Selling a junk Audi Q5
Any Q5 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Audi Q5
NHTSA has 1,689 owner complaints on file for the Audi Q5, model years 2009 to 2022, the 208th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine (313, 19%), air bags (249, 15%), electrical system (188, 11%). 97 complaints involved a crash, 18 a fire, and 120 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 55,700 miles. The 2018 model year has the most complaints (339). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Audi Q5 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 36 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2010 | 123 | Air bags | 3 | 0 | 4 | 76,000 |
| 2011 | 194 | Air bags | 6 | 4 | 5 | 81,500 |
| 2012 | 203 | Air bags | 3 | 0 | 6 | 74,094 |
| 2013 | 107 | Engine | 1 | 7 | 5 | 56,500 |
| 2014 | 135 | Engine | 9 | 1 | 5 | 52,000 |
| 2015 | 125 | Engine | 3 | 1 | 6 | 54,023 |
| 2016 | 104 | Engine | 15 | 3 | 5 | 36,000 |
| 2017 | 57 | Engine | 6 | 0 | 5 | 17,500 |
| 2018 | 339 | Electrical system | 19 | 0 | 6 | 21,000 |
| 2019 | 84 | Electrical system | 13 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2020 | 39 | Electrical system | 7 | 1 | 6 | — |
| 2021 | 114 | Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 8 | — |
| 2022 | 29 | Electrical system | 6 | 1 | 4 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Audi Q5 recalls
NHTSA lists 31 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (6), electrical system (5), fuel system (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2022 model year, engine (campaign 25V294000, May 2025): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Q5 Quattro and Q5 Sportback Quattro vehicles. The cylinder head cover screws may have been improperly tightened.
- 2021 model year, electrical system (campaign 25V080000, Feb 2025): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Audi Q5, and 2022 A7 E Hybrid Electric PHEV vehicles. The high-voltage battery may overheat.
- 2022 model year, electrical system (campaign 24V898000, Nov 2024): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Audi Q5 PHEV and 2022 Audi A7 PHEV vehicles. The high-voltage battery may overheat.
- 2020 model year, electrical system (campaign 23V842000, Dec 2023): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 Audi A8, 2019-2024 e-tron Quattro, 2020-2024 e-tron Sportback Quattro, Q5, and 20…
- 2021 model year, engine and cooling (campaign 22V753000, Oct 2022): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, w…
What a Audi Q5 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Q5 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a blown engine 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Audi models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Audi Q5 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Q5 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Audi Q5 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Audi Q5?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Audi Q5 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.