The Audi Q5’s hood release lever is found in the driver’s side footwell, but you’ll have to manually release the secondary safety catch to open the hood.

Written by Matthew Lynaugh

Reviewed by Brittni Brinn

Updated on Jan 18, 2023

Table of Contents

Where is the hood release on an Audi Q5?
How to open the hood on an Audi Q5
How to repair the Audi Q5 hood release

To open your Audi Q5’s engine cover, you’ll first have to pull the hood release lever found in the driver’s side footwell area. After that, make your way to the front of the car, and disengage the auxiliary safety latch.

Sooner or later you’ll have to get under the hood of your Audi Q5. Whether you’re just topping off your windshield wiper fluid or having some serious car repairs done, accessing your Audi’s engine bay is usually your opening move. How to execute that move isn’t always clear, however.

In this article, we’ll show you how to open the hood on your Audi Q5. We’ll tell you where to find your Audi hood release, how to use it, how much a hood release replacement costs, and whether a damaged hood release is covered by your

car insurance

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Where is the hood release on an Audi Q5?

The Audi Q5’s hood release mechanism is located in the driver’s side footwell area on the A-pillar where the driver’s side door hinges on your Audi’s frame.

A vehicle’s hood release can be tough to spot sometimes. They are usually located under the driver’s side dash or in the driver’s side footwell area and often have a picture of a car with its hood up painted on it. When you pull this lever, your hood will pop up slightly, leaving enough room for your fingers between the hood and the frog grille.

There is a safety catch underneath the hood of your Q5 that you’ll need to release to fully open your Audi’s hood. To find the safety catch lever, simply feel around under the center of the hood after you’ve pulled the hood release lever in your vehicle’s cabin. Depending on the year of your Q5 you’ll either have to pull up on the latch lever or push the latch lever to the left.

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How to open the hood on an Audi Q5

Once you’ve released the safety catch you can fully

open your car’s hood

. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

Pull the hood release lever found in the driver’s side footwell of your Audi Q5. You should hear your Q5’s hood release.

Feel under the hood at the front and center of your Q5 for the safety catch release lever.

Pull the safety catch release lever up or to the left (depending on the year of your Q5) and pull up on the hood, opening it fully.

Your Q5’s hood has built-in hood support and will stay open on its own with no need for you to use a prop rod.

Once your Audi’s hood is open, you can begin whatever task you set out to do. But, if your hood release isn’t working properly, you might have to gain access to your engine bay with a little extra cunning.

What if the hood release latch doesn’t work?

If your hood is not releasing when you pull the release lever inside your Q5, you might be looking at a broken hood latch release cable. Not to worry—you’ll still be able to open your Audi Q5’s hood with a large flathead screwdriver.

First, you’ll have to remove your Q5’s front grille to be able to get at your vehicle’s hood latch. Then, using your flathead screwdriver, apply some force on the latch lock to free it from the spring.

This type of procedure might understandably be outside your comfort zone, and you may prefer to take your Q5 to your local Audi dealer to have a certified Audi professional fix the issue.

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How to repair the Audi Q5 hood release

If you need to replace your Audi Q5 hood latch or release cable, you might want to enlist the help of a trained Audi technician. These types of components can prove quite tedious to replace for amateur mechanics.

The cost to replace an Audi Q5 hood latch range from $316 to $330 with the bulk of that—$260—going toward labor, while parts alone will cost somewhere between $56 and $70, but how much of that you’ll pay depends on a few factors. If the repair is covered under your

Audi warranty

, you might not have to pay anything—if it’s not covered, you may have to foot the bill yourself.

An Audi dealership will replace your Q5’s hood release latch with OEM parts, which are typically more expensive than aftermarket components. If you have

OEM coverage

on your car insurance policy, you may have some or all of the cost of the parts covered. If not, you may be able to save money by taking your Audi to an independent mechanic who will use aftermarket components.

If the latch was damaged in a crash, the repairs may be covered by the at-fault driver’s

liability insurance

. But even if the accident was your fault, you might still be able to have the repair costs covered by your insurance policy’s

collision coverage

. If you have no such coverage, however, you’ll be responsible for the full cost of the repairs.

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What to do when a car warranty isn’t honored

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