2009 Audi Q5
The Verdict
The 2009 Audi Q5 has 31 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (16 complaints) and engine (9 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 93/100, it earns a "Smooth Ride" rating. If you're shopping for a Audi Q5, consider the 2012 model year which has 87% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2012 has 87% fewer complaints
View the 2012 Audi Q5 dashboard →
Klunk Score: Smooth Ride
This vehicle year has significantly fewer complaints than average. A reliable choice.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 2
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 Q5 PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2008 AND JUNE 4, 2009. A LEFT AND/OR RIGHT A-PILLAR TRIM COVER CLIP MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MANUFA...
Risk
IF THIS HAPPENS, A LOOSE TRIM PIECE COULD INJURE THE FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy
VOLKSWAGEN WILL INSPECT THE CLIP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT A-PILLAR COVERS AND REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-2...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 20...
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious inj...
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send...
Reported Oct 2, 2016
Get notified if a recall hits this car.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
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Worst Problems
Complaints
I am reporting a potentially serious safety defect involving the rear subframe/crossmember of my 2009 Audi Q5. I discovered significant corrosion on the vehicle's rear subframe, which is a structural component supporting the rear suspension and rear axle assembly. The corrosion is substantially more than normal superficial surface rust. There is visible rust scaling and loss of material in areas of the rear subframe. The affected area was partially concealed by the factory-installed plastic stone guards/shields. Because these plastic covers obscure the subframe, the extent of the corrosion is difficult to identify during a normal visual inspection unless the covers are removed. I am concerned that continued corrosion could reduce the structural integrity of the rear subframe and potentially compromise the mounting points for the rear suspension or rear axle components. A structural failure of the rear subframe could result in unexpected changes in wheel alignment, suspension movement, loss of vehicle control, or other serious safety consequences. This issue is particularly concerning because the corrosion can develop underneath the plastic protective covers and may not be visible to the vehicle owner during normal operation. Safety Concern The rear subframe is not merely a cosmetic body panel. It is a structural component associated with the rear suspension and axle assembly. If corrosion continues to remove structural material, a suspension mounting point or section of the subframe could potentially weaken or fail under normal driving loads. A failure while the vehicle is being driven, particularly at highway speed, could potentially result in loss of vehicle control. There were no dashboard warning lights or electronic warnings indicating this condition. The problem was discovered through physical inspection of the underside of the vehicle. Possible Design/Corrosion Mechanism The factory-installed plastic stone guards appear to cover portions of the rea
Cybex Sirona S is marketed as a 360 car seat that rotates and swivels, but when in forward-facing mode for functionality it does not tether. The guidance is to use the load leg to keep the swivel and rotation but then not use the tether. The tether strap is critical for safety and part of CPST guidance. People purchasing this seat are being made to compromise safety for functionality.
I was in an accident where I hit a herd of elk. My car was totaled. The airbags did not deploy and they definitely should have. It was hit on the front, and both front sides. There is no way the airbags shouldn’t have deployed.
The contact owns a 2009 Audi Q5. The contact stated that the vehicle was smoking. There was antifreeze and oil leaking from the vehicle. While driving, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal became stuck, and the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal oil burning odor, fuel, and antifreeze. The vehicle was also consuming an excessive amount of fuel. The gear shifter button was also stuck. The gear box malfunctioned, and a message to restart vehicle was displayed. Additionally, the tailgate seized while going up and down. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where additional oil was added several days. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer where the antifreeze was changed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
I got in my car at about 6pm on Saturday May 28, 2022. Started it up and proceeded to start opening the sunroof when I noticed it was cracked. I was thinking some kids had hit it with a ball until I traced the spiderwebbing right back to to the center of the panoramic sunroof. You could wind noise really bad when driving.
Front left door pillar is becoming soaked from an apparent water leak possibly coming from the panoramic sunroof or windshield. Regardless it has to be running into the pillar airbag and has to be a safety concern.
FUEL LEAKING FROM FUEL PUMP UNDER PASSENGER 'S SEAT AFRAID TO DRIVER IT BECAUSE AS LONG AS THE ENGINE IS RUNNING THE FUEL CONTINUE TOO LEAK WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR STATIONARY!!
FUEL LEAKING ON RIGHT SIDE JUST UNDER THE PASSENGER'S SEAT ON GROUND WHEN CAR IS RUNNING
RIGHT SIDE PASSENGER TRIM FOR AIRBAG IS LOOSE AND HAS BEEN DETECTED IN OTHER CASES TO HAVE POSSIBILITY OF BEING INEFFECTIVE IN DEPLOYING.
ON 7/02/09 MY AUDI Q5 (VIN# [XXX]) WAS PURCHASED FROM, AND SERVICED BY BARRIER AUDI BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON; NOW DOING BUSINESS AS AUDI BELLEVUE A DEALERSHIP OWNED AND OPERATED BY AUTO NATION. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS [TSB] WERE SENT TO SOME AUDI OWNERS ON 12/6/2013 CONCERNING REPAIR AND CLEANING OF THE SECONDARY AIR CONTROL VALVE WITH A WARRANTY EXTENDING THROUGH 07/02/2019. THIS PROBLEM WAS INITIALLY CORRECTED ON 12/27/2013 @44,445 MILES, MY LAST SERVICE WITH BARRIER WAS 09/13/2018 AND AT NO TIME HAD I RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THE PROBLEM COULD RESURFACE. THE TSB PROVIDES : "THE SECONDARY AIR SYSTEM ON THESE VEHICLES IS USED TO HEAT UP THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS QUICKLY DURING COLD-START CONDITIONS?. OVER TIME, AND DEPENDING ON DRIVING STYLES, CARBON WILL BUILD UP IN THESE SMALL 10MM PORTS AND CAUSE FAULTS IN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FOR SECONDARY AIR, BANK1/BANK2 INSUFFICIENT FLOW? SOME MODELS DO HAVE A WARRANTY EXTENSION, WHICH COVERS THE SECONDARY AIR PORT CLEANING UP TO 10 YEAR/110,000 MILES. PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL DEALER FOR DETAILS. KEEP IN MIND, IF ANY OF THE CONTROL VALVES, COMBI VALVES, OR SUPPLY LINES ARE DAMAGED, OR FAULTY, THOSE ITEMS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY EXTENSION, AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED BEFORE THE PORT CLEANING CAN BE PERFORMED." ON 10/01/ 2019, AN ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS DETECTED ON THE Q5 WITH APPROXIMATELY 106,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. ON 10/28/2019 A CLAIM [#190822437]` WAS FILED WITH AUDI USA AND DENIED AS UNTIMELY FILED. AUDI BELLEVUE CARRIED OUT REPAIRS AT MY EXPENSE FOR $ 2045.75. GIVEN THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO NOTICE, THE CONTINUED WARRANTY PERIOD SHOULD BE EXTENDED BY AUDI USA AND THE COSTS OF REPAIR REIMBURSED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V082000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI ROCHESTER (3955 W HENRIETTA RD, ROCHESTER, NY 14623, (585) 334-1600) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
THE CAR GAS A STRONG GAS SMELL IN THE CABIN OF THE CAR, EVERYDAY, ALL DAY. TOOK IT TO AUDI AND THEY SAID THEY FIXED THE "PROBLEM". THE CAR CAN'T BE DRIVEN. ITS CAUSING NAUSEA AND HEADACHES WHEN DRIVING MORE THAN 5 MINS. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING A CAR THAT IS PRODUCING A GAS SMELL. I BELIEVE THAT GAS FLANGE RECALL CREATED MORE ISSUES TO MY CAR THAT AUDI MADE ME PAY FOR AND NEVER FIXED THE GAS SMELL.
THE DRIVER AIRBAG MAY EXPLODE IN A CRASH WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. SHARP METAL FRAGMENTS CAN HIT PEOPLE AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THE DRIVER AIRBAG MAY EXPLODE IN A CRASH WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. SHARP METAL FRAGMENTS CAN HIT PEOPLE AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. OWNERS SHOULD SCHEDULE THIS RECALL REPAIR IMMEDIATELY, EVEN IF AN INTERIM REPAIR WAS RECENTLY DONE. I HAVE RECEIVED MANY LETTERS ABOUT BRINGING MY CAR IN FOR THE REPAIRS BUT WHENEVER I CALL AUDI AND TRY SCHEDULE SOMETHING THEY KEEP SAYING THAT THE PARTS HAVE NOT ARRIVED. THE ISSUE HAS GONE MORE THAN A YEAR. MY AUDI DEALER IS ROYAL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP OF SAN FRANCISCO. I HAVE CALLED MANY TIMES AND THEY TOLD ME TO KEEP WAITING.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V082000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE LOCAL DEALER (BOB MOORE AUDI IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE RECALL AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V082000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI SEATTLE IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND AUDI BELLEVUE IN BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON WERE MADE AWARE OF THE RECALL AND STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TAKATA RECALL IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE I FIRST REQUESTED THAT AUDI OF BELLEVUE HANDLE MY AIRBAG RECALL. I CALLED IN MARCH 2016 AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD HAVE THE PARTS "BY THE END OF THE YEAR." I REQUESTED A LOANER CAR UNTIL IT WAS FIXED AND WAS TRANSFERRED TO A SALES MANAGER WHO DID NOT TAKE MY CALL. I LEFT A MESSAGE EXPLAINING THAT MY CAR SPENT 3 YEARS IN TEXAS AND I HAVE A SMALL CHILD AND WAS NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING MY CAR WITH THE RECALL. HE NEVER RETURNED MY CALL. I RECENTLY TOOK MY CAR IN FOR REGULAR SERVICE. WHEN I MADE MY APPOINTMENT, I AGAIN REQUESTED THE AIRBAG BE REPLACED AND WAS TOLD THEY STILL DON'T HAVE THE PARTS AND, IN FACT NOBODY IN THE AREA HAD THEM. OUR HONDA WAS FIXED LAST JUNE. I RECEIVED ANOTHER "URGENT" RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL THIS WEEK, URGING ME TO CONTACT MY DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED AUDI USA TO EXPLAIN THE EXPERIENCE I JUST HAD AND INQUIRE FURTHER. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE HOPING TO GET PARTS TO MY AREA BY SEPTEMBER (IT IS APRIL) AND THAT THE DECISION TO NOT MAKE REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE TO MY AREA WAS BEING DIRECTED BY THE NHTSA. I EXPLAINED MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE 3 YEARS MY CAR SPENT IN TEXAS AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD MAKE A NOTE ON MY VEHICLE, BUT THE ONLY ADVICE I WAS GIVEN WAS TO KEEP CHECKING IN WITH MY DEALERSHIP.
FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL MAKES A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WHEN BRAKING AND OVER ANY SMALL BUMPS ON THE ROAD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TAKATA RECALL CANNOT GET REPLACEMENT AIRBAG,
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