RECALLS — MAKE · MODEL · YEAR
2018 Audi Q5 recalls
11 safety recall campaigns have been filed for the 2018 Audi Q5 with Transport Canada and the U.S. NHTSA. Here is what both agencies say.
- Canadian recalls
- 05
- U.S. recalls
- 06
- Total campaigns
- 11
Transport Canada recalls
05- Electrical#2021740
48,146 units affected
Issue: On certain vehicles, if you spill liquid on the rear seat, or drive through heavy rain or deep water, the gateway control module could be damaged. If this happens, the vehicle may enter emergency mode and suddenly lose power to the wheels. Note: The power steering and braking systems will continue to work. You may also see warning messages on the instrument panel when this happens. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of power to the wheels may increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam, as necessary.
- Structure#2019520
30,567 units affected
Issue: On certain vehicles, the cover trim for the rear wheel arches may become loose. This could cause the trim to detach while driving. Safety Risk: Trim that completely detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the four clips that secure the forward part of the rear wheel arch trims.
- Structure#2019265
22,221 units affected
Issue: On certain vehicles, the cover trim for the wheel arches may become loose. This could cause the trim to detach while driving. Safety Risk: Trim that completely detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to secure each wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut.
- Brakes#2019173
1,758 units affected
Issue: Some vehicles were built with an incorrect brake master cylinder. The master cylinder may be too short, which could cause it to fail. This could cause a complete loss of braking (with the exception of the emergency/parking brake function). Safety Risk: A loss of brakes can create the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the brake master cylinder. If your vehicle is equipped with the incorrect part, it will be replaced with the correct one.
- Brakes#2018292
5,120 units affected
On certain vehicles, a problem with the brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction in brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will bleed the front or rear brakes as necessary. Note: In the interim, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicle until the defect has been repaired. Affected owners should call Volkswagen's Roadside Assistance number at 1-800-411-6688.
Canadian data updated August 24, 2026
U.S. NHTSA recalls
06- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM#21V947000
Volkswagen 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.
Risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers 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.
- STRUCTURE:BODY#19V737000
Volkswagen 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.
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Audi 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.
- WHEELS:HUB#19V416000
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.
Risk: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen 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.
- SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER#19V277000
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.
Risk: A 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.
Remedy: Audi 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.
- SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER#18V369000
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
- SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER#16V955000
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Does this recall apply to my vehicle?
Matched by make, model, and model year. Many recalls affect only specific VIN ranges — confirm with your dealer using your full VIN.
What to do
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer in both countries. To confirm a recall applies to your specific vehicle, or to book the work, contact your manufacturer or dealer with your full VIN, or use the official channel:
- NHTSA recall lookup (search by VIN) — U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Defects and recalls database — Transport Canada
Check a 2018 Audi Q5 VIN
A VIN decode confirms your vehicle's exact model year, trim and assembly plant, then runs this same recall check against it.