2020 Audi Q5: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2020 Audi Q5
On the 2020 Audi Q5, the failure owners report most often is other electrical problem, with 5 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 200 miles. Overall it scores 75 out of 100, severe risk for a 2020.
Severe risk for a 2020 — 131st riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. 37 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 16 named failure modes on the 2020 Audi Q5, and the three most-reported carry 32% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other electrical problem leads with 5 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other driver assistance problem follows with 4 reports, median 5,000 miles.
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure follows with 3 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into electrical (12), adas (6) and brakes (4).
At what mileage it happens
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 7 of them do. The mileages quoted elsewhere on this page come from the modes that have enough of them.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 16. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 4 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.43, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other electrical problem at $250–$2,000, other driver assistance problem at $250–$1,800, control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure at $700–$3,000 and ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure at $250–$1,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
11% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 5 | 2 | — | 1k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 4 | 1 | — | 5k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | — | 0.1 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Engine bay fire | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $4,000–$20,000 | Critical |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 88k | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 150 | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 150 | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2020 Audi Q5 draws about 1.1 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 74th percentile of complaint rates among 2020 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 34,855 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2020 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2020 model year
NHTSA has issued 6 recall campaigns covering the 2020 Audi Q5, affecting an estimated 70,051 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover electrical system:propulsion system:charging:cable/cord:onbo, suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly and electrical system:body control module/bcm. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:CHARGING:CABLE/CORD:ONBOARD
93,196 vehicles 2023-12-13- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 Audi A8, 2019-2024 e-tron Quattro, 2020-2024 e-tron Sportback Quattro, Q5, and 2021-2022 A7 vehicles. When using the industrial 220V/240V plug at the 100% charge setting, some home power outlets may be incapable of handling the electrical current required to utilize the compact charging system, causing the outlet or charging cable to overheat.
- Consequence
- An overheated outlet or charging cable can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to use the 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable and only use the 110V home charging cable or public charging stations. Dealers will supply a new 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable with an incorporated temperature sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2024. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's numbers for this recall are 93U6 and 93U8.
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
31,058 vehicles 2022-01-26- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
- Consequence
- Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM
288,991 vehicles 2021-12-08- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.
- Consequence
- A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
40,993 vehicles 2021-04-26- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
- Consequence
- A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
SEATS
5,376 vehicles 2020-08-26- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
- Consequence
- In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
STRUCTURE:BODY
174,278 vehicles 2019-10-16- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. The rear wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach from the vehicle.
- Consequence
- The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four clips securing the forward part of the rear wheel arch trim, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 66K8.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2020 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2020 sits in the model line
Severe risk for a 2020 — 131st riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 17 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2024 comes out best at 60 and 2018 worst at 77, with 2020 itself at 75.
If the model year is negotiable, 2024, 2009, 2022, 2011, 2014, 2012 and 2015 score lower than 2020 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2018–2026 generation specifically, 2024 is the strongest year at 60 and 2018 the weakest at 77.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2018-2026 generation, 2024 Audi Q5 scores best at 60 and 2018 Audi Q5 worst at 77.
What this page cannot tell you
37 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 37 reports, 7 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 19% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Audi Q5?
The most-reported failures are other electrical problem (5 reports, median 1,200 miles), other driver assistance problem (4 reports, median 5,000 miles) and control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure (3 reports). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2020 Audi Q5 reliable?
It scores 75 out of 100 on our risk index, which is severe — 131st riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2020 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Audi Q5 is best?
Within the 2018–2026 generation, 2024 scores best at 60 out of 100 and 2018 worst at 77. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed