Table 1 shows one common service brakes related problems of the 2025 Audi Q5.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems |
Mileage at time of incident: approximately 4,000 miles date of incident: xxx location: [xxx] incident description: my vehicle was in neutral while going through an automatic car wash, as instructed. When the exit signal indicated it was clear to proceed, with my foot on the brake, I shifted into drive. The vehicle accelerated on its own, without corresponding accelerator pedal input, and struck the building adjacent to the car wash. The vehicle did not exit the building on its own, so I shifted into reverse. The vehicle again accelerated on its own and struck a structural beam. I applied continuous pressure to the brake pedal throughout the incident. The vehicle did not respond immediately, but the brakes eventually engaged and brought the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle's rear obstacle-detection and automatic braking sensors, which normally engage under similar low-speed reversing conditions, did not activate at any point during this incident. The airbags also did not deploy after the vehicle struck the building. Video footage of the incident shows the vehicle moving at low speed with no visible braking response until the vehicle came to a stop. Police and fire department personnel responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. Property damage occurred to a vinyl fence, an adjacent building, and an interior wall of a business inside that building. I requested that the vehicle's event data recorder (edr) be reviewed by the dealership/manufacturer prior to any repairs, to determine throttle position, brake switch status, and sensor activity at the time of the incident. As of this report, Audi sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle on xxx and has since provided me with a rental car. I am still awaiting the results of that inspection. Components involved: engine/motor, electronic throttle control, service brakes, parking assist/sensors, forward collision/automatic braking system I am filing this report because I was genuinely afraid for my safety information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (.
On may 21, 2026, at approximately 5:00 pm, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: wa12aagu0s2040827) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on charlton road in charlton, NY. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive cruise control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a t-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the event data recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review.
•xxx: purchased new 2025 Audi Q5. •xxx dashboard displayed "check tire pressure" warning for all tires. •xxx: service at Audi marin - reported hatch malfunction, tire pressure concerns, and repeated rollback after brake release during service visit. •xxx: vehicle displayed "p not possible. Risk of rolling away" warning. Vehicle could not be placed into park, required roadside assistance (never showed after 2-hour wait), and could not be safely secured. •xxx: while stopped at a traffic light, both front seat belts tightened aggressively without warning. Passenger was a [xxx] child. •late xxx: collision avoidance/emergency braking warnings continued. Vehicle remained in use while awaiting loaner car availability. •xxx oil service reminder displayed at approximately 5,000 miles. Electronic issues continue. Additional warning lights appeared. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle continues to experience unresolved safety-related and electronic malfunctions. I have been without the vehicle since xxxdriving a loaner. Dealership reported there is a pending service solution that will be released in the 3rd quarter (maybe September). That is 2 months away - unacceptable- car is unsafe to drive. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Check engine light is on almost constantly on my car. It might turn off and stay that way for a couple of days, but always comes on again. Dealership had made two attempts to "fix" it by just clearing the faults. However, according to the service department the reason why check engine light came on was "faults for loss of communication to powertrain electronics and brake electronics" which I think is a real safety concern. After my last trip to the dealership the check engine light came on after just two days of normal driving. There was also a situation when I was unable to shift to park with the risk of rolling along with some other error messages on the dash. I was unable to lock the vehicle because of that and of course there was a risk of it rolling.
On December 22nd I got into the vehicle and a few errors popped up which consisted of “loose wheel warning malfunction” “brakes: limited functionality drive with causation” “active front assist and emergency assist unavailable”. I called the nearest dealer and was told it’s ok to drive it’s just a software glitch and if I don’t feel comfortable driving I should take it to the dealer and come back tomorrow for a loaner since service was closed already. So I proceeded to drive home, about 10 minutes into the drive a warning for the coolant came up so I pulled off into a parking lot and as I went to park another warning came up saying coolant too high turn off vehicle and as I was approaching the parking spot the car started to overheat and smoke. This is a brand new car with barely 1000 miles on it.
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.
This vehicle misrecognizes intersections on two lane highways and causes the vehicle to unexpectedly slam on its brakes without warning in anticipation of an intersection that either does not exist or where my vehicle has the entire right way. This behavior has persisted since the date of purchase and has not been corrected at all. Audi has confirmed that the vehicle is operating as designed however, I have personally almost had two major traffic accidents when this system engaged in the process of overtaking a vehicle, slamming the brakes and almost causing a accident where he and I was rear ended. This is not a vehicle. I would let a child learn how to drive in.
Two weeks after purchase, experienced multiple, random driver assistance failures. After attempting to repair issue once unsuccessfully, the dealership was unable to provide a second service appointment for two and a half months. Was explained all 2025 Audis were having issues, so couldn’t get car in any sooner. Before that second scheduled service appointment and while driving in traffic, the brakes failed.
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.
The vehicle experiences sudden, uncommanded braking on clear roads due to a malfunction in the Audi pre sense system. The system falsely detects obstacles and applies the brakes abruptly, creating a safety hazard for occupants and surrounding traffic. The issue was reported to Audi beverly hills multiple times beginning July 2023, including through the dealer's online service request system. However, the dealer repeatedly failed to document braking concern on repair orders until insistent during latest visit. In one visit (August 7, 2023), the dealer reduced the pre sense sensitivity without creating a repair order or performing diagnostics. At other times, service advisors stated the vehicle was 'operating normally' or refused to record the concern unless it could be duplicated during a short test drive. On August 25, 2025, the dealer finally documented my complaint as 'car would brake randomly' and performed an svm reconfiguration, but the issue persists. The vehicle is currently used rarely for safety.