MODELYEARINDEX

Which Audi SQ5 years to avoid

No Audi SQ5 model year in 2018–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2018 and 2019, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Audi SQ5 Full report
C
Grade 2018–2021
2018 vs model median 1.1×
Model median3× median
Brakes 3
Drivetrain 2
Driver Assist 2
Weakest

2018 · 2019

Best

2019 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2018
1.08× 14 C
2019
1.00× 14 C
2021
0.81× 13 C
2024 P
1.00× 10 B
2025 P
0.54× 10 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 C 14 reports · median 4,250 mi

  1. Brakes 3

    I was stopped in a designated left turn lane waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. As the last car was passing me going the opposite direction I began to accelerate and make my left turn. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 2

    The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the garage with the garage door open and with the parking brake engaged. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 2

    The contact owns a 2018 audi sq5. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the collision avoidance system erroneously activated and caused the vehicle to abruptly stop. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2 crash

2019 C 14 reports · median 2,900 mi

  1. Lights & Visibility 4

    Rear sunroof exploded. Sounded like a large rock or gunshot and then shattered glass from the rear sunroof. The interior shade caught the glass. Car was immediately dropped off at the audi dealership in slc, ut. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 3

    On a suburban street that I regularly drive on with no car nearer than 100 yards in front of me and fortunately no car behind me the audi presense system actuated slamming on the brakes and flashing a red triangle in… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 2

    Cars dash board go will go out while driving. Completely disabling all gauges until it resets. Bluegrass audi can't seem to figure it. I asked several months ago to be contacted by audi but I was never contacted. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 crash

The best year for the SQ5

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring SQ5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 67.2 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.81× 13 C
2019 1.00× 14 C
2018 1.08× 14 C

Recalls

11 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V947000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM 2018–2021 288,991
19V737000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2018, 2019 174,278
22V742000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2021 170,296
19V416000 WHEELS:HUB 2018, 2019 126,161
21V606000 SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR 2021 45,496
21V295000 SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY 2021 40,993
22V034000 TIRES 2021 31,058
19V277000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER 2018, 2019 12,645
18V369000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER 2018 10,225
26V266000 SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER 2025 7,425
19V473000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2019 28

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 4,250 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Audi SQ5 years should you avoid?
No Audi SQ5 model year in 2018–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2018 and 2019.
What is the best year for the Audi SQ5?
2021 is the best-scoring Audi SQ5 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 67.2 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Audi SQ5 have?
11 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Audi SQ5 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2018 SQ5
Complaints in window
14
Severity-weighted
20
Model median (weighted)
19
vs model median
1.08×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
7
Open investigations
0
Score 58 C