Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, brakes, and acceleration and cruise control. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2025 Audi Q5: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Audi Q5. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cylGas | AWD | 25 mpg |
| 2.0L 4-cylHybrid | AWD | 26 mpg |
| 2.0L 4-cylPlug-in hybrid | AWD | 390 mi range |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Audi Q5, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Driver-assist and software faults show up within the first weeks of ownership. Reports describe sudden waves of dash warnings, including limited brake function, front assist unavailable, a loose wheel warning, and coolant alerts. Others describe false hard braking for intersections that are not there on two-lane highways, plus no heat, an engine code, faulty GPS, and poor speed-sign camera reads. One reports brake failure in traffic. Dealers often call it a software glitch or say the car is working as designed. Long waits for a second service visit are common, and a dashboard knock went undiagnosed.
The car brakes hard on its own with nothing in the way. One report describes this at about 45 mph, and both people in the car got whiplash. In that case the dealer found a coding error in the driver-assist module and fixed it with a hard reset. A separate crash report describes the car speeding up instead of stopping when the brakes were pressed while parking, and it hit a tree. The brakes then worked normally afterward. Both complaints came in the first days of ownership, so the risk of being rear-ended is real.
Phantom emergency braking at highway speeds is the main complaint, and it raises the risk of a rear-end crash. Owners also report that the forward collision system gives no warning when a real hazard is ahead. Many driver-assist features fail at once: cameras, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise, lane assist, adaptive lights, and the headlight assistant, along with messages about limited vehicle performance. Repeat dealer visits often end with no fix. Cars can sit at the dealer for weeks, and some owners are asking Audi to buy the car back.
Excerpts from complaints Q5 owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Two weeks after purchase, experienced multiple, random driver assistance failures. After attempting to repair issue once unsuccessfully, The dealership was unable to provide a second service appointment for two and a half months. Was explained all 2025 Audis were having issues, so couldn’t get car in any sooner. Before that second scheduled service appointment and while driving in traffic, the brakes failed.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Brand new car, needed a major software upgrade, for engine code, no heat , safety system flashing. It’s going back to the dealer today , for faulty gps and limited camera view for speed signs. The car has major software issues
Filed with NHTSA, December 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks seventh for owner complaints among 8 Q5 years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Cars shoppers compare with the Audi Q5, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
