What breaks most · 2008 to 2026 model years
Audi S5 problems by year
Owners have filed 141 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi S5 across model years 2008 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2018 for engine complaints, 2020 for electrical system complaints and 2010 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2021 and 2022.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2020, 2010
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2021, 2022
- Complaints on file
- 1412008 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 201826 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 30 fires · 6 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 59kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 22Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 20 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (10) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (4) | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (8) | |
| 16 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (10) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 26 | 2 | 2 | Engine (9) | |
| 6 | 0 | 4 | Engine (3) | |
| 25 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | Suspension (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Tires (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Forward collision system (1) |
What fails on the 2018 Audi S5
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 35% |
9 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2018 Audi S5 |
| Unknown or other | 31% |
8 | 1 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 12% |
3 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 12% |
3 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 8% |
2 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
2 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Parking Brake | 8% |
2 | 1 | — |
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.
-
Forward collision warning and mitigation system (pre sense city) did not work to prevent an accident where i rear ended a car that was stationary. No warning or action was taken by the car. Police report attached.
-
The radio (mmi system) is rebooting while driving every 5-10 min. Dealership can't fix and is affecting safety sytems like front and rear cameras/sensors.
-
While driving in traffic the car will lose power without warning. Which makes it very dangerous to pull over almost hitting upcoming traffic with no acceleration. Audi says it's a mechatronic unit.
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 S5 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2020, 2010 carry the most filings on the Audi S5. The 2018 alone has 26 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Audi S5 problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi S5 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi S5 complaints that include mileage is about 59,000 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.