There are 5 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2012 Audi Q5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE HOUSING FOR THE SUNROOF CRACKED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND WATER IS RUNNING DOWN THE HEADLINER AND A-PILLAR AND SOAKING THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR AS IT DRAINS DOWN. AUDI QUOTED $3500 TO FIX THE ISSUE.
THE DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR HAS A VERY LARGE HOUSING AND CAUSES A BLIND SPOT JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I HAVE HAD 2 NEAR MISSES, ONE WITH ALMOST HITTING A CAR AND ONE WITH ALMOST HITTING A PEDESTRIAN. THEY WERE IN THE BLIND SPOT WHEN I BEGAN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, FROM A STOP, AND DID NOT SEE THEM. I WAS ON A CITY STREET, STOPPED AND THEN BEGAN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON BOTH OCCASIONS.
THE REAR VIEW MIRROR FELL OFF. A SMALL CLIP THAT HOLDS IT ON WAS BROKEN SIMPLY ADJUSTING THE MIRROR. I WAS SITTING AT A RED LIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED. THE MIRROR WAS PUT BACK ON BUT IF I TOUCH IT OR ADJUST IT WILL FALL OFF.
WIPERS STOP- THE WIPERS HAVE "OFF", "INTERMITTENT", SLOW, FAST. WHEN THE WIPERS ARE IN "SLOW" AND THE CAR COMES TO A STOP (SUCH AS A RED LIGHT, STOP SIGN, PEDESTRIAN, TURNING ACROSS TRAFFIC) THE WIPERS STOP! WHILE THE CAR IS STOPPED THEY MAY START IN 5 SEC, 10 SEC , 20 SEC (BASED ON RAIN SENSOR?) OR WHEN YOU START MOVING & REACH 2-3 MILES PER HOUR (HOW DO YOU START MOVING WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE?). IF YOU NEED TO MOVE & THEY HAVE NOT STARTED TO WIPE, YOU MUST MOVE THE LEVER SO YOU CAN SEE TO START MOVING. IF YOU LEAVE THEM IN THE FAST SPEED (TOO FAST FOR MOST OF THE TIME), THEY WILL SLOW BUT NOT STOP WHEN THE CAR STOPS. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER & SPOKEN WITH AUDI CUSTOMER SERVICE & THEY SAY THEY ARE WORKING "AS DESIGNED"! WHO DESIGNS WIPERS TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET DURING THE RAIN?! *TR UPDATED 06/25/2012*JS
THE REAR VIEW MIRROR HEIGHT IS STATIONARY AND NOT ADJUSTABLE. FOR MANY(?) PERSONS, WHEN LOOKING AND OR TURNING TO THE RIGHT APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF THE FIELD OF VISION IS BLOCKED, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ROAD, POSSIBLE PEDESTRIANS, OBJECTS, VEHICLES ETC. ALSO, THE POSITION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH BEHIND THE LOWER LEFT OF THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES OPERATION DIFFICULT, POSSIBLY CAUSING DISTRACTED DRIVING, SINCE IT HAS TO BE OPERATED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *TR
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