2018 Audi A5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (6) · Visibility/Wiper (3) · Service Brakes (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A5 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2021-11-10 · campaign 21V874000 · 208,332 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Risk: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-07-24 · campaign 19V547000 · 145,337 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2018 S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, S4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and 2017-2018 A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles. Oxidation on the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) connecting cable may cause the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Risk: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install cable ties to the harness, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 74D9.
Suspension:front 2018-12-17 · campaign 18V893000 · 36 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of North America (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A5 Sportback vehicles. The front suspension fasteners may not have been sufficiently tightened during vehicle production, possibly resulting in a front wheel becoming loose.
Risk: A loose front wheel may increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the front suspension fasteners, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 23, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40O2.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-11-27 · campaign 18V836000 · 12 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A5 Sportback and 2017-2018 Audi A4 Allroad vehicles. A passenger air bag module mounting screw may not have been sufficiently tightened, possibly affecting the deployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bag does not deploy correctly in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of an injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bag mounting screw, tightening or replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y4.
Air Bags:side/Window 2017-12-20 · campaign 17V822000 · 8,037 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A5 Coupe vehicles. The affected vehicles were built with head curtain air bag assemblies that may not unfold properly. As such, these vehicle fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the head curtain air bag, if the air bag does not deploy properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will modify the head curtain air bags so that they deploy properly, free of charge. The recall began on January 18, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 11-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69T7.
Structure:body:door:hinge And Attachments 2017-10-25 · campaign 17V675000 · 31,323 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad, and 2018 A5 Sportback vehicles. The aluminum trim on the front and rear doors can come loose from around the door speakers, leaving sharp edges exposed.
Risk: The sharp edges of the speaker trim increase the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the speaker cover aluminum trim, free of charge. The recall began March 13, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 70G6.
Service bulletins (1,063)
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_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
Structure:body 2026-09-18 · TSB_2078648_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,063 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-15 · Power Train“without warning or alerts from vehicle, car became disabled while partially into a left turn at a four way intersection. car engine would rev, but not move. gear selector worked, but wheels would not turn. front wheels were completely locked and vehicle had to be dragged onto a flatbed truck. police had to be dispatched to ensure safely of other dr…”
2026-08-28 · Suspension“2018 audi a5 sportback has 16,500 miles only on it. used for city driving only; never off road. recently went in for annual inspection and was told that my right rear coil spring had snapped in two and vehicle was unsafe to drive. took vehicle to local audi dealer and they confirmed broken coil spring; they wanted $3000 to repair the vehicle. i too…”
2026-08-10 · Air Bags“my 2018 audi a5 sportback previously received audi safety recall 74e3 on january 27, 2023. the recall repair documentation indicates a seat pod (passenger occupant detection system) update was performed. several years later, the vehicle developed another passenger airbag fault. the vehicle displays a message indicating the front passenger airbag is…”
2026-02-18 · Electrical System“the mmi ( main screen) system randomly reboots every 5 minutes, even when using carplay, which is unsafe. please check it out. thank you!…”
2026-02-11 · Electrical System“i turned on my car and several malfunctions came on the dash,and would not start and went in limp mode. a local mechanic stated it's the electrical component of the coolant pump causing malfunction. he also stated that could lead the car catching fire if overheats since the 5v is dipping below due to the faulty coolant /water pump. ultimately forc…”
2025-09-29 · Engine And Engine Cooling“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 prematurely. recently, the pl…”
2025-09-08 · Power Train“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 for repair in accordance to …”
2025-07-25 · Engine“the vehicle has 36000 miles on it and the oil cooler has failed. the car is meticulously maintained. this failure compromises the ability for the engine to cool properly. because of the failure, coolant is then forced into the engine oil potentially destroying the engine. engine replacements are 10,000 for these types of cars. audi is aware o…”
2025-06-25 · Engine“engine shuts off occasionally whilst cornering at very low speed. no warning. been happening for several years. …”
2025-05-08 · Steering · 94,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 audi a5. the contact stated while driving 55-60 mph, the yellow message "steering malfunction - safe to drive" was displayed. the contact continued driving 40 mph, and the message turned red, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. the contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. the contact turned off a…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.