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2019 Audi SQ5

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
D
Safety Signal
60 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA19
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA21 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2019 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, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 19 complaints, most often about the service brakes.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
SQ5GasAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo192421$3,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 41043.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2019 Audi SQ5 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Electrical System

90S9
288,991 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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 21V947000reported Dec 8, 2021Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Structure

66K8
174,278 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskThe detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.FixAudi 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 19V737000reported Oct 16, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Electrical System

90N1
28 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. In the event of a crash deploying the passenger's frontal air bag, the instrument panel carrier may break due to incorrect welding. If the carrier breaks, there may be damage to the passenger frontal air bag.RiskA damaged frontal air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of an injury.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel and the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began August 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90N1.
NHTSA campaign 19V473000reported Jun 19, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Wheels

66K6/66K7
126,161 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.RiskThe detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.FixVolkswagen 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 19V416000reported Jun 5, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

47O9
12,645 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.RiskA 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.FixAudi 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 19V277000reported Apr 8, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
19complaints filed

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

Filed per year: 2019: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Service Brakes4
Engine4
Electrical System3
Exterior Lighting3
Structure2
Air Bags2

What owners describe

“Piston skirt extended warranty calls for replacement of the pistons. This does NOT fix the issue if the vehicle was driven long term with damaged pistons. In my case the vehicle started knocking 1000 miles after replacement. Unsafe to drive and I now how to pay for a new engine on my own.”Sep 7, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“There’s a knocking noise coming from the engine that could lead to potential engine failure. There is a known manufacturers defect in these engines. Audi has extended a warranty, but not all cars are eligible. This should be a recall because if the engine fails on a high speed through a highway, it could be a highly …”Jan 15, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Piston skirt recall and warranty. Bulletin number AWA-25-08. Needs investigated. Based off average Audi owner statistics along with NHTSA statistics, when this bulletin was released in August of 2025, over 60% of vehicles with this 3.0T engine code EA839 would be disqualified from repairs for under 80,000 miles.”Dec 17, 2025 · 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 AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆16%

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

Other SQ5 model years

A

2026 Audi SQ5

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2025 Audi SQ5

1 recalls · 7 complaints

A

2024 Audi SQ5

0 recalls · 6 complaints

A

2023 Audi SQ5

0 recalls · 3 complaints

B

2022 Audi SQ5

2 recalls · 4 complaints

D

2021 Audi SQ5

5 recalls · 11 complaints

D

2020 Audi SQ5

4 recalls · 7 complaints

F

2018 Audi SQ5

5 recalls · 24 complaints

A

2017 Audi SQ5

0 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2016 Audi 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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