2017 Audi Q5
This year drew an ordinary 42 complaints for a Audi Q5 — the model's median is 77. What they were about is the unusual part: 7.1% of them mention empty, against 0% across the model's other years.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 42 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 77 |
| Involving a crash | 3 |
| Recalls | 5 |
| NHTSA crash rating | 4/5 |
| EPA combined | 21.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- empty — 7.1% of this year's complaints, against 0% across the model's other years (35.7×).
- ice — 7.1% of this year's complaints, against 0% across the model's other years (35.7×).
- approx — 9.5% of this year's complaints, against 2.1% across the model's other years (4.4×). Owners wrote it as: approx, stop car.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
What owners wrote
HIT A STATIONARY HONDA CRV ON BLACK ICE AT APPROX 45-50 MPH. IMPACT WAS STRAIGHT ON FRONT OF OUR CAR AND REAR OF THE CRV. OUR BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED, NONE OF OUR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. OUR VEHICLE WAS THEN HIT FROM THE REAR BY A JEEP WRANGLER AT ABOUT THE SAME…
Coolant tank empty - leaking. Coolant leaking from the thermostat housing to engine. Had to replace the thermostat housing and reseal the valve cover Because the oil leak coming from the valve cover is causing oil to reach the thermostat sear and cause the rub…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 17V001000 VISIBILITY Fixed free of charge.
- 17V002000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Fixed free of charge.
- 17V297000 POWER TRAIN Fixed free of charge.
- 18V229000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Fixed free of charge.
- 17V298000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Audi Q5 was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2017 Audi Q5? What happened to yours?
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