Home › Audi › SQ5 › 2018

2018 Audi SQ5

Gas Compact SUV

20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
53 / 100
FSafety Signal · 53 / 100
5Recalls · 1 critical
24Complaints · owner reports
—Crash rating · NHTSA overall
21 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: do not drive. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2018 Audi SQ5 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV. The most efficient version, the SQ5, is EPA-rated at 21 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 24 complaints, most often about electrical system.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
SQ5GasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo192421$3,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2018 Audi SQ5 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. Data on this page is never influenced by that.

Recalls (5)

Electrical System

high
288,991 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 21V947000 · reported Dec 8, 2021 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Structure

high
174,278 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Fix: 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.

NHTSA campaign 19V737000 · reported Oct 16, 2019 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Wheels

high
126,161 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.

Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66K6.

NHTSA campaign 19V416000 · reported Jun 5, 2019 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

high
12,645 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.

Risk: A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.

Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.

NHTSA campaign 19V277000 · reported Apr 8, 2019 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

critical
Do not drive10,225 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.

Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.

NHTSA campaign 18V369000 · reported Jun 1, 2018 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

24 complaints filed

1 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 2 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2017: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

  • Electrical System — 8
  • Engine — 6
  • Forward Collision Avoidance — 5
  • Power Train — 4
  • Unknown Or Other — 3
“The car windows were down the windshield wipers were running the front lights were on and parking brake light is flashing. I'm not sure how water was sitting where the spare tire was located. As I researched it stated it may be a faulty comfort module.”Jan 24, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Two issues: 1. Phantom braking, sudden deceleration, vehicle came to a rapid complete stop on road. Audi assist light came on. Road Conditions: clear, dry, very good visibility for night conditions. 2. While driving at highway speed, i.e. 65 MPH, the transmission disengaged temporarily for several seconds and causing t…”Feb 17, 2022 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report
“Twice in the past 5 months my stop/start system has malfunctioned. While rolling to a stop my car had died, reports a malfunction and will only start again after 5-7 attempts. The first time this happened I was at a stop light and could have been hit from the rear. The second time this happened I was stranded in the mi…”Nov 8, 2021 · Unknown Or Other · 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

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Other SQ5 model years

A

2026 SQ5

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2025 SQ5

1 recalls · 7 complaints

A

2024 SQ5

0 recalls · 6 complaints

A

2023 SQ5

0 recalls · 3 complaints

B

2022 SQ5

2 recalls · 4 complaints

D

2021 SQ5

5 recalls · 11 complaints

D

2020 SQ5

4 recalls · 7 complaints

D

2019 SQ5

5 recalls · 19 complaints

A

2017 SQ5

0 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2016 SQ5

0 recalls · 6 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 (ids 38587). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API