What breaks most · 2008 to 2026 model years
Audi A5 problems by year
Owners have filed 323 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi A5 across model years 2008 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2020 for electrical system complaints, 2018 for engine complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2016 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2020, 2018, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2016, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 3232008 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202060 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 83 fires · 5 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 48kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 36Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (3) | |
| 34 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (14) | |
| 25 | 2 | 0 | Air bags (14) | |
| 22 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (11) | |
| 35 | 2 | 3 | Engine (12) | |
| 28 | 0 | 3 | Steering (9) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 7 | 0 | 3 | Engine (3) | |
| 37 | 2 | 6 | Unknown or other (8) | |
| 12 | 1 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (4) | |
| 60 | 1 | 4 | Electrical system (41) | |
| 7 | 0 | 5 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Tires (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Tires (4) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | Forward collision system (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Forward collision system (1) |
What fails on the 2020 Audi A5
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 68% |
41 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 42% |
25 | 0 | — |
| Backup camera and sensorsCameras and park sensors | 25% |
15 | 0 | Shop all backup camera and sensors parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Lane departure systemCamera sensors | 5% |
3 | 0 | Shop all lane departure system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 3% |
2 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Wheels | 2% |
1 | 1 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 2% |
1 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 2% |
1 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The computer of the car (the MMI) is constantly rebooting. Once I turn on the vehicle it’ll start up normally and after about 1 minute or two it’ll go black and everything will restart.
-
Start stop system failure Warning displayed Check engine light Car hesitates IF the start stop happens to decide to function At times it won’t work at all
-
There is an intermittant fault with the intake manifold change over flap, it's sticking. Replacement would be $1311.56 before tax. It appears to be working ok now, but it could fail in the near future.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Audi A5 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2020, 2018, 2013 carry the most filings on the Audi A5. The 2020 alone has 60 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Audi A5 problem?
On the 2020 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 41 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi A5 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi A5 complaints that include mileage is about 48,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.