2012 AUDI Q5 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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N/A

Safety Rating

200

Owner Complaints

3 Crashes

6

Recalls

ACTIVE RECALL

81

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2012 AUDI Q5

The 2012 AUDI Q5 has received a total of 200 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 7 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. 81 technical service bulletins have been issued by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (84 complaints), Engine (47 complaints), and Fuelpropulsion System (20 complaints).

Recalls for the 2012 AUDI Q5

NHTSA has recorded 7 recalls for the 2012 AUDI Q5, potentially affecting up to 1,452,762 vehicles.

Recall 18V818000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

| 5,987 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2012 Audi Q7 and 2009-2012 Audi Q5 vehicles, previously repaired under NHTSA recall 16V-660. These vehicles were previously repaired with an interim repair of installing butyl tape to the fuel pump flange, until replacement remedy parts became available.

Consequence: The butyl tape may not prevent fuel from leaking. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange and install butyl tape, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BJ.

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Recall 18V082000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 162,782 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall...

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Recall 16V078000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 659,493 vehicles affected

Defect: 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, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Consequence: 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 injury or death.

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 a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will...

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Recall 17V001000 — AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

| 234,057 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

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...

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Recall 17V001000 — VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

| 234,057 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

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...

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Recall 16V660000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

| 143,214 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Audi Q5, and 2007-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles equipped with gasoline engines. The fuel pump flange on the affected vehicles may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the flange, replacing any flanges that are cracked. If the flange is not cracked, dealers will clean the pump flange and install a butyl rubber band to protect the pump. These repairs...

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Recall 12V299000 — VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

| 13,172 vehicles affected

Defect: VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 AUDI Q5 VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 21, 2011, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2011. SOME VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH A FRONT SUNROOF GLASS PANEL THAT IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO BREAKAGE IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER/TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS.

Consequence: SHOULD THE SUNROOF’S GLASS BREAK WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN USE, THE FALLING GLASS COULD CUT AND INJURE THE DRIVER OR PASSENGERS. IT COULD ALSO DISTRACT THE DRIVER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUNROOF GLASS PANEL, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 7, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-253-2834.

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Owner Complaints for the 2012 AUDI Q5

200 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 AUDI Q5. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11691013 | STRUCTURE:BODY | | N/A miles
The vehicle sunroof exploded. On March 10th at approximately 12:15pm, while driving down the road from my residence in my 2012 Audi Q5, the sunroof blew up, without warning, causing shattered glass to fall inside the cab of the vehicle onto myself, and my then nine year old son, causing minor cuts, and small pieces of glass to be lodged into the skin of our arms, chest, and head . I called the Audi service ref repairs, and was told it would take three months, before the service department could look at and repair my vehicle, as they were backed up with repairs. I ordered a new sunroof windshield and did a self repair and calibration. I followed up with Audi, advising of the incident, and was told the SUNROOF was under a recall, but their records, this item had been address on my vehicle, no further assistance was offered.
#11685033 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | | N/A miles
The oil has been leaking for some years. I have taken it in several times, to be fixed and it is still leaking
#11685033 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | | N/A miles
The oil has been leaking for some years. I have taken it in several times, to be fixed and it is still leaking
#11679877 | ENGINE | | 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Audi Q5. The contact purchased the vehicle at an auction, and while leaving the auction site and driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact jumped-started the vehicle, and after entering the freeway, the vehicle vibrated and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted until the contact arrived at the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle remained unrepaired for several days. The contact went to pick up the vehicle, and the independent mechanic stated that the vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that a week later, while diving at an undisclosed speed, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the spark plugs had failed and caused the engine to fail. The contact stated that the independent mechanic had replaced the spark plugs and that the vehicle had been repaired. The contact was unsure if the spark plugs had been replaced. The independent mechanic refused to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
#11655139 | ENGINE | | N/A miles 2 Injuries
ON [XXX] AT [XXX], AT MY HOME, I PULLED OUT OF DRIVEWAY IN MY 2012 AUDI 2012 Q5, I DROVE THREE HOUSES DOWN, AND THE SUNROOF EXPLODED SENDING SHATTERED GLASS ON MYSELF, MY THEN [XXX] SON, AND INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR. I CALLED AUDI FOR REPAIR, BUT WAS INFORMED THERE WAS A 3 TO 4 MONTH WAIT, ORDERED A ON REPAIRS. SO I ORDERED A REPLACEMENT AND INSTALLED MYSELF. ON [XXX] MY 2012 AUDI Q5, WOULD NOT START, DASH FAULT INDICATED CRANKCASE/ CAMSHAFT NOT ALINGED. PUT VEHICLE IN A AUDI REPAIR SHOP (NOT DEALERSHIP) FOR REPAIRS. DAMAGE WAS CRANKCASE, TIMING CHAIN, AND TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER RESEARCH DONE FOUND THAT THERE WAS SIX RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE, ONE INVOLVING THE SUNROOF SHATTERING, AND THE OTHER INVOLVING THE CRANKCASE, TIMING CHAIN, AND TENSIONER. ON 04/15/2025 I CALLED AUDI AT 800-822-2834 ABOUT THE INCIDENTS, AND INQUIRING ABOUT THE SIX RECALLS, ATTEMPTING TO MAKE SURE THE REPAIRS HAD BEEN COMPLETED. THE REPRESENTATIVE WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE DATES THAT A CASE WAS CLOSED BASED ON THE VIN OF MY VEHICLE BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THE RECALL REPAIRS HAD BEEN DONE, SHE STATED A CLAIM BEING CLOSED "USUALLY MEANT A REPAIR WAS DONE. BUT ONLY THE DEALERSHIP THAT OPENED THE CASE WOULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION. I REQUESTED THE DEALERSHIP INFORMATION, ADVISING THAT I WAS CONCERNED AS THUS FAR THE RECALL REPAIRS SEEM TO BE FAILING, AND THE RECALL ON THE AIRBAGS COULD CAUSE POTENTIAL DEATH IF DEPLOYED. I REQUESTED A SUPERVISOR CALL BACK. ON 04/16/2025 I RECEIVED A CALL BACK FROM A SUPERVISOR NAME JUAN/ID 43248. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THE ISSUE WITH THE PREVIOUS RECALLS FAILING AND MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE AIRBAGS, AND ASKED FOR THE DEALERSHIP NAME AND NUMBER THAT DID THE REPAIRS. HE REFUSED TO GIVE ME THE INFORMATION SIGHTING IT CONTAINED INFORMATION ON THE PREVIOUS OWNER. I SEEK TO CONFIRM THAT THESE REPAIRS WERE ACTUALLY DONE IN FEAR THAT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN, AND IF A AIRBAG IS DEPLOYED I AND PASSENGERS MAY END UP DEAD AS A RESULT. PLEASE ADVISE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.

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Safety Rating for the 2012 AUDI Q5

NHTSA has not yet tested the 2012 AUDI Q5 in its New Car Assessment Program.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 AUDI Q5

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. has issued 81 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 AUDI Q5. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

AWA 24-01 — UNKNOWN OR OTHER

This Document informs dealers on the new oil consumption & piston fracture warranty extension for 2012 A4, A5, A6, Q5 & TT / 2013 A4, A5, A6, Q5 & TT / 2014 A4, A5, A6, Q5 & TT / 2016 A3 & TT / 2017 A3 & TT vehicles

AWA 22-04 — AIR BAGS

This Document informs dealers on the new Takata warranty extension for 2005-2017 A3, A4 Avant, A4 Sedan, S4 Sedan, S4, Avant, A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A5 Cabriolet, S5 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan, Q5, R8 Coupe, R8 Spyder, RS4 Cabriolet, RS4 Sedan, S6 Sedan, S6 Sedan, TT Coupe, and TT...

A0021442052680_3 — EQUIPMENT

This bulletin contains instructions for additional reporting requirements for safety related inquiries (airbag/seatbelts, accidents, fire and overheat damage).

A6420742020552_9 — EQUIPMENT

This bulletin provides instructions on how to clean exterior glass.

AWA 18-15-201902 — ENGINE

This bulletin explains the extended warranty for the timing chain/timing chain tensioner in certain vehicles. Was revised on 11/13/18 to include a proration table for consequential damage repair reimbursement. It was revised again on 2/4/19 to include claiming information for entire engine replacement.

AWA-17-12 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

For Audi 3.0 L TDI Generation 2.1 SUV vehicles repaired by the emissions modification recall, the following warranty extension is applicable. ?Extended Emissions Warranty? Limited Warranty Extension The Limited Warranty Extension is applicable to 3.0L TDI vehicles Generation 2.1 SUV with engine code CNRB.

A011732 2033001- — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides instructions on how to clean the secondary air ports if they have too much carbon and cause a restriction.

A721617 2030729- — SEATS:BARRIERS

Customer may report hearing squeak or rattle sounds coming from the rear seat area. The rattle sound may be caused from the pivot point of the torsion bar within the 2/3 rear seat backrest pivot assembly. The squeak noise may be coming from the rear seat armrest area, specifically from...

A551538 2023967- — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 55 number 13-32 dated July 30, 2013. ?Low Oil Level? message is on in the DIS or MMI. The hood must be open for at least 30 seconds for a reset of this message to be performed. The message is not reset in the DIS/MMI...

ATE-15-19 — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

To aid in diagnosing the high-voltage (HV) battery of the Audi Q5 Hybrid, Audi of America is pleased to inform you of the release and automatic delivery of the Audi Q5 Hybrid Minimum Required Tools (MRT) Shipment. Starting September 23, 2015, every Audi dealer will be shipped one AT-378 Audi...

Showing 10 of 81 technical service bulletins.

NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 AUDI Q5

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the AUDI Q5

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Other AUDI Models

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