Audi

Audi Q5 years to avoid

Years to avoid: 2018, 2021 and 2023. Best years: 2017, 2020 and 2022.

The 2018, 2021 and 2023 Audi Q5 draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2018 has 205 complaints (23 for each year on the road), 2021 has 74 complaints (12 for each year on the road) and 2023 has 43 complaints (11 for each year on the road), against a median of 7 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2018 is stalling (25 reports).

205complaints
6recall campaigns
1model years with a page

Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

Pick your model year

2018205

Owner complaints on file for each year.

Years to avoid

2018
205 complaints·23 a year·6 recalls
Most reported: stalling (25 reports, median 47,000 miles) and suspension (24 reports, median 55,000 miles).
2021
74 complaints·12 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2023
43 complaints·11 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.

Best years

2017
42 complaints·4 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2020
25 complaints·4 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2022
22 complaints·4 a year
Too few complaints for a page of its own.

Complaints for each year on the road

Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025.

Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.

Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong

At a glance

Where the complaints sit: The 2018 has the most complaints of any Audi Q5 year here: 205 of 205 (100%).
Problem across the years: Stalling is the top problem in every model year with a page, 25 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 14 owners who gave a mileage for stalling were under about 47,000 miles.
Crash, fire and injury reports: 5% of Audi Q5 complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Recalls on the top problem: None of the 1 model years where owners report stalling has a recall on the same system.
When owners filed: Filings peaked in 2023 at 45 and have dropped every year since, to 29 in 2025. So far in 2026, 20 more have come in.

Photo: OWS Photography, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Second generation

Year	Complaints	A year	Recalls	Most reported	Median miles
2018 avoid	205	23	6	Engine stalls or loses power while driving (25)	40,000

Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2014 (95), 2015 (98), 2016 (77), 2017 (42), 2019 (52), 2020 (25), 2021 (74), 2022 (22), 2023 (43), 2024 (20), 2025 (42).

Year by year

2018 Audi Q5 avoid

205 owner complaints, 23 for each year on the road (3.3 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (25 reports, median 47,000 miles), suspension (24 reports, median 55,000 miles) and water leak (23 reports). 10 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 18V-369 on the brakes (do not drive) and 21V-947 on the electrical system.

Questions

What Audi Q5 years should you avoid?

What are the best years for the Audi Q5?

The 2017, 2020 and 2022 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2017 has 42 (4 a year), 2020 has 25 (4 a year) and 2022 has 22 (4 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.

What is the most common problem on the Audi Q5?

Stalling, with 25 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2018.

How many recalls does the Audi Q5 have?

6 recall campaigns cover the Audi Q5 model years 2018 on this site.

How many Audi Q5 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?

5% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.

Is there a recall for stalling on the Audi Q5?

No. None of the 1 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.