2020 Audi A5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (28) · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection (2) · Wheels (1)
🧭 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 (4)
Tires 2022-01-26 · campaign 22V034000 · 31,058 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
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.
Suspension:rear:axle:non-Powered Axle Assembly 2021-04-26 · campaign 21V295000 · 40,993 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Exterior Lighting:tail Lights 2020-11-25 · campaign 20V737000 · 5,426 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2020-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, and S5 Sportback vehicles. The wiring harness for the rear lights could be missing the anti-abrasion protection in the area of the spare wheel well.
Risk: Without the scuff protection, the wires may become damaged during a rear crash, disabling the doors from being opened from the outside, causing a loss of hazard lights, and increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will apply scuff protection, free of charge. The recall began January 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EU.
Service bulletins (1,082)
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.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2065871_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides informaiton when dtc b200ff0 is stored.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,082 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-10-18 · Electrical System“audi usa sent me a recall letter/service action for infotainment system software. the system reboots and shuts down unexpectedly while driving. took the car to a local audi dealership and they informed me that they cannot repair the recall because they now want to change my sos module in order for both to work. they are asking me to pay them $1,500…”
2025-08-05 · Electrical System“the multi-media interface (mmi) randomly reboots and poses a safety hazard. several times while reversing using my backup camera, the mmi has rebooted which causes the camera to go blank. this poses a risk to back up into an object or a person during this time. also during this time, the rear cross traffic warning system is disabled until the sy…”
2025-08-03 · Electrical System“the mmi which controls back up and 360 cameras, parking sensors, collision avoidance system, navigation, bluetooth, radio, etc reboots randomly without warning. there is no predictability and i have not been able to identify a trigger. there is no warning indicator on the dash or mmi before it happens. when it reboots the screen goes black and all …”
2025-07-31 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“hello, i am writing today to inform you about the safety concerns i have over my audis mmi issues. the mmi is the multi media infotainment which is operates my back up camera, proximity sensors and navigation. the mmi is stuck in a loop and reboots every 60 seconds. i was backing up and the mmi rebooted on me which abruptly stop streaming what was …”
2025-07-28 · Electrical System“the vehicle's multi-media interface (mmi) system is reportedly shutting down randomly while the vehicle is in operation. this issue occurs without warning and is intermittent, making it unpredictable. observed symptoms/events: complete loss of mmi functionality: the screen goes black, and all associated functions (navigation, radio, bluetooth, vehi…”
2025-07-27 · Electrical System“beginning in mid july 2025, the mmi system (screen in the center of the dashboard) reboots every 1-2 minutes. in addition to the large distraction this causes while driving, the constant rebooting disables the back-up camera, parking sensors, rear-cross traffic alerts, collision avoidance assist, navigation, as well as everything else that is contr…”
2025-07-25 · Unknown Or Other“the mmi resets every 3-5 minutes. this problem started approximately 9 months ago and has continued to happen more frequently. navigation, car play and the radio are affected. it is startling when the radio turns on when it was previously turned off. it is not possible to use the navigation system. the concern is that the mmi controls other …”
2025-07-23 · Electrical System“2020 audi a5 started randomly rebooting (mmi software) around mid april 2025, it happens i’d say every 5-20 minutes and it repeats all the time. the fact that audi/vw won't cover the cost to update their buggy software is very frustrating. i have notified audi usa about the issue and am awaiting a response if they will cover the labor cost @ pres…”
2025-07-22 · Back Over Prevention: Warnings“the mmi constantly reboots itself. i have had the car to two dealers and despite software updates, the problem continues. as a result of this, while i have been in reverse the cameras will automatically turn off,…”
2025-07-19 · Electrical System“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. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.