2013 Audi Q5 problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid
The 2013 Audi Q5 has 92 owner complaints on record with NHTSA, which ranks it 3 of 7 Audi Q5 model years by complaint volume. The worst year is 2018 (207); the cleanest is 2020 (25). 5 recall entries cover this year.
Is 2013 a good year for the Audi Q5?
The spread across this nameplate is wide: the 2018 draws 8 times the complaints of the 2020. On a run like that the model year you buy matters more than the badge, and 2013 sits in the middle of it.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recall entries |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 36 | 5 |
| 2021 | 74 | 8 |
| 2020 | 25 | 6 |
| 2019 | 52 | 5 |
| 2018 | 207 | 6 |
| 2014 | 106 | 5 |
| 2013 ← this page | 92 | 5 |
Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.
This retrieval holds 7 of the nameplate’s model years. 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022 are absent, which means no records came back for them — not that they were clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.
The 2013 accounts for 16% of every complaint filed against the Audi Q5 in this retrieval, which works out to 7.1 complaints per year on the road across the 13 years since it was sold new — the figure to compare against other years, because it removes the advantage a newer car gets simply from having had less time to accumulate reports.
Which recalls cover the 2013?
Electrical System
Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.
Free 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.
Engine and Engine Cooling
These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked…
Free 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.
Visibility
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.
Free 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.
Take the campaign number to any franchised Audi dealer. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, and they follow the car rather than the owner, so a used 2013 with an unrepaired campaign is a free repair you can claim. How recalls work.
Recall text is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice and affected VIN ranges.
What do owners report on the Audi Q5?
Across every Audi Q5 year, not the 2013 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.
- Electrical System — 127 reports
- Engine — 82 reports
- Steering — 62 reports
- Unknown or Other — 60 reports
If your 2013 is doing something now, these are the guides for that system — each opens with whether it is safe to keep driving:
Which other Audi Q5 years should you compare?
2014 Audi Q5 → · All Audi Q5 years
If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Audi Q5 page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.
Check a 2013 before you commit
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