25 of the
107 complaints filed about the Audi Q5 E
are about the electrical system —
23% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2024.
While driving at about 60 mph on highway, several systems in the car failed without prior warning. The message on dashboard said Catastrophic Electric System Failure. Brakes would not work for a moment and then started working. All windows came down and went up on their own. No lights were working. No blinkers or side lights were working. With a lot of difficulty and hand signals moved to the hard shoulder. The engine would not turn off for several minutes and turned off after multiple attempts. Audi tested the vehicle and found multiple DTC's in various modules - all sporadic and happened at the same time. Audi did software update and is waiting for another software update to be approved by EPA. The Director of Service at Audi thinks the failure may be also due to a problem with hardware/battery. He said he does not trust the vehicle in its current state and the vehicle is presently grounded at the dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11757908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While normal driving the screen infotainment system or MMI turns off and takes a few minutes to come back up. When it comes back up it does not remember the user and asks for a PIN code. This is very disruptive as it happens while driving and is not safe to drive while it is rebooting It also happens randomly and there is no pattern to it , can happen once or twice or not happen for a given drive period
NHTSA complaint #11734714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Audi Q5 E. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V080000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, parts were not yet available. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the same local dealer for an unknown warning message and an unknown warning light; however, the failure codes were cleared due to no failures being identified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
NHTSA complaint #11700392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In July 2025, I received Recall 93AA (24V988 / 25V080) regarding a defect in the high-voltage battery of my 2024 Audi Q5 Hybrid. The recall states there is a risk of thermal overload and possible fire. I brought the car to the authorized dealer on August 13, 2025, where my service advisor confirmed there was no available repair. I called again on October 14, 2025, and was told there is still no remedy. Audi’s instructions prohibit charging the vehicle until the recall is resolved, which completely disables the hybrid system. This has made the car partially unusable and unsafe to operate as intended. It has been over three months since the recall notice, and no timeline for a fix has been provided by either Audi Corporate or the dealer. The defect has been acknowledged by Audi but remains unresolved, representing an unreasonable delay in remedy for a safety-related issue.
NHTSA complaint #11694401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Recall for battery potentially causing fires issued in July 2025 (25V080) and September 2025 (24V898 / 25V080) have not been resolved. No fix is currently available and no availability estimate has been provided. This delay and lack of fix availability are unacceptable. Furthermore, ability to use battery charger in July 2025 per manufacturer's recall letter has now been changed in the September 2025 recall letter to instruct owners not to charge the vehicle from external sources.
NHTSA complaint #11690093 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Audi Q5E. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V080000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint #11689859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is an active recall. I went to the dealer to have it resolved. I was told there is no fix and not sure when there will be a resolution. That is unacceptable in my opinion. Especially when it pertains to the battery and there is a heightened risk for fire. I am reliant on having a vehicle to get to work. This concerns me deeply and should be fixed or considered a lemon based on no resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11678752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car stops and does not allow for proper function to perform of gas or brake. Car has to be turned off and restarted. This is a safety and security concern on all roads. Car has stopped in intersection and would not drive. Therefore turning car off and restarting in live movement on street. Electrical issues as it is a hybrid but does not charge. Car will perform the opposite of requested tasks brake, suspension and electrical all have issues. Issues have been presented at service department of Audi problems still persist.
NHTSA complaint #11644207 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Audi Q5E. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V898000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11640786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
An Electrical Malfunction has caused several safety issues causing the car engine to idle and have "drive system malfunction" The warning system being displays on the dashboard has show not only cooling issues but issues relating to the brakes and overall engine making the car unsafe to drive. The Audi Pre-sense system engages the brakes while driving a varies fast speeds usually while on the highway.
NHTSA complaint #11639522 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ecu Malfunction leading to Cooling system malfunction The car after idling more than 30 min with the A/C off has a "drive system malfunction". The warning displays on the dash and the engine runs violently rough until the car shuts itself off. The Audi has done this several times, though not while driving. This problem creates a lot of heat in the engine bay and has led to a problem in my cooling system pipes, causing multiple points of piping to burst. The coolant expansion tank also warped and leaks, as well as the upper radiator hose. The problem with safety is the car will spray coolant onto the wheel well making the brakes less effective. This problem, which seemed to arise from the car ecu overheating during idle, could cause an undesirable effect while driving, potentially leading to an accident. The other issue is that the car is overheating due to a compromised cooling system that leaks coolant fluid. This may damage the engine and other engine bay components. The warning sign and first instance i can recall the "drive system malfunction" happening was in February of last year, a month after purchase. The cooling system started leaking profusely 4 months after the first "drive system malfunction".
NHTSA complaint #11639342 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission malfunction while driving on a highway, car towed to dealer. They found codes P074700, P077700, P17F900 (TSB 2064312/6). Replaced mechatronic unit.
NHTSA complaint #11630184 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I want to report a very serious problem I had yesterday with my Audi Q5e 2024 with 5,000 miles as I’m coming home on the freeway during rush hour my car started slowing down and then came to a dead stop in the middle of the freeway not to mention the car was frozen and would not move I’m scared to drive this car at this point and lucky I was not hit from behind and killed, the vehicle had to be flat bed towed to Fletcher Jones Audi Costa Mesa after sitting on the freeway scared to death waiting for a tow truck. This must to corrected by Audi as I have never had a vehicle lock up and will not move all by its self.
NHTSA complaint #11620332 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jul 9 2024. Plug-in hybrid battery fire. Car plugged in at 11:10am with an empty battery. At 1:45pm we noticed white smoke emitting from the battery, (rear left near charge port). Immediately unplugged. Fire Department on scene, car pushed to street. Disconnected battery, observed heat and some black residue in the battery compartment, FD deemed it no longer an immediate threat, so they departed. At 3:02pm the battery ignited and quickly developed into fully involved car fire. FD returned at 3:08pm and extinguished the fire by 3:09. Filed an insurance claim. Total loss. AudiUSA has not answered phone calls, emails, messages. They assigned a rep to the incident but he has never made any contact, despite my attempts to reach him.
NHTSA complaint #11617901 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
* Electrical Harness. Yes - it should be available for inspection upon request * Driving 70-75 mph on [XXX] , when the car came to an abrupt de-acceleration. Alerts flashed on the dash "electrical system malfunction" and "drive system malfunction". Lost all power to the vehicle. Managed to drift across the highway to an exit ramp. Two 18 wheel transport trucks narrowly missed colliding with my vehicle. *Problem has been confirmed by the dealer. Part has to be manufactured for replacement. Not readily available. *No - the part has not been inspected other than at the dealership in N.C. *No - there were absolutely NO warning lights, alarms, messages or symptoms prior to this incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11605760 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Audi Q5 E. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V842000 (Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where is diagnosed that the software needed to be updated and the charging cable needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the software was updated but the charging cable was not replaced. The contact called the dealer, and it was stated that the dealer had given the replacement cable to another customer. The dealer stated that a replacement charging cable would be mailed to the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11583274 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Complete failure of the car to start or turn on. This occurred once in 2021 and a second time in 2023. Taken to dealership. Diagnosed with a computer problem. Fixed by dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11560541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Charging socket lock errors out. Disables charging and inhibits the vehicle’s electric drivability. The vehicle displays the following error: Could not execute action. Locking error in charging system.
NHTSA complaint #11519000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q5 E. The contact stated that when she purchased the vehicle the MMI (Multimedia Interface) system failed to load correctly. The contact stated that the dealer informed her that the system would upload later as the system was not communicating with Audi corporate and she would be able to finish the programming later. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken back to the dealer as messages that the navigation system was not loaded, the driver assistance was inoperable, the fuel gauge display was incorrect, and the Lane Assist feature had failed. The contact stated that she had experienced the failure for the past year. The contact stated she received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V742000 (Back Over Prevention) several months ago and the dealer informed the state DMV that they were unable to repair the recall at the time. The contact stated that she had been communicating with the director at her state DMV as she was unable to have the dealer repair the vehicle. The contact stated that a case was not opened with her state DMV. The contact stated that the manufacturer and dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 10.
NHTSA complaint #11503423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.