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What 35 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Audi Q5

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (35)Crash / fire / injury (2)Driver assistance (19)Electrical system (15)Brakes (6)Engine (5)Lane Departure (5)Airbags (3)Seat belts (3)Speed control (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Visibility & wipers (3)

2 of 35 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 19, 2025BrakesDriver assistanceCrash

I MOVED INTO A PARKING SPOT AND PUSHED THE BRAKES TO STOP BUT THE CAR ACCELERATED AND HIT A TREE. HOWEVER WHEN THE POLICE DROVE THE CAR OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT THE BRAKES WERE WORKING PROPERLY.

NHTSA ODI 11706201

Jul 29, 2025BrakesDriver assistance2 injuries

While driving home from the dealership on Route 65 at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully applied the brakes without warning. My husband and I are experiencing symptoms of whiplash including back and neck pain. There were no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles nearby that would have triggered this response. This was a scary experience, and I am concerned it could happen again in traffic or at higher speeds. This incident presents a serious safety hazard to me, my passengers, and others on the road. The auto was purchased one week ago. Had it in for service. According to the service summary, the Driver Assist System had a coding error, and a hard reset of the module was performed. Unfortunately, after the braking incident, upon arriving home and restarting the vehicle, the same error message “Initializing Active Front Assist” immediately reappeared. I drove the vehicle for an additional five minutes, and the message remained. This suggests the issue was not resolved and may indicate a deeper fault in the system.

NHTSA ODI 11676887

Working with the data? Download all 35 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2025 Audi Q5 verdict →