2011 Audi Q5 Air Bags Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 67 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 67 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2011 Audi Q5, 47% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 55,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (21% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Takata air bags: mentioned in 14 of 67 complaints (21%)

At what mileage do air bags problems happen?

Based on 9 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles0 · 0%
10k–25k miles0 · 0%
25k–50k miles3 · 33%
50k–75k miles3 · 33%
75k–100k miles1 · 11%
100k–150k miles2 · 22%
150k+ miles0 · 0%

How serious are the reports?

Of 67 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 2 an injury.

Audi Q5 air bags complaints by model year

Peak: 2012, with 85 complaints
2009: 162009162010: 502010502011: 672011672012: 852012852013: 1201312014: 3201432015: 2201522016: 5201652017: 3201732018: 132018132019: 3201932021: 1202112023: 4202342025: 420254

n = 257 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearAir Bags complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2025 Q549%—
2023 Q549%—
2021 Q511%—
2019 Q536%22,000
2018 Q5136%85,600
2017 Q537%51,600
2016 Q556%29,000
2015 Q522%30,000
2014 Q533%41,296
2013 Q511%—
2012 Q58551%50,000
2011 Q56747%55,000
2010 Q55050%70,000
2009 Q51652%54,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2016, with 32 complaints
2016: 322016322017: 252017252018: 2201822019: 7201972023: 120231

n = 67 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (3)

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleJan 30, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V082000 · 162,782 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Air bags:side/window; visibility:sun/moon roof assemblyJan 3, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V001000 · 234,057 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. 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. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: 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. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleFeb 10, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000 · 659,493 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

Accident head on collision with wall airbags didn't deploy

Received Jan 30, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11504366

Takata rcall not done

Received Jun 12, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11219507

Well first it was the takata airbag recall, but the one i'm complaining about is the recall for the fuel pump and also the fuel pump wiring which was also removed from our vehicle, and we're like two about how it was part of the recall for the fuel pump . Anyway i've already put a complaint about…

Received Jun 9, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11218745
Audi Q5
Audi Q5 GU 2.0 TDI in Filderstadt. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2011 Audi Q5s have air bags problems?

No. NHTSA has 67 owner complaints about air bags for the 2011 Audi Q5 (47% of the 143 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2011 Audi Q5 air bags?

Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do air bags problems start?

The median reported mileage is 55,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2011 Audi Q5?

The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 14 of 67 complaints.

See all 2011 Audi Q5 problems or air bags problems across all Q5 years.