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Audi Q5 abs comes on

14 of the 1,359 owner complaints about the Audi Q5 describe aBS light or ABS activating, most of them for the 2017 model year.

owner complaints
14
worst model year
2017
typical mileage
17,500
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2026
    1
  • 2025
    1
  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    1
  • 2019
    1
  • 2018
    2
  • 2017
    3
  • 2016
    1
  • 2015
    1
  • 2014
    2

What owners say

Filed Oct 17, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · SC

I bought a late model Audi Q5 2025 late February 2026. the one I bought was a loaner with 8K miles on it, list 60k, paid 48K for it. late April, we were in the mountains of western NC and were on a windy 2 lane mountain road after midnight with no cell service and nowhere to pull off. 7 warning lights came on, the most concerning was to immediately pull over and shut off the engine. We could not do this. The steering wheel was shaking and the climate systems shut off. All ABS were non functional. We drove the last half hour to the house, put the car in the garage and figured it would need to be towed the next day. The next morning, I turned it on and all was cleared out. I took it to the dealer when back in SC, but they could not find anything. it is now mid October, it has happened 4 other times since then. all in NC except for once on [XXX] but I was near exit [XXX] so made it home. It happened twice in a week late July. it was 98 outside the first time, I had an hour to go and it was incredibly hot in the car. with no ac. my two dogs were very stressed by the time we got to the house. Again, in the garage, all clear the next morning. It happened on the way home, now it's 99 out. I turned off the car in a parking lot, waited 15 minutes, turned it on, all clear and we got home fine. My service person said there was a "major software upgrade" coming out and that was all the car needed. they got me in early before it was released and had the car for 4 days. It took 5 tries to get the upgrade. I was told this was it, all was fine. next time I was on a steep downhill in NC. had to hold tightly to the wheel it was shaking so much, abs working, maneuverability seemed compromised. I was scared to death. This time it took over a week and because they could not find the fault code, nothing done. Given the research I have done, I am sure the dealer knew about these issues when I bought the car or certainly during the emails detailing the other incidents. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NY

Severe consequential safety defect involving total anti-lock braking system (ABS) failure stemming from a manufacturer recall defect and volatile CAN-bus network conditions during repair. This vehicle has less than 7,500 miles and has been grounded at an authorized dealership, Audi Brooklyn- Lic# [XXX], 700 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, for exactly 20 days since being flatbed-towed on [XXX], due to total power failure caused by the known manufacturing defect of clogged sunroof drains flooding the critical interior electrical network. The dealership replaced the comfort control module under the VIN recall warranty. However, during the dealer's active programming phase of this recall component, a fatal communication fault was introduced to the J104 ABS safety module. My original Service Advisor documented explicitly in writing via text that the technician observed the ABS faults materialize specifically during the recall programming process. No prior warning signs other than the vehicle's sudden loss of power. The manufacturer's design defect allowed moisture ingress to destabilize the vehicle's localized CAN-bus communication network, leading directly to the catastrophic failure of a critical braking system (ABS). Dealership management is now attempting to evade safety liability and force an out-of-pocket repair payment by manipulating records. They have actively backdated internal "Ready for Pickup" dates for the vehicle from August 24 to September 1 to hide an 8-day window where they concealed a New York State safety inspection failure from me and attempted to release an illegal, uninspected vehicle with compromised brakes back to a vulnerable consumer. The owners of the vehicle are [XXX]. Furthermore, despite claiming the ABS module was a severe safety hazard, the facility logged 50 unauthorized miles (odometer jumped from 7,437 to 7,487) on public roads while it has been in their custody. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 2, 2026 · Electrical · ME

While driving my 2026 Audi Q5, the instrument cluster display went completely black twice while the vehicle was in motion, eliminating my speedometer and all warning indicators. Separately, during another drive, the vehicle displayed "Suspension: malfunction! Safely stop vehicle" on two occasions within minutes of each other, at approximately 15 mph and 17 mph, each accompanied by illuminated ABS and BRAKE warning lights. Immediately after, the odometer failed, displaying dashes instead of mileage, and the display spontaneously switched from miles to kilometers. This was followed by approximately 15 additional system warnings disabling adaptive cruise assist, lane departure warning, exit warning, active front assist/distance warning, parking systems, fatigue warning, traffic sign recognition, distraction warning, rear cross-traffic assist, and emergency assist. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Audi dealer for diagnosis. The technician was unable to duplicate or identify the cause of the failure. I have photographic documentation, with timestamps, of every warning message described above. This appears to be an intermittent failure of a central vehicle module or communication bus affecting braking, stability, and driver-assist systems simultaneously, creating a safety risk while driving.

Filed Jun 16, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · CA

The dashboard displayed a solid red brake light with a flashing warning “stop vehicle safely” light. A professional diagnostic scan confirmed a permanent hard fault on the ABS control Module (J104) and Hydraulic Unit (N55). The vehicle has only 66,755 miles. Independent repair shops cannot service this unit because it requires highly restricted, specialized Audi factory programming and coding software, forcing consumers to face massive dealership replacement costs for a premature electronic failure ona critical safety system.

Filed Jun 17, 2025 · Brakes · NY

I am writing regarding a serious issue with my 2024 Audi Q5, which I purchased brand new and have owned for only 12 months. The vehicle has developed premature rotor wear, which is entirely unexpected given its age, my normal driving habits, and Audi’s reputation for quality. Brake rotors should not require replacement this early unless there is a manufacturing or material defect. This vehicle is still under warranty, and I am requesting that Audi inspect the braking system immediately and cover the cost of any necessary repairs under warranty. Please document the inspection findings and let me know if there is a known issue or Technical Service Bulletin related to this. I am not willing to pay for a component failure that is clearly not due to driver misuse or wear and tear. I expect a prompt resolution and would appreciate a written response confirming next steps. Possible Causes (Not Your Fault) Defective Rotors or Materials – If the metal quality was subpar or warped at the factory, they could wear prematurely. Improper Factory Installation or Torque – Incorrect installation can cause uneven wear or damage. Caliper or Pad Malfunction – Sticking calipers or bad pads can ruin rotors prematurely. Electronic Brake Malfunction – Audi’s advanced braking systems (ABS, brake hold, etc.) can malfunction and overuse the brakes.

Filed Jul 28, 2024 · Electrical, Wheels · TX

TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring) erroneously lights up, hence, incorrectly disabling all the safety driving features of the vehicle. We have already checked this with Audi. Audi has confirmed to us that there is a DEFECT and that they are working on a fix which is due as of Sept'2024 (estimated). A PPS has been created. This is dangerous as the system disables all safe driving features like ABS, Traction control etc.. the moment TPMS error activates up incorrectly.

Filed Jun 29, 2024 · Electrical · MI

Sunroof drain lines leaked and filled the rear compartment with water which is also where the body control module is. The water damaged the body control module which affected vehicle lighting and abs system. Upon further investigation, this is a very common issue with Audi.

Filed May 19, 2022 · Steering · CA

My 2016 AUDI Q5 got a fault on the steering (Steering Defective! Do not drive vehicle!) after changing a lane on a 35 miles/h road and I had lose all power steering and was nearly un-drivable 6 month earlier on 35k service maintenance I was complaining about jerky steering that happened twice when I change the lane on a highway after 40-50 miles trips. That time Audi Palo Alto Dealer was not able to reproduce the problem and there were no error codes that time. Today, the OBD scanner shows two error codes ABS:01309:Power Steering Module J500 and Power steering:00772:Oil pressure Switch F22. These error codes are not ressetable. The issue has not gone, it is permanent.

Filed Jun 22, 2020 · Acceleration · 20 miles · IL

Vehicle randomly disengages the cruise control for no apparent reason, I.e. Dry clear road condition, no fault light or issues with ABS/traction control, no fault codes, etc.

Filed Mar 12, 2020 · Acceleration, Brakes · 17,500 miles · MI

On monday 3/9/2020 around 6:45pm edt, I was driving in a residential zone approx. 25-30 MPH. I approached a stop sign and pressed the brake to stop the car. The car slowed slightly but did not stop, despite my intense pressure on the brake pedal. Instead, the engine revved spontaneously several times and I proceeded half-way through the (thankfully empty) intersection. I confirmed I was in regular drive gear (not the semi-manual mode), then quickly put the car in park to stop the vehicle, but the engine continued to rev. I turned the ignition off and back on, then continued driving without further incident. That night, I searched online and found another customer reported a nearly identical experience with a 2017 audi q5 on march 16 2017 (brakes failed problem). That customer's dealer found a fault with the ABS brake module, which was repaired. I took my car to an audi dealer (zip code 48301) the following day but they were unable to find any "faults" and therefore make any repairs. The vehicle is 2017 with approx. 17k miles, still under oem warranty.

Related recalls

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinderReported April 8, 2019 · 12,645 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.
Risk
A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.
Remedy
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.

Recall number 19V277000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliperReported June 1, 2018 · 10,225 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298 and Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.

Recall number 18V369000 · Recall details

Questions about the Audi Q5 abs

Why does the abs come on in the Audi Q5?

Owners who report it most often also describe sudden loss of power, brake failure and adaptive cruise control problems.

Which Audi Q5 years have aBS light or ABS activating problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2017 (3 complaints), 2014 (2 complaints) and 2018 (2 complaints).

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