AI Damage2020 Audi SQ5: common problems
Owners of the 2020 Audi SQ5 filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about forward collision avoidance and vehicle speed control. The maker issued 829 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 8
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 829
What fails most often
- 1 Forward collision avoidance 38% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 25% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 13% of all complaints
- 6 Backover prevention 13% of all complaints
- Forward collision avoidance: 3 complaints (38% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (25% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 44.
- Steering: 1 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 39.
- Engine: 1 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 36.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · turbo · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 8-speed
Drive: AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward collision avoidance | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 44 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 39 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 36 |
| Backover prevention | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 222 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 184 |
| Structure | 0 | 0 | 95 |
| Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Visibility | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Suspension | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| Powertrain | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| Wheels | 0 | 0 | 19 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The leak is internal and was not visible from outside the vehicle: no coolant on the ground and no warning light before the shop inspected it. The area was wet and coated with residue, indicating the leak had been active for some time.
Coolant leaked into the vacuum system, damaging the vacuum unit and related components. Failed parts are available for inspection. Safety Risk: Loss of coolant circulation causes rapid overheating and risk of sudden engine failure at highway speeds, creating a collision hazard.
I recently purchased this vehicle 8/5/23 and since then the pre sense function has activated it’s jarring emergency breaking three times. Once it happened to me backing out of my driveway without any obstruction, another with my husband backing out of a parking spot, and then most recently today with me as a driver…
I have had multiple instances of the emergency breaking applying improperly. On at least two occasions the rear backup/parking sensors detected some sort of object when one didn’t exist and abruptly engaged the breaks despite there being no object behind me.
There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while reversing and while driving from a complete stop. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal sound while depressing the brake pedal.
This morning (8/26/20), while traveling on a four lane divided highway with cruise control and lane departure active, the vehicle jerked left into a turn-only lane, overriding my manual steering of the car in the straight travel lane.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,555 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (among the 26% least complained about).
On average one model year of the SQ5 has 8 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 8, about average.
What to check before buying
- Forward collision avoidance. Radar and camera: calibration after bumper or windshield replacement.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has…
This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
- This bulletin provides information when there is an abnormal knocking noise from the engine compartment;…
- This bulletin provides information regarding fault finding and repair information for electric tailgate
- This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations
- This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases
- This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking…
This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking sensor loose, rear parking sensor fault message.
- This bulletin provides informaiton when DTC B200FF0 is stored
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer
- This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the…
This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.
- This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped
- This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning
NHTSA lists 829 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Audi SQ5?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: forward collision avoidance, vehicle speed control, service brakes. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (50%), overheating, coolant loss (25%), driver assists: adaptive cruise, lane keeping (13%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2020 Audi SQ5?
NHTSA lists 829 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2020 Audi SQ5 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2020 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.