⌘K
Home›Audi›Q5›2016
Audi · Compact SUV

2016 Audi Q5

HybridGasDiesel
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls4 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA77
Crash ratingNHTSA overall4★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA26 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Audi Q5 is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid, gas and diesel compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Q5 Hybrid, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 4 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 77 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Q5 HybridHybridAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 266V Li-Ion243026$3,000
Q5GasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo202722$3,500
Q5GasAWD3.0L 6-cyl182621$3,700
Q5DieselAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo233026$3,450

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36424, 36421, 36422, 36420.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Audi Q5 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

19N3/19N4
342,867 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.RiskA blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.
NHTSA campaign 18V229000reported Apr 11, 2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Electrical System

80C5/80C6
216,913 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.RiskThe melted wires can increase the risk of a fire.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6.
NHTSA campaign 17V622000reported Oct 5, 2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

20Z8
240,487 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Audi Q5 and 2013-2017 Audi Q7 vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.RiskA fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange if cracks are present. Flanges that do not have cracks will have a protective film applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Z8. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-660.
NHTSA campaign 17V298000reported May 3, 2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Visibility

69P1
234,057 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.RiskAn inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.
NHTSA campaign 17V001000reported Jan 3, 2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

19M1
342,867 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.RiskIf the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.
NHTSA campaign 17V002000reported Jan 3, 2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
77complaints filed

9 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 7 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2015: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2023: 15 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 7

Most-cited components

Engine26
Unspecified11
Electrical System10
Steering10
Fuel/Propulsion System9
Engine And Engine Cooling8

What owners describe

“SUV has major blind spot on side view mirrors. Also, consume excessive amounts of engine oil. Audi needs to include the Q5 2016 year in a class action lawsuit. OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!”Aug 27, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Engine shuts off while driving at highway speeds. No engine warning light comes on, just complete lack of power. Need to pull off, put car in park and restart. Happens more often in colder weather, but is very sporadic. Audi said it was fuel issue. It is not. Jundreds of gas fill-ups with all different brands. This has…”Aug 17, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was started, there was a loud whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the breather valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not rep…”May 22, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Q5 model years

A

2026 Audi Q5

0 recalls · 3 complaints

A

2025 Audi Q5

1 recalls · 41 complaints

F

2024 Audi Q5

4 recalls · 20 complaints

F

2023 Audi Q5

6 recalls · 49 complaints

F

2022 Audi Q5

8 recalls · 45 complaints

F

2021 Audi Q5

8 recalls · 71 complaints

F

2020 Audi Q5

6 recalls · 25 complaints

D

2019 Audi Q5

5 recalls · 50 complaints

F

2018 Audi Q5

6 recalls · 201 complaints

F

2017 Audi Q5

5 recalls · 42 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API