the sunroof (according to the Audi Technician from my local Audi store), rendering the vehicle undrivable. It was obvious, repeatable, and avoidable. Worse this issue was misdiagnosed by the same Audi store, causing extra parts & labor expenses that didn't solve anything. It took my AUDI store OVER a MONTH to diagnose the issue correctly. There were also significant investigative/diagnostic charges from my Audi Dealership. There were also significant repair expenses to replace all water-logged equipment, including the Electronics Control Unit (ECU). This should be a clear recall item.

The Audi Q5 sunroof drain that is intended to keep water out of the vehicle, leaked where water collected and pooled in the car beneath the car liner. The water collected on the "comfort module" and electrical fuse box resulting in immediate electrical failure of several vehicle features/systems including brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights, windshield wipers, etc. to name a few. In addition to repairs in excess of $10k, the vehicle will be totaled by the insurance company. After an exhaustive search, several Audi users of the same make, model and year have faced a similar issue. This issue must be addressed by Audi and should be reviewed immediately.

Kinked rear sunroof drains causing water to enter vehicle at trunk seres where water was found having entered into the comfort module. The car key fob was not responding me the fault codes for the module were cycling rendering the car in drivable. I have reported this before but wanted to include the proper updated invoice from Audi atl. The previous invoice didn’t state the problem.

Panaramic sunroof drains failed allowing water to egress into wheel well trunk side containers and spare tire areas. Water encompassed the comfort control module and left the electronics cycling through electronic error codes leaving the car unable to drive. The car was unable to recognize the key fob and the warning codes were flashing and cycling. Failure of the panaramic sunroof drains.

Roof drains clogged resulting in water filling the interior left rear wheelwell where ligting control modules are stored and are not waterproofed. Design defect allowing water incursion into an electrical connection system that is not waterproofed resulted in sudden and immediate multiple lighting system failure, road hazard.

My truck was part of a recall regarding my water pump and coolant leaking. I went for service at the Naperville Audi dealership and they basically gave me the run around and didn’t honor the recall lied and said they replaced my thermostat and never did. I had my car towed twice on 10/22 basically left stranded. Audi corporate advised them to fix my car due to the recall and they failed to do so.

On 06/13/24, milage 61023, I experienced a failure in Left Tail Light. There was no damage to the housing unit, ie a crack in the lighting unit, but I was advised that the entire housing unit needed to be replaced as there was water in the housing unit that corroded the light socket for the led light. The repair was $470.00 for parts and $100 in labor subtotal $570.00 before tax and a dealer discount of $57. 03 total $541.51. I was shocked that it was over $500 to replace a brake light. Then 09/12/24, milage 63515, (3) months and 2,492 miles later I experienced a failure in the Right Tail Light. Again, there was no damage to the housing unit and I was advised that the entire housing unit needed to be replaced as there was water in the housing unit that corroded the light socket for the led light. This repair was provided to me with a dealer discount to the price after tax $481.59. When I asked if this was a recall item I was told no it is not. I asked if there was after-market replacement part as this seems to be a product defect I was told no there are no after-market parts available. I was told that these parts are kept in stock as this is a know issue for all Audi's with the tail brake lights close to the bumper. This is a safety issue as you can not drive the car with a defective brake light. I called Audi USA and reported my complaint and asked for some compensation but more importantly wanted to document this safety issue and after review was offered $200 off future rep

When going in for an oil change and tire change the dealer noticed both rear springs were broken.

The comfort control module in the trunk of the car was sitting in water due to an ingress of water coming in the car. The car would not start due to this water ingress and could have shut off completely on the freeway or while driving. This caused my car to completely shut off and malfunction. There were no warning lamps or messages of the problem. I found out about the problem by taking the car to the Audi dealership. They originally thought the problem was the gateway module which has already been recalled due to the same problem of an ingress of water. The Audi dealership has claimed that the ingress of water is from a clogged drain pipe in the sunroof. They said there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening.

The panel showed vehicle lights malfunction. The side marker lights are on all the time. This happened without any accident or changes of the setting.

Such incident happened two times: when I was driving at normal speed, another vehicle quickly approached me from back while switching to my lane. Out of any instruction, my vehicle applied brakes to decelerate. This almost caused crash and put my safety at high risk!

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the turn signals were inoperable. The contact pulled over and noticed that the rear lights including brake lights and turn signals were not operational. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause was diagnosed as a sunroof drain line leakage that caused electrical damage due to water build-up, which damaged the control module. The contact stated that the drain lines needed to be unclogged and the control module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer awaiting the repairs. The contact was concerned that the Owner’s Manual did not guide sunroof maintenance to prevent the failure. The contact opened the rear hatch and found water accumulation under the mat. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Starter button does not work. use of emergency start only. Dealership says rain water running off car towards the back, gets into the wiring and causes massive damage. getting a bill of over $11,000 There are recalls on this for other Q5 years but not 2018.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, upon reaching the destination, the contact became aware that the headlights would not turn off. After which, the vehicle failed to restart, and the vehicle was towed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure); the VIN was included, but the vehicle had already been repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

My dealer informed me during a routine inspection that the rear coils springs were about to break and needed replacement at only 66653 miles. Web search revealed many others who have actually failed. Manufacturer will not cover 'out of warranty' repair. As a mechanical engineer with 45 years in the light vehicle industry - 30 in safety - I can say that coil springs do not routinely fail, especially at this mileage. If the do fail at speed I'd certainly expect potential loss of control by the surprised diver.

The engine mounts on my car began to fail around the 55k, this causes the engine to shift while driving which can not only permanently damage the engine but also cause the car to malfunction and could cause a serious accident. This definitely puts the safety of myself as the driver and others on the road at risk. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center, and there are many other Audis with the 2.0 engine that have this same issue ranging as low as 25k miles that I have seen. No warnings or messages, car had began shaking when pressing on accelerator and when shifted in to reverse and braking, making it unstable on the road.

Car was left outside for two weeks while we were gone on a trip. When we returned and attempted to start the car numerous warning lights went off related to turn signals, tail lights, engine ignition, key recognition, etc. We were able to drive the car home but the turn signals and tail lights were malfunctioning and the engine would lose power unexpectedly. Upon researching on AudiWorld Forums I came to learn I should check to see if there was any moisture in certain areas, including the rear fuse box area at the rear of the car. I checked that location and found many inches of water in the fusebox!!! I learned that MANY, MANY people with q5s have had the same problem which is RAINWATER ENTERING THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DUE TO NON-OPERABLE SUNROOF DRAIN PORTS. Yes, I searched and found an unrelated recall 90s9 but the dealer said this was not the issue, the issue is non-operable sunroof drains and the repair cost is $8,000. Having no idea of the danger I was placing my family in by driving this vehicle while its electrical system was swamped with water, I feel a class action lawsuit should be brought against the company for damages for material, labor, as well as the risk of injury or death I placed my wife and I in by driving this vehicle under such unsafe conditions. I noted there was a suit settled for this issue with other models, but not the 2018 q5. [XXX] V Audi/Volkswagon [XXX] . The idea that someone should have to face death for leaving their car in the rain d

Motor mounts leaking, car at only 45K miles Audi dealer indicates fix will be ~$3,200 Many posts online (AudiWorld discussion forums, etc.) - many drivers encountering issue at even fewer mileage Concerning that there was no warning on vehicle

Sunroof drain lines leaked and filled the rear compartment with water which is also where the body control module is. The water damaged the body control module which affected vehicle lighting and abs system. Upon further investigation, this is a very common issue with Audi.

Audi of Greenville gave us a quote to replace the pods unit that is causing this code and said that the air bag could deploy at anytime. Here is the quote that was given for the PODS unit. The code that was stored in the system was B1022F0. The Occupant Sensor Control Unit suppresses the deployment of passenger air bag when the condition of the passenger seat is empty or child and child-seat. And turns on the cut-off telltale lamp when the condition of the passenger seat is child-seat and child. In the case of malfunction, the blinking of the SRS air bag warning lamp reports the malfunction to the driver and by the on board self-diagnosis system. This Occupant Sensor Control Unit classifies occupant in the passenger seat and detects electrical malfunctions in Occupant Classification System, and transmits malfunction information to air bag control unit. It is integrated into the seat sensor mat and detects the occupants with Occupant Classification System (OCS) control unit that classifies the occupants. Read more at [XXX].

The seatbelt and passenger airbag systems go on and off making alarms go off. Making the vehicle unsafe in accidents. After taking my vehicle in for inspection, Audi stated that the component that has to be changed has been a recall in other Audi vehicles and is not covered under warranty.

The passenger seat belt can note be used. It locks up and can't be pulled out. Similar to when someone pulls it out too far, but fully retracted you can not pull it out.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the suspension coil spring was cracked at the bottom. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.

Notified by Audi dealership of a rear coil spring break. Zero corrosion present, powder coating fully intact (picture available), low mileage. Was advised and verified that this serious safety issue is occurring with many 2018 Audi Q5 models. Audi has not, as of yet, recognized this as a defective part and issued a safety recall. Please add my complaint to the many others regarding this safety issue and mandate Audi issue a recall.

On May 3, 2024, while driving to work, the vehicle acutely started to make a loud clicking noise in the engine compartment. I parked the vehicle and looked for a warning light indicator on the dashboard to determine the problem, but no indicator light emerged. I then called Audi Omaha and spoke with the Service Manager who kindly arranged to have my vehicle picked up and a loaner dropped off. I did ask at that time whether it was safe to have somebody drive my vehicle to Audi given the severity of the noise and I was told that since there was not a warning light on the dashboard, it would be ok. I later discovered that my vehicle stalled on the way to Audi Omaha and required a tow. On May 6, 2024, I received a report of the problem and the estimate for repairs. It was explained that the head of a spark plug had broken off into the engine causing the piston to make contact with the valve in cylinder 3 resulting in engine damage which was beyond repair. Additionally, a second spark plug had been misfiring for several days. The estimate to replace the engine: $9,282.03. To my surprise, the multi-point vehicle inspection report I received on the same day reported that everything (aside from rear brake pad wear) passed inspection – including the engine and spark plugs! On May 7, 2024, I called Audi Omaha to express my concern that an entire engine would need replaced on a 6-year old luxury vehicle with only 60,000 miles and spark plugs that were replaced at 40,000 miles prior to m

In 7/2023, I was told during a routine maintenance appt at Audi dealership that both rear suspension springs on my 2018 Q5 were broken, as in broken into two pieces. I was told it was a major safety issue. There was no indication or warning from the car’s system of a problem…I only found out as a result of an inspection at the dealership. It was then repaired at the dealership. I am sharing this information because I have read about others having the same problem with the rear springs on the same model. My understanding is that spring breakage is uncommon and should not happen at 55000 miles to a car that is not driven in rocky or bumpy terrain, which mine is not.

I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure why this isn’t covered under extended warranty or a recall. It basically disables the passenger airbag. I have seen other Audi vehicles with recalls for similar issues with harness under the passenger seat. I think they have a design issue but are wanting to charge me (and probably others) $220 to diagnose and $695 plus tax to put two wire ties on the harness to supposedly fix (or bandaid) a bad harness.

-Car shut down (engine off, battery still functioning) while driving. Car went into neutral. -Lost power steering and other functions after about 20 seconds of the engine shutting down. -Immediate life-threatening danger while driving to us and surrounding drivers and pedestrians -no inspection or police report yet. -the car has not been driven since the incident and so the problem has not been reproduced yet. Upon inspection of the trunk area (2018 Audi Q5), we found about 4 inches of water. This has been attributed to clogged sunroof drains causing water to flow into the trunk and short out electrical components.

Rear spring has broken at 50k miles. This is a potentially catastrophic outcome at speed. Vehicle is not used for towing or any sort of off road use. Estimate from the dealer was $2000 to replace both rear springs. The dealer said that "it happens" and would not cover the failure. The car is driven as a commuting car - really? After some online research, apparently this is a somewhat common issue that Audi refuses to acknowledge or address - it's a "maintenance item". Sorry - this is a safety issue. No spring should fail at 50k miles.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated the vehicle was parked during a rainstorm and the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test and stated that water entered the vehicle through a fractured seal causing the electrical wiring to get wet. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

The engine stopped working at 72,000 Miles. After the fact, I have read several complaints of the engine blowing well under 100,000 miles. Audi does NOT give warranties on engines after 50,000 miles...how convenient! In addition, Insurance will not cover this. I have read several complaints about engines blowing just after 50,000 miles. To have the 2018 Audi Q5 engine repaired with the new engine is $11,000 plus the labor $3,000-$4,000. Unfortunately, I still owe $19,000 to the bank! Bankruptcy is looming and I have had near-perfect credit my entire life.

I was recently driving and heard a funny noise from back right of car. Looked underneath and saw a broken spring (I have the broken spring) . I am the original owner of this car and it only has 36,645 miles on it. Never been off-road, hauled anything, or had anything heavy in back. In looking online afterwards this seems to be a common problem in 2018 Audi Q5s. This defect could have caused a serious accident if I hadn't noticed the sound and had it fixed.This is ridiculous for this to fail on this expensive of a vehicle with such low mileage. I had to replace both rear springs (shouldn't only replace one) and have an alignment which ended up costing me $1013.01. I really think I should be reimbursed by Audi since this is a known defect! Thank you.

This was unintentional acceleration case: When I got into the parking space, the car was almost stopped and I was about to press the park button (gear) and the car suddenly accelerated and in a fraction of a second, climbed the curb, crashed into the fence, broke the fence and crushed on a tree. I was still applying brake to stop it and I could not do anything else. The following facts show that the acceleration was totally out of my control. 1.vehicle climbed the curb 2. and climbed the dirt part, shrubs 3. to hit the fence and broke it; It looked like something mall functioned. As a matter of fact, no safety feature worked and no sound signals went on ! Even vehicle's collision system did not kick in when car was climbing over the curb. Fortunately, I could get out of that car and my body was aching due to the seat belt and airbag explosion. (Driver side bag exploded for sure. I do not remember if the other side bag exploded.)

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Auto START/STOP, fog lights, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sunroof drain was clogged, causing the rear driver's side comfort control module to be flooded with water. The dealer determined that the comfort control module and sunroof drain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the comfort control module and sunroof drain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

My 2018 Q5 with around 60k miles had a rear passenger side coil spring break. There is a forum with many other people that have the exact same issue and I believe this is a defect/ faulty design as we all have had the coil break in the same location under similar low mileage. There are 5-6 people on this page alone with the same issue [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Motor mount leaking hydraulic fluid

UNKOWN Best assessment: Audible beeping 6 times. Pause. Repeats audible beeping six times. Repeats. Passenger seat unoccupied with no items on passenger seat. Connect passenger seat belt (without occupant) and beeping stops. Suspect faulty passenger seat sensor.

Thermostat failed causing the engine to overheat causing veh to unable to reach required rpm’s.

I have a 2018 Audi Q5. The electrical system basically went into complete failure, and upon taking it to the dealership, was told the sunroof draining system "clogged" and the flooding caused by this caused the damage. After significant research online, I have noted this seems to be a very well-known issue.

Steering rack completely failed while driving. Causing steering to become unusable nearly causing a wreck putting everyone on the road at risk. Vehicle has less 80k miles and is driven occasionally. This was an issue on early models and seems to not have been fully fixed on this model either. Warning lamps require vehicle to pullover and stop.

For months the car has smelled musty. Last week the electrical lights went on and warnings to not drive the car. Water was discovered in the wheel wells and the computer system appears to have been damaged by a leaky sunroof. On the car fax report it was noted that at 14, 608 miles the vehicle had it's sunroof "replaced/ repaired" with a seal removed and repaired according to an invoice record furnished to us by the dealer . The vehicle ran out of it's warranty in July of this year. We've heard that others have been having a similar, if not the same issue and the dealership has quoted up to $20K to repair. Clearly there has been a defect from day one at 14,000 miles. The car is never parked under trees.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V737000 (Structure) however, the front driver's side wheel arch trim panel was detaching from the frame. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V737000 (Structure). The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the repair was not covered. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 32,827.

The car was sitting in the driveway in the rain. I went out to get something out of it and the car was dead, but the back wiper was going, the rear lights were on and the driver side windows went down. I had it towed to the dealer and they told me water had gotten into the area in the back left wheel well where the comfort module is located. The dealer tried to say there was something wrong with the rear hatch but there isn’t. I’ve read account after account online of this exact issue happening to other owners and it caused by a defective sunroof drain. It drains right into the rear hatch with the module. They quoted $9000 for the repairs.

Rear Sunroof drain leak into major electronic components. 2018 Q5 with 61k miles after heavy rain started receiving all kind all errors including lights and ignition. Upon inspection Audi service has stated that HVAC control module has shorten (the area with the module in the left rear portion of the trunk filled with water), quoting repair of the module and insisting to replace sunroof drain hoses for total of $5k. Insurance has agreed to cover module replacement due to the flood of approx. $2,5k, however drain hoses and deducible with another $2,5k would not be covered and is on me. Mechanic in the Audi service several times noted that that this is common issue with Q5 and Q7s., I am so frustrated and do not understand how come the Audi car the owner shall be responsible for any cost of such if it is unclear: 1. How and why the water gets there through the closed sunroof in such amount to flood electrical equipment. Are all Audi sunroof seals so bad that they fail in 6 years? 2. I had serviced the car in the Audi for up to 60k, and no one ever cleaned the drains there or advised me of such (all is needed a small note for me)? Why did I pay extra to service car in the official dealerships? 3. How Audi could sell a vehicle with such design flaw, placing weak drainage hose through the electrical equipment compartment, considering they just had a class action lawsuit over sunroof leaking but on different models and model years.

Suddenly car entry stopped working. Warning messages on display about start/stop, engine starting malfunction, every single light. I found the driver rear side full of water where the fuse panel and control modules are located. There was water soaked into the insulation at the bottom of the space as well as the insulation over the wheel well. Water drops were viewed on the controllers in that space.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that while replacing the battery, he observed condensation near the wiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was hoisted up and there was condensation draining from the driver’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.