Owners have filed 10 complaints
about the 2024 Audi SQ5 with NHTSA between 2024 and 2026.
The largest single group is the driver assist & collision avoidance.
Across this model's run it ranks 3 of 8 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 29
Against the median year of the Audi SQ5. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
20% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2024 Audi SQ5
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
550.0%
Other & Unspecified
220.0%
Suspension
110.0%
Body & Structure
110.0%
Transmission & Drivetrain
110.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Aug 2024peak 3Jul 2026
Complaints that involved harm
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Fairfax, CA2 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving on a freeway, away from any other cars or flying objects, with a large bang, the sunroof exploded. The shade was closed so thankfully no glass entered the car. After getting to the side of the freeway, it was discovered that 1/2 of the sunroof glass was completely shattered and the rest was spiderwebbed. No other object was found in the shade, only small and large pieces of glass.
NHTSA complaint #11640440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hendersonville, NC2 injured
STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear hatch lid has a mechanism that closes the hatch when foot movement is sensed near the rear bumper. Unfortunately, it sometimes detects foot movement when a person is working on baggage in the luggage area. It then sets off an alarm and attempts to close the hatch on the unsuspecting person. The owner’s manual asserts that there is built-in pinch-protection to stop the hatch and avoid injury if an obstruction is detected. It does not work; the hatch closure can’t be stopped with reasonable force. Two injuries have already occurred. The dealer has said that the pinch-protection cannot be improved, nor can the foot-sensor be desensitized.
NHTSA complaint #11630331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Jacksonville, FL
POWER TRAIN
While making a U-turn on a high-speed arterial roadway (Philips Highway) with a child passenger, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete failure of the driver-side rear CV axle/driveshaft assembly. A loud pop occurred followed immediately by total loss of vehicle propulsion, leaving the vehicle stranded across active lanes of traffic and creating an extreme hazard for severe rear-end impact. There were no advance warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the failure occurred. The vehicle was towed directly to an authorized dealership. Under Repair Order #198055, technicians inspected the vehicle, verified the failure, and formally documented "CAUSE: DEFECTIVE LEFT REAR AXLE. (mfg defect)". The dealer replaced the failed rear driveshaft assembly under warranty (80A-501-203-L). The failed component/vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer's authorized dealership service department.
NHTSA complaint #11752851 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jacksonville, FL
SUSPENSION
While making a U-turn on a high-speed arterial roadway (Philips Highway) with a child passenger, the vehicle suffered a sudden, complete failure of the driver-side rear CV axle/driveshaft assembly. A loud pop occurred followed immediately by total loss of vehicle propulsion, leaving the vehicle stranded across active lanes of traffic and creating an extreme hazard for severe rear-end impact. There were no advance warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms before the failure occurred. The vehicle was towed directly to an authorized dealership. Under Repair Order #198055, technicians inspected the vehicle, verified the failure, and formally documented "CAUSE: DEFECTIVE LEFT REAR AXLE. (mfg defect)". The dealer replaced the failed rear driveshaft assembly under warranty (80A-501-203-L). The failed component/vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer's authorized dealership service department.
NHTSA complaint #11752851 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
River Vale, NJ
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The following problem happened 3 times. I was making a right hand turn with plenty of clearance when the car seized. Engine shut down, lights on dash said MALFUNCTION and many other lights lit. Oncoming traffic approached and nearly smashed into my car. This also happened making a left turn at a traffic light after a stop at a red light. The other incident was in bumper to bumper traffic in a rain storm.
NHTSA complaint #11696875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The following problem happened 3 times. I was making a right hand turn with plenty of clearance when the car seized. Engine shut down, lights on dash said MALFUNCTION and many other lights lit. Oncoming traffic approached and nearly smashed into my car. This also happened making a left turn at a traffic light after a stop at a red light. The other incident was in bumper to bumper traffic in a rain storm.
NHTSA complaint #11696875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
River Vale, NJ
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
The following problem happened 3 times. I was making a right hand turn with plenty of clearance when the car seized. Engine shut down, lights on dash said MALFUNCTION and many other lights lit. Oncoming traffic approached and nearly smashed into my car. This also happened making a left turn at a traffic light after a stop at a red light. The other incident was in bumper to bumper traffic in a rain storm.
NHTSA complaint #11696875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Torrington, CT
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have. two 2024 Audi SQ6 Prestige vehicles. This has now happened on both of these vehicles while driving them. The axle will snap while driving causing the vehicle to stop and no longer move forward or back. This is extremely dangerous because it occurs when driving and can lead to an accident because the car just stops. Luckily in both instances I was not on the highway and was on side roads so there was no accident. After this occurred the second time, I discovered this is being reported by Audi owners of Q5 and SQ5 models however Audi claims there is no issue. This occurred on both of my SQ5s, once in April and Once in September. Both vehicles had low mileage, 15,000 and 22,000 respectively.
NHTSA complaint #11685193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fairfax, CA2 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving on a freeway, away from any other cars or flying objects, with a large bang, the sunroof exploded. The shade was closed so thankfully no glass entered the car. After getting to the side of the freeway, it was discovered that 1/2 of the sunroof glass was completely shattered and the rest was spiderwebbed. No other object was found in the shade, only small and large pieces of glass.
NHTSA complaint #11640440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hendersonville, NC2 injured
STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear hatch lid has a mechanism that closes the hatch when foot movement is sensed near the rear bumper. Unfortunately, it sometimes detects foot movement when a person is working on baggage in the luggage area. It then sets off an alarm and attempts to close the hatch on the unsuspecting person. The owner’s manual asserts that there is built-in pinch-protection to stop the hatch and avoid injury if an obstruction is detected. It does not work; the hatch closure can’t be stopped with reasonable force. Two injuries have already occurred. The dealer has said that the pinch-protection cannot be improved, nor can the foot-sensor be desensitized.
NHTSA complaint #11630331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dallas, TX
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AUDI PRESENSE SENSOR IS GOING OFF RANDOMLY WHEN THERE IS NO RISK FOR COLLISION. BRAKES ABRUPTLY, SEATBELT TIGHTENS, CAR TURNS OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. FROM LEASE START WEEK 1TO FEB 2024 How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? IN SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES WE HAVE COME WITHIN INCHES OF GETTING REAR ENDED BY PEOPLE DRIVING BEHIND US AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, AS WELL AS GETTING PUSHED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC RISKING BEING HIT HEAD ON (WHILE WAITING TO TURN LEFT FOR INSTANCE) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM DID NOT REPRODUCE OR CONFIRM AN ISSUE. WE HAVE HAD OUR YOUNG CHILD IN THE CAR WITH US WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS AND HE WENT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WITH US TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS. THIS IS 100% MALFUNCTIONING/ DEFECT/ LIFE SAFETY ISSUE. WE DON'T KNOW WHY THE COMPUTER CAN'T PICK IT UP (IT DOESNT ALWAYS HAPPEN DURING THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES AND CAN BE RANDOM) BUT WE CANT DRIVE CAR AS WE BELIEVE WE WILL EITHER BE KILLED DRIVING IT AND COULD CAUSE FATAL HARM TO OTHERS- CAR AT DEALERSHIP Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? THE DEALERSHIP ONLY TO DATE Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPS SUDDENLY (WITH NO DANGER PRESENT) A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON THE DASHBOARD, ALONG WITH AN ALARM. THE SEATBELT TIGHTENS IN A TERRIBLY AWEFUL WAY, THE CAR BRAKES TO A SCREECHING STOP AND TURNS OFF ALL OF THIS HAPPENS ON ITS OWN AND IT HAS HAPPENED EVEN WHEN WE WERE AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH NO CARS/ NO MOVEMENT AROUND US. WE NEED HELP! THIS PART HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED BY AUDI TO-DATE AND WE KNOW 100% THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE
NHTSA complaint #11607044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AUDI PRESENSE SENSOR IS GOING OFF RANDOMLY WHEN THERE IS NO RISK FOR COLLISION. BRAKES ABRUPTLY, SEATBELT TIGHTENS, CAR TURNS OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. FROM LEASE START WEEK 1TO FEB 2024 How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? IN SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES WE HAVE COME WITHIN INCHES OF GETTING REAR ENDED BY PEOPLE DRIVING BEHIND US AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, AS WELL AS GETTING PUSHED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC RISKING BEING HIT HEAD ON (WHILE WAITING TO TURN LEFT FOR INSTANCE) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM DID NOT REPRODUCE OR CONFIRM AN ISSUE. WE HAVE HAD OUR YOUNG CHILD IN THE CAR WITH US WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS AND HE WENT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WITH US TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS. THIS IS 100% MALFUNCTIONING/ DEFECT/ LIFE SAFETY ISSUE. WE DON'T KNOW WHY THE COMPUTER CAN'T PICK IT UP (IT DOESNT ALWAYS HAPPEN DURING THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES AND CAN BE RANDOM) BUT WE CANT DRIVE CAR AS WE BELIEVE WE WILL EITHER BE KILLED DRIVING IT AND COULD CAUSE FATAL HARM TO OTHERS- CAR AT DEALERSHIP Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? THE DEALERSHIP ONLY TO DATE Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPS SUDDENLY (WITH NO DANGER PRESENT) A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON THE DASHBOARD, ALONG WITH AN ALARM. THE SEATBELT TIGHTENS IN A TERRIBLY AWEFUL WAY, THE CAR BRAKES TO A SCREECHING STOP AND TURNS OFF ALL OF THIS HAPPENS ON ITS OWN AND IT HAS HAPPENED EVEN WHEN WE WERE AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH NO CARS/ NO MOVEMENT AROUND US. WE NEED HELP! THIS PART HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED BY AUDI TO-DATE AND WE KNOW 100% THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE
NHTSA complaint #11607044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.