Owners have filed 232 complaints on the Audi A5, covering 2008–2025. The system named most often is Electrical System (66 reports). Worst years by volume: 2020, 2013, 2010; cleanest: 2008, 2015, 2016. 4 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 5.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Audi A5
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 232 A5 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 66 Read
While I was driving, my car started to slow down and eventually stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning sensors or indicators on the car. II then started to see smoke coming from my hood and decided to turn off the car and get out to inspect. On the right front side, I saw a fire under the car. The…
13 Jun 25 2100 hrs - Auto went thru multiple of errors and transmission would not go into gear, electric door locks released all emergency pull handles and car was not able to move. Called Audi Emergency Service. Tried to get out of vehicle and door could not be opened from inside the vehicle. I had friend come and…
The MMI infotainment head unit reboots spontaneously and repeatedly while the vehicle is in operation. The screen freezes, goes black, and restarts, reliably within 7-8 minutes of completing the previous boot. This repeats continuously for the duration of any drive. I have verified this is not related to a connected…
Air Bags 30 Read
My brother lost control from the tires being worn unevenly wich caused him to lose traction. The airbags in the car on the passenger side where the steel pole made contact, failed to deploy. The seatbelt was defective because he was seatbelted and the belt broke
I have had multiple issues with this vehicle. After having it for a few months while on a road trip the car begin high pitched beeping and several warning lights displayed with messages stating Audi pre sense malfunction: contact customer service/ AES/AEB unavailable. Safety System: malfunction: See Owners Manual.…
The passenger side air bag indicator constantly turns off and on in my Audi no matter if there is or is not a passenger in the seat. I took my vehicle to an authorized Audi service center to have the issue checked and they determined the issue to be a failed pods mat based on the error code returned. Upon researching,…
Engine 30 Read
The contact owned a 2013 audi a5. While parked at home, the vehicle caught fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. There were no injuries. A year later, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign…
NHTSA recall 17V-002 cooling pump overheating. On friday may 26, 2017 on are about 0645 I received a call from the base police stating that my car was on fire in the parking lot. I had been at work since 0600 there were no indications of any problems while driving to work no dashboard lights were on my car was due for…
The contact owns a 2025 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated without warning to approximately 20 MPH. The contact activated the hazard lights and safely maneuvered the vehicle onto the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle remained stopped for…
Steering 22 Read
I was driving when the rear of my car began vibrating, then fishtailing and I lost control and hit a curb resulting in mostly forward damage. In reviewing the Preliminary Estimate from the auto-shop and insurance adjuster, there was quite a bit of damage to the Rear Suspension including a broken Trailing arm lock nut,…
While approaching a turn I slowed down , another car came around the right side. My car wasn't resoonding I wasn't able to bear right around curve and went across road and up hill. Approaching hill felt like I didn't have power steering, I took 2 hands and grabbed the steering wheel and forced myself to go down ,…
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Steering Malfunction" message displayed on the instrument panel and continued flashing. Moments later the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer…
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 Read
I own a 2018 Audi A5. Many critical cooling system parts — including the thermostat housing, water pump housing, radiator end tanks, breather tubes, and quick-connect hoses — are made of plastic and sit in constant exposure to coolant temperatures over 200°F. Over time, these components become brittle, crack, and fail…
The contact owns a 2014 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving 30-70 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving for an hour or stopped at a light. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact waited for 10 minutes to restart, but the vehicle shut off again. The ECP…
The contact owns a 2013 audi a5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V229000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer (audi sugar land,…
Power Train 7 Read
The contact stated that his son owns a 2013 audi a5. The contact stated while vehicle was parked and not running, it crashed into a fence without warning on private property. There were no fire, reported injuries or police report filed. The contact was concerned that there was a failure with the transmission. The…
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? TRANSMISSION - GEAR SHIFT How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? THE CAR STOPPED SHIFTING GEARS AND WE WHEN THE CAR INSTRUCTED US TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY IT WASN'T A SAFE PLACE TO STOP THE CAR. Has the…
The water pump failed on my vehicle. Initially reported 2/2025 at Authorized Audi Service Center. They claimed it was normal for coolant to dip. Audi USA Confirmed I have a settlement class vehicle in 03/2025. Mentioned an 80K Mileage limit. (Car only had 69K miles at the time) When the issue persisted I reached out…
Structure 7 Read
Sunroof exploded driving down the road
I have Autoimmune disorder and extreme inflammation. Simply Google Dissecting Cellulitis of the Scalp to truly understand how much i hate my glass or whatever material roof which after Ceramic Tinting limousine tint the roof my condition has worsen since I got this vehicle last November. I've always had Audis and I…
Water is collecting in the rear passenger door well or the door sill. Water sloshing is heard when braking or accelerating from stop. Problem is more severe after rains or car washes
Tires 5 Read
Audi A5 Quattro Purchased new 06/2025. Dealer = Audi Lakeland 1215 Griffen Road Lakeland, FL 33805 Phone: (863) 284-0880 Contact = Service Manager Gary Downey Tire = Bridgestone Turanza LS100 235/45R18 98H REO (Extra Load) Run Flat Tire Tire also includes “Enliten” - don’t know if that is part of model name Brought…
Tire Size 255/35R19. My 2 front tires suffered from belt separation and I replaced the tires on 6/18/24 (new car milage 15238) at Tire Choice Auto Service Center. My low tire pressure light was on and I made an appointment for an evaluation thinking I may have a nail puncture, however the tire shop manager called me…
The contact owns a 2023 Audi A5 equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Continental Pure Contact GXAO, Front Tires Sizes: 255/35/R19, DOT Number: CP32WMC9, Rear Tires Sizes: 255/35/R19, DOT Number: CP32WMC9, Rear. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24T009000 (Tires); however, the part to…
A5 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Electrical System,back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags,forward Collision Avoidance | — | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags,seats | — | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags,seat Belts,wheels | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags,seats | 1 | — | |
| 2018 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2013 | Electrical System | 2 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Electrical System,air Bags,service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 176 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.1 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the A5?
By complaint volume, 2020, 2013, 2010 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which A5 years are the cleanest?
2008, 2015, 2016 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Audi A5 have?
232 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2008–2025. Of those, 4 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.