Audi · Q5 · 2011
5
Recalls
141
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2011 Audi Q5 has 5 recalls and 141 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: air bags (54 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy Status
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy Status
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2012 Audi Q7 and 2009-2012 Audi Q5 vehicles, previously repaired under NHTSA recall 16V-660. These vehicles were previously repaired with an interim repair of installing butyl tape to the fuel pump flange, until replacement remedy parts became available.
Remedy Status
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange and install butyl tape, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BJ.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy Status
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Audi Q5, and 2007-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles equipped with gasoline engines. The fuel pump flange on the affected vehicles may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Remedy Status
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flange, replacing any flanges that are cracked. If the flange is not cracked, dealers will clean the pump flange and install a butyl rubber band to protect the pump. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20W9.
Rear subframe rust causing car to fail state inspection. This vehicle has been maintained well and always parked in garage. The rear subframe rusted most, then front subframe. This is a common compliant among Audi forum users.
Rear driver side door will not unlock when keypad, nor inside unlock button is pressed. Once inside, door will not unlock in sequence with other doors when vehicle is shut off and it is time to exit the vehicle.
Audi q5 shows no recalls on my vehicle. My car stops randomly while driving even while being on highways and interstates. As well as the passenger side leaking due to sunroof drainage coming to the inside (which may affect the air bags). This Car has not had any repairs on recalls that I know of personally.
Accident head on collision with wall airbags didn't deploy
The contact's wife owns a 2011 Audi Q5. The contact stated that after he parked the vehicle in his garage, he smelled a fuel odor outside of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the flange had cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and advise the contact to call the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the recall was previously performed under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V818000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000. The contact stated that the dealership was able to resolve the issue.
During a routine inspection my mechanic noticed the subframe of my 2011 Audi Q5 was rusted through in numerous spots. It seemed odd that a vehicle bought new and garaged since it was purchased had such extensive rust. Pictures of the rusted subframe were taken and shown to the local Audi dealer. The dealer then asked to bring the vehicle in so they could take their own pictures. Contacted Audi NA and spoke with rep about problem. The phone call ended abruptly when the Audi NA rep refused to file a claim and hung up on me.
VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL PROBLEMS- ACCELERATES AND DECELERATES IRREGULARLY.
My car smells like gas, I took it to the dealership ans they said my fuel pump flange is leaking gas
AUDI Q5 94,000. I WILL NEVER NEVER BUY AUDI VEHICLE AGAIN. FIRST STARTED WITH OIL LEAK, REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET, THEN HOOD LATCH SENSOR (GERMAN GENIUS). HOW IN THE WORLD THIS BAD SENSOR MEASURES OIL LEVEL. RACK AND PINION LEAK, THEN TIMING COVER GASKET LEAK. THEN MY MECHANIC REPLACED DRIVER SIDE UPPER CONTROL ARM. NOW REAR SHOCK IS BAD. ALREADY SPENT OVER $3000 FINE, THE WORST ISSUE I HAVE IS TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT. THE DEALER (STEALER) GAVE ME ESTIMATE OF $1700 TO FIX THIS. THE LAST SERIOUS ONE ON 12/23/20 WHILE DRIVING WITH 2 MORE PASSENGERS ON BUSY ARE IN HOUSTON NEAR MED.CENTER, CAR ENGINE LOST POWER, SHAKING VIOLENTLY, THEN I DROVE VERY SLOWLY AT AROUND 30 MPH. THIS IS AUDI Q5 IS NIGHTMARE. NHTSA PLEASE DO SOMETHING, MAKE AUDI SETTLE THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, HE STARTED SMELLING FUEL INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER KARMART OF MAUI (411 HUKU LII PL #103, KIHEI, HI 96753, (808) 419-7400) AND THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY PREVIOUS OWNER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V660000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 81,000.
Audi offered a warranty extension for intake manifold & fuel injectors in certain 2008-2011 Model Year Audi Vehicles with 2.0 TFSI Engine. Audi rejected our claim for a faulty fuel injector in our 2011 car citing that “vehicle does not have the extended warranty for fuel injectors and the information that was submitted was only for 2.0 TFSI Engine's with the Engine code of CBFA & CCTA. The engine in your vehicle is a 3.2 FSI with the Engine code CALB. So this warranty extension would not be applicable to your vehicle.” Our Audi dealership diagnosed our car with the same fuel injector issue listed by Audi in this warranty extension as well as stating that this is a very common issue with our make, model and year. Our Audi is a 2011 model, less than 120,000 miles, and less than 10 years when the malfunction indicator lamp appeared. Their letter does not stand to prove that a faulty fuel injector was not placed in our car that was built in 2011, the same year that they installed faulty fuel injectors in their 2.0 TFSI engines. Audi dealership diagnosed our car as suffering from misfire conditions that in turn cause the malfunction indicator lamp to appear. The dealership indicates that this is a common issue with Audis during our production year. This is the same issue that Audi listed in their warranty extension letter to consumers with 2.0 TFSI engines. Our car meets all the requirements in Audi’s warranty extension letter (2011 model, less than 120,000 miles, and less than 10 years when the malfunction indicator lamp appeared) except that our car is a 3.2 FSI vs 2.0 TFSI. Audi is not able show that they did not install a faulty fuel injector into our car. Fuel injector problems in cars with mileage under 100,000 miles and less than 10 years of age is very uncommon. This plus Audi’s history of installing faulty fuel injectors into cars built in our year lead us to believe that Audi also installed a faulty fuel injector into our car.
MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO FORT MYERS AUDI. AFTER THE DIAGNOSTICS THEY SAID THE TIMING CHAIN HAD FAILED AND CAUSED A CYLINDER HEAD TO CRACK AND THE TURBO HAD ISSUES AS WELL. THEY TOLD US THAT AUDI WILL COVER THE TIMING CHAIN AND ONLY 50% OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. THE QUOTE GIVEN FOR THE CYLINDER HEAD WAS $5,810 (WITH AUDI COVERING $2,905). TO REPAIR THE TURBO CHARGER IT WILL COST $2,175. LOOKING ON THIS WEBSITE, I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OTHERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, WITH THE SAME RESULTING PROBLEMS. *TR
MY CAR HAS HAD ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE. YESTERDAY MY SON THROUGH A FIT WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND OPENED THE BACK DOOR WHILE I WAS GOING OVER 60 MILES AN HOUR AND THE DOOR LOCK LIGHT WAS LIT. I FEEL THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD IT BE POSSIBLE OF THE DOOR TO BE ABLE TO OPEN WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH AUDI CORPORATE BUT THEY WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT ME BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR THIS TO BE FIXED THAN THE ISSUE ITSELF. *TR
TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR NEW BRAKE PADS BRAKES AND ROTORS. UPON LEAVING THE CAR WAS MAKING A LOUD NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. I CALLED THE DEALER TO COMPLAIN AND WAS TOLD IT WILL WEAR OFF. EXT FEW TIMES I DROVE THE BRAKES FAILED. I CALLED AUDI AND BROUGHT MY CAR BACK AND NOW THEY WANT ME TO BY BACK BRAKES AND CALLI ER FOR BOTH SIDES WHEN THE WORK WASN'T DONE PROPERLY TO BEGIN WITH.
MY CAR STARTED TO SMELL LIKE GAS AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THE SAID IT WAS THE FLANGE/ FUEL PUMP AND THAT THE RECALL WAS ALREADY DONE BUT THE SAME ISSUE PERSIST. THE YET ME DRIVE HOME WITH GAS POURING OUT OF MY CAR AFTER SEEING IT AND WANT TO CHARGE ME 1800 FOR A RECALLED PART. I WAS TERRIBLY SCARED AND CANNOT DRIVE AN UNSAFE CAR.
MY WIFE AND I HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICES AT AUDI OF TURNERSVILLE FOR $8000.00 AT THE SERVICE WRITERS SUGGESTION. WE NEEDED A NEW TURBO WITH THE ACCESSORIES. AFTER THAT THE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. ON THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT MONTH THE VEHICLE STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AGAIN! NOT STARTING WELL...AND STALLING DURING OPERATION! *TR
I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND CITY AND IT APPEARS THE STEERING IS SOMETIMES STIFF AND THEN SOFT , I HAVE CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEVEL AND ITS FULL. THIS IS AN ISSUE BECAUSE ITS HARD TO MAKE TURNS AS THE STEERING WHEEL STIFFENS UP. ANOTHER ISSUE IS THE CAR CONSUMES ABOUT 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 300 MILES, IT WAS PART OF A LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER REPAIRED
OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. UNDER ANY ACCELERATION, SMOKE COMES OUT THE EXHAUST. USES ABOUT 1 QUART OF OIL PER 300 MILES. LEAK DOWN TEST WAS DONE, SHOWING LEAKAGE PAST PISTON RINGS. RESULTING IN A COMPLETE REBUILD OF ENGINE COSTING ME $5,000 PLUS. VEHICLE HAS JUST ABOUT 100,000 MILES.
MY 2011 AUDI Q5 WOULD NOT START ONE MORNING WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR IN MY GARAGE (DEC 2019). I HAD IT TOWED TO THE FLETCHER JONES AUDI DEALERSHIP IN CHICAGO IL WHERE I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL CUSTOMER SINCE MOVING HERE IN 2014. THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND IDENTIFIED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAD SLIPPED, AND MAY HAVE CAUSED "CATASTROPHIC" FAILURE TO MY ENGINE. THEY PROCEEDED TO ASK FOR ANOTHER $1,500 TO DIAGNOSE THE ENGINE FOR THE FAILURE, AND MENTIONED IF IF HAD FAILED IT COULD BE UP TO $10,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AFTER A SHORT BIT OF RESEARCH, IT TURNS OUT THERE IS A WARRANTY THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY DEALERSHIP NEVER TOLD ME THIS, AND WAS JUST EXPECTING ME TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. ALSO, I HAD MY CAR SERVICED THERE 4 DIFFERENT TIMES SINCE THE RECALL HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED. THEY NEVER ONCE INFORMED ME OF THIS. I CALLED TO ASK WHY THEY HADN'T MENTIONED THIS WARRANTY OR THIS ISSUE, AND THERE WAS NOT A GOOD ANSWER. FLETCHER JONES ALSO SAID THEY CHECK MY VIN EVERY TIME I BRING IT IN TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING OUTSTANDING REGARDING RECALLS ETC ON THE CAR, WHICH MEANS THEY COULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO THIS MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN PRIOR, BUT THEY DID NOT. THEY COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS ISSUE. FAST FORWARD TO NOW, AUDI WILL ONLY COVER 25% OF THE ISSUE, AND FLETCHER JONES IS BARELY MAKING AN EFFORT TO HELP OUT ON THEIR END. I WILL BE OUT NEARLY $5,000 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM, WHICH IS NO FAULT OF MINE AND A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF ENGINEERING ON THE PART OF AUDI. IT ISN'T RIGHT THAT AUDI DOES NOT FULLY COVER THIS EXPENSE. AND MOREOVER, THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD HAVE A DUTY OF CARE TO DISCLOSE THEM ITEMS SUCH THAT WE CAN TAKE THE STEPS TO PREVENT THEM. FLETCHER JONES DID WRONG BY ME BY NOT DISCLOSING THIS, AND IS LIKELY DEFRAUDING AND MANIPULATING MORE CLIENTS EVERY DAY THEY REMAIN IN OPERATION.
TIMING CHAIN ISSUE THAT CAUSED IT TO JUMP, DAMAGING THE CYLINDER HEADS AND VALVES. AS I WAS PROCEEDING TO STOP AT AT A LIGHT, THE FRONT END OF THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE AND THE ENGINE SEEMED OFF. AT A FULL STOP, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AGAIN AND THEN PROCEEDED TO DIE. THE CAR WOULDN'T START, SO I COULD NOT PROCEED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. AUDI WILL NOT COVER ANY DAMAGE THAT WAS CAUSED AND IS INDICATING THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ISSUES WITH THE TIMING CHAINS. I'VE SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND MANY OTHER LAWSUITS WHERE THIS TYPE OF ISSUE HAS BEEN COVERED FROM AUDI.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2011 Audi Q5 has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 141 owner-reported complaints for the 2011 Audi Q5.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2011 Audi Q5.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2011 Audi Q5 are air bags (54 reports), engine (23 reports), fuel/propulsion system (9 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2011 Audi Q5. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.