254 of the 1,860 complaints filed about the Audi Q5 are about the airbag system — 14% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2012.
254
Complaints
14%
Share of all complaints
18
Crashes
0
Fires
AIR BAGS
Seat occupancy sensor, it's associated with code "B12251B".
NHTSA complaint #11746962 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The airbag light and the driving assistance warning lights appeared on the dashboard randomly one day. I took the vehicle to the dealership (Audi of Columbia), where they kept it for a week and said the software needed to be updated. They updated it multiple times, but the car would not complete the update until the last attempt. When I picked up the car, they reported that several other 2025 Q5 (new model) vehicles were being brought in for the same issue. When I picked up the car, there were no warning lights on the dashboard. Approximately 1-2 weeks later, the same warning lights appeared on the dashboard again. I brought it to the dealership again, where they recalibrated the systems, disconnected the battery, and then cleared the fault code. That cleared the warning lights, and they planned to drop off my vehicle the next business day. While they were driving to drop off the vehicle, the warning lights came back on, so they returned it to the dealership. They have replaced the airbag control module without resolution. They have been working on my vehicle for >1 month to resolve the airbag issue.
NHTSA complaint #11740423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Unknown
NHTSA complaint #11737442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
There appears to be a software problem with the car. On the display, there are malfunction messages about the airbags and safety features.
NHTSA complaint #11725961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The Seat Occupancy Detection System is malfunctioning. The passenger airbag warning light activates when a passenger occupies the passenger seat and the passenger overhead reading light remains on when the seat is occupied including overnight. These are established symptoms of Seat Occupancy Detection System failure. The manufacturer issued a warranty extension specifically covering this defect for 10 years and unlimited miles. When the vehicle was presented at an authorized dealer for diagnosis and repair under the warranty extension, the service advisor deliberately omitted the airbag warning light symptom from the repair order and inserted pre-emptive warranty denial language before any diagnosis was performed. The airbag system malfunction remains unrepaired despite an active manufacturer warranty extension covering this exact defect. The dealer’s failure to properly document and address an airbag warning light constitutes a safety concern that NHTSA should investigate.
NHTSA complaint #11725152 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The air bag keeps showing it's not working and that's it's turned off, there's a driving system malfunction, and warning lamp flashing emissions-related fault malfunction are not working. It is a brand-new car and after 2 months, all the malfunction lights keep showing so we went to the Audi dealership and they said they have ordered the parts from Germany, but it has almost been 2 months, and they still don't know when it will arrive.
NHTSA complaint #11720316 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Car displayed a warning sign that safety system malfunctioned. Airbag indicator showed “passenger airbag off”. This error occurred sporadically and for a limited amount of time. It also kept sensing that passenger seat was occupied when it wasn’t. From what I understand , the issue is related to passenger side PODS sensor.
NHTSA complaint #11692617 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
On Tuesday, September 2nd, I was in a car accident on the freeway. A car jump out in front of me and did not go quickly enough, I hit my breaks, but still hit them going around 55-60 MPH. When the impact occurred, my car turned itself off and I saw smoke coming out of the dash / center area of the car. I was able to start my car and get it off of the freeway safely. My airbag did not deploy, and it appeared the charge went off. The airbag light is now illuminated on the dash. There are no open recalls on my car, and I am truly concerned there is an issue with the airbags and do not want anyone else to get hurt if their airbags do not go off. I spoke with the local dealership on Friday, and they recommended that I reach out directly to Audi. I contacted Audi, answered all of their questions, sent photos and the police report. This is the response I received from them today, 9/22: "Our engineer has completed the review of all the documentation you provided. Here is his assessment: Damage to this vehicle is to sheet metal and composite material components of the hood, fender, headlight, bumper cover, and radiator core support. The impact is offset to the right, outside the bumper reinforcement system with no apparent damage or longitudinal compression of the bumper deformation elements or frame long members. The progressive deformation of the components listed above absorbs crash energy over a longer period of time, lowering the vehicles rate of deceleration below the threshold criteria for airbag deployment. This vehicle performed as designed." I do not believe this is accurate because there was smoke inside the car, and now the airbag light is illuminated.
NHTSA complaint #11689048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Safety System Malfunction message appears on dash. Passenger side air bag goes on and off while driving. Whole system chimes and random messages flashing on screen constantly. At times system doesn’t recognize that I have my drivers side seatbelt buckled. So system keeps chiming cars Stanton. Random messages flash on dash. Traffic jam assist (3 cars symbol) unavailable and image flash on dash and does another chime. Vehicle has given random warning beeps when reversing 2 times since these issues started and has done automatic breaking both times as I was trying to reverse. Issues happen randomly and started about 300 miles ago (2 weeks or so) seem to be getting more frequent in past few days. I was trying to check today for open recall and was surprised to not have any for this issue / vehicle. I have not yet called the dealership but plan on doing so this week. This “Safety System Malfunction” and all the chimes, flashes, beeps, screen messages and the automatic vehicle responses is VERY dangerous!!
NHTSA complaint #11686158 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Subject: Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) – Airbag Safety Concern Description of the Problem: The Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) in my 2019 Audi Q5 is malfunctioning. The system intermittently fails to recognize when a passenger is present, or it falsely indicates that a passenger is present when the seat is empty. This creates uncertainty about whether the passenger airbag will deploy correctly in the event of a collision. The issue has occurred multiple times. Safety Concern: Because the PODS system directly controls passenger airbag deployment, a malfunction could result in the airbag being disabled when an adult passenger is seated, or unintentionally activated when no one is present. This poses a significant safety risk. Request: I am reporting this issue as it appears to be a defect in the occupant detection system. Other Audi models from nearby years have had recalls related to PODS malfunctions. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether this defect extends to the 2019 Audi Q5 and to consider issuing a recall if warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11682865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the warning light was intermittently illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
NHTSA complaint #11672383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
We have a leased 2023 Audi Q5 that has been to the Audi Service Department twice so far to determine the source of the problem with our SOS sensor, which turns on randomly and now stays on and won't turn off. The first time, on April 23rd, Audi Service did not address the issue because they forgot to. The second time, on April 29th, the Audi Service rep, Kyle Blomberg, reported that the SOS sensor issue may be fixed with a software update coming out later this year. He will speak with the service foreman today for more information. This is a safety issue if the car is ever in an accident, as we are not sure if the airbags will deploy, whether the seat belt tension will be activated, or whether the eCall system will automatically contact emergency services. It's unacceptable for Audi not to deploy an update more expeditiously, as waiting nearly seven months is entirely ludicrous. Please investigate this further.
NHTSA complaint #11657795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Vehicle: 2016 Audi Q5 2.0 Premium Plus Date of Incident: March 31, 2025 I was in a front-end collision at approximately 20–25 mph when I struck a concrete pole. The impact was hard enough to severely damage the vehicle—the pole intruded deep into the engine bay, fluids leaked, and the front end was totaled. Despite this, none of the airbags deployed. As a result, I sustained multiple injuries: Severe bruising across my chest and stomach from the seatbelt A head injury and forehead swelling from hitting the steering wheel Persistent pain in my neck, chest, and abdominal area since the accident I have photo evidence of the injuries and damage, and family members who witnessed my condition via FaceTime shortly after the crash. I have checked both the NHTSA and Audi recall databases using my VIN, and there are no open recalls listed for this vehicle. I was never notified of any safety concerns or service requirements regarding the airbags. This is extremely concerning and I believe the airbag system may have failed in a situation where it was clearly needed. Please investigate this issue, as it poses a serious risk to driver safety.
NHTSA complaint #11655859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I have owned the car for 2 years, purchased a 2018 Q5 from an Audi dealer. Within the first year, my thermostat failed causing the car to lose power and turn off while driving with my newborn baby. I also received the passenger airbag alert daily, which I did see there was a recall for this prior to buying the car. I also received the “add a quart of oil” message about 3 months after an oil change. I would like this car to be reviewed for excessive oil consumption. At the times of these messages no oil leak was found. Now, my car went in for an oil change and an oil and transmission oil leak has been found. Within 2 years of owning a car that has had regular maintenance, I have spent over $6,000 on service and repairs, which is unusual. I need help.
NHTSA complaint #11648525 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
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].
NHTSA complaint #11595018 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
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.
NHTSA complaint #11592191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I had an accident on 4/15/2024. I blacked out and ran into an oak tree but none of my airbags deployed.
NHTSA complaint #11586039 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
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.
NHTSA complaint #11580693 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I am writing to file a complaint against Audi of America. My new vehicle, a 2023 Audi Q5 that I was involved in a minor car accident on [XXX]. That evening my car was side swiped during a merge after a toll both in Woodbridge, NJ off. Both vehicles were moving at relatively low speeds (30-35 mph). The damage to my car occurred on the passenger side panel and multiple air bags deployed including all 4 curtains as well as the passenger side seat air bag (though I did not have a passenger in the car with me). My car was towed to a local lot and has been with an auto body shop since [XXX]. Though all repairs were completed by mid-January, the car has been untouched since then due to the lack of availability of one part - the right front seat air bag. Part# 80A880242G which has been on order since Dec. 14th. So far, Audi has repeatedly claimed that the part ETA is unknown. My research online through Audi and car forums has shown that many other Audi drivers who have been in accidents are in the same predicament because the side air bag is deploying even when unnecessary creating a parts shortage with no solution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11574097 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
This is in line with the 2023 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX] with only 4k miles on the odometer), which has several system malfunctioning errors that populate periodically. The same error occurred while running on the first day I collected this Audi Q5 from Audi Dallas showroom on [XXX]. This error was permanent and appeared every time i started the vehicle. As suggested by the Audi Dallas service department, I returned the car for review on the same day i bought it. After nearly two weeks, the car was returned to me, and it was highlighted that there could be a glitch in the software. So that the reset will sort out the issue. However, on [XXX] ( 5350 miles on the odometer), the same error populated and persisted. I arranged a drop-off with Audi Dallas at around 2 pm, [XXX], and the car was fixed and returned after two weeks. On [XXX], the same warning error for airbags appeared for the third time in 2 months (Odometer reading 6245 miles) and I am still waiting for a response from Audi. I am a bit concerned about this, as it could be a physical issue than a software issue. Audi Dallas Person in charge : Ricardo Viveros, Mob 214-561-1824 , Email: rviveros@audidallas.com Regards [XXX] Mob [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11568650 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.