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FREE VEHICLE RESEARCH

2015 Audi Q5

The 2015 Audi Q5 has 6 NHTSA safety recalls on file, 97 owner complaints, and gets about 26 mpg combined. Here's the full free record from NHTSA and the EPA.

SPECS

2015 Audi Q5 at a glance

Engine
6-cyl 3L
Cylinders
6
Displacement
3 L
Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
Transmission
Automatic (S8)
Body
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Fuel
Diesel

Source: EPA / NHTSA vPIC, as of July 11, 2026.

SAFETY RECALLS · NHTSA

6 open

Electrical System

05/10/2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6.

Visibility

03/01/2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

Engine And Engine Cooling

03/01/2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.

Engine And Engine Cooling

11/04/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.

Fuel System, Gasoline

03/05/2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Audi Q5 and 2013-2017 Audi Q7 vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange if cracks are present. Flanges that do not have cracks will have a protective film applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Z8. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-660.

Air Bags

28/01/2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).

NHTSA has opened one or more investigations covering this model. Recalls can follow an investigation, so check NHTSA for the latest before you buy.

Open safety recalls are free to fix at any franchised dealer. What recalls mean → Source: NHTSA recalls, as of July 11, 2026. Recalls can be issued any time, confirm by VIN at nhtsa.gov before you buy.

OWNER COMPLAINTS · NHTSA

97 filed
3 crashes 1 fires 4 injuries
  • ENGINE

    Engine consumed a quarter of oil every 300 miles. The EPC light and engine light illuminated. The vehicle went into limp mode. I had the vehicle towed to a certified mechanic.Vehicle was inspected by a certified mechanic and will need a new

    27
  • STEERING

    I was driving down the road when the steering stop working and I could not control the direction that the tires moved. The direction of steering would not respond to my movements and I was unable to control the car. I was able to break and

    14
  • UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    Sub frame is rusted out. Major safety issue. Confirmed by 3 independent auto repair shops. Removing and replacing the rear sub frames. $ 1800.00

    11
  • SUSPENSION

    Rear subframe rusted out at only 85,000 miles

    8
  • ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

    The contact owns a 2015 Audi Q5. The contact stated that there was an abnormal leak underneath the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as intended. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was r

    8
  • FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

    The cooling system failed without warning! As I’m driving on the highway my vehicle began smoking! I smelled a burnt smell! Upon getting off the highway , I noticed my coolant had leaked almost completely out! I check my vehicle every morni

    7

Problems owners reported to the government, useful for spotting patterns, not proof any one car has them. What complaints mean → Source: NHTSA complaints, as of July 11, 2026. Owner-submitted reports, not verified diagnoses.

CRASH-TEST RATINGS · NHTSA NCAP

Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal
★★★★☆
Side
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★☆

Government crash tests of this model; not every trim or year is tested. Source: NHTSA NCAP, as of July 11, 2026.

FUEL & RUNNING COST · U.S. EPA

Combined
26 mpg
City / Hwy
23 / 30
Est. fuel / yr
$3,000
CO₂ / mi
392 g

EPA lab estimates; real mpg varies by how you drive. Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov, as of July 11, 2026. Annual cost assumes 15,000 mi/yr at EPA's reference price.

All figures above come from free U.S. government sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, investigations, crash tests) and the EPA (fuel economy and specs). We don't show market price, insurance cost, or proprietary reliability scores, because there's no free, reliable public source for them. For a verdict on a specific listing, with a fair-offer number and what to ask the seller, that's the VINly app.

BEFORE YOU BUY

What to check on this car

Confirm the recalls were fixed

This model has 6 open NHTSA recalls (including the electrical system). Recall repairs are free at the dealer, so ask the seller for proof the remedy was performed, or verify by VIN at nhtsa.gov before you buy.

Have a mechanic check the engine

Owners report problems with the engine more than anything else on this model. Call it out specifically during a pre-purchase inspection.

Watch for a pending investigation

NHTSA has an open investigation covering this model. A recall can follow an investigation, so check nhtsa.gov for the latest before you commit.

  • Test-drive the basics

    Cold start, full-lock steering both ways, firm brakes with no pulsing, smooth shifts, and every electronic feature. Warning lights should come on at key-on, then go out.

  • Check the title and the VIN

    Confirm the title status in hand matches the listing, and that the VIN matches across the dash, door jamb, and title. VINly does not show ownership or accident history, for that, run a paid report like Carfax.

  • Ask the seller the right questions

    Why they are selling, any service records, accident or panel-repaint history, how many owners, and whether any open recalls were completed.

See the full used-car inspection checklist. None of this replaces a hands-on inspection by a mechanic.

Quick answers

What is recalled on the 2015 Audi Q5? +

NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls for the 2015 Audi Q5, including the electrical system. See the full list above, and confirm by VIN at nhtsa.gov.

What gas mileage does the 2015 Audi Q5 get? +

The EPA rates the 2015 Audi Q5 at 26 mpg combined (23 city / 30 highway), about $3,000 a year in fuel.

How safe is the 2015 Audi Q5? +

NHTSA's NCAP program gives the 2015 Audi Q5 4 out of 5 stars overall, with 4 stars for rollover resistance.

What do owners complain about on the 2015 Audi Q5? +

Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA for the 2015 Audi Q5, including 3 involving a crash. The most-reported area is engine.

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