2011 Audi S5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (4) · Power Train (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi S5 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail 2015-01-20 · campaign 15V019000 · 26,008 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.
Service bulletins (694)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-26 · TSB_2074436_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
Service Brakes 2026-08-21 · TSB_2069904_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for all models regarding brake sounds.
Service Brakes 2026-08-21 · TSB_2069078_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information on the zirconium insercts in the brake piston (ceramic brakes only).
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-11 · TSB_2079732_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when there is a paint issue on alloy wheels.
Showing the 6 most recent of 694 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2017-04-07 · Air Bags“the airbag in my car needs to be replaced but audi has offered no timetable as to when this may be possible. no solution is currently available. i find it disconcerting to be driving a car that has an airbag that could cause significant injury. updated 10/10/2017*js…”
2017-02-02 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 audi s5. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v078000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact had n…”
2017-01-31 · Unknown Or Other · 75,000 mi“while inspecting my 2011 s5 after purchase i noticed that the rear window was detaching from the top. the dealer repaired as a warranty repair. a few years later the top of the convertible roof on the inside started to sag. i can't prove the dealer was at fault but they were the last to work on the convertible roof. the repair is not worth the r…”
2017-01-31 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 audi s5. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v078000 (air bags). the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was aware of the issue. the contact had not expe…”
2017-01-31 · Unknown Or Other · 65,000 mi“in 2014 i noticed that the carbon fiber insert on the passenger side was peeling off. the dealer replaced it but then told me they repaired it by accident because it should not have been covered. a few months later the carbon fiber inserts in the back seats started to peel off. audi could not explain it. i had to tear them off because they were s…”
2017-01-18 · Power Train“unable to get parts for faulty mse transmission currently in my 2011. audi upgraded because of known problems to nsy model transmission and expects owner to pay expense. they did not and have not make the customer/consumer aware of this until you forced to take it in for service due to sensors and limited functionality in driving capabilities. v…”
2016-08-03 · Air Bags“takata recall - i have been notified by audi that the airbag in my car needs to be replaced but they have offered no timetable as to when this may be possible. no solution is currently available. i find it disconcerting to be driving a car that has an airbag that could cause significant injury.…”
2016-07-11 · Unknown Or Other · 46,000 mi“i recently purchased a used audi s5 cabriolet. after researching the vehicle and noting several posts about the rear window detaching from the top and having a friend who just had his a5 repaired this was something i was looking for. in my inspection of the vehicle i did confirm that the top had already pulled away at the bottom of the window. i po…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.