2025 Audi S5 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Lane Departure: Warning (3) · Engine (2) · Wheels (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 (2)
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2025-12-19 · campaign 25V899000 · 27,768 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2025 SQ6 E-Tron, SQ6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 Sportback E-Tron, A6, A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 E-Tron, S5, and S6 Sportback E-Tron vehicles. The automatic locking retractor may fail to engage when a child seat is installed using the seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Risk: An improperly secured child seat can increase risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the right and left rear seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 16, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69D8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
Seat Belts:front:retractor 2025-09-24 · campaign 25V638000 · 1,042 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 GTI, Golf R, Audi A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, S5, S6 Sportback E-Tron, 2026 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, and Q4 E-Tron vehicles. The torsion bar in one or both front seat belt retractors may have been damaged during production.
Risk: In a crash, a damaged torsion bar in a retractor could fail. If this happens, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace one or both front seat belts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 30, 2025, and October 31, 2025. Owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834 or Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 69UM; Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 694T. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 26, 2025.
Service bulletins (596)
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.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2082223_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information regarding software update kd2* 03.11.00/c (28.14.01).
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2081477_7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides an overview of the combined software updates for cluster 3; ppe/ppc.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2080988_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the rear lid only opens/clolses slightly and then stops.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2080076_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when there is an engine warning lamp on; dtc p157000 is logged in the ecm.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2079976_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when there is occasionally audio output for entertainment when the vehicle is started.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · TSB_2079975_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides informaiton when the sound output pauses automatically after starting the vehicle.
Showing the 6 most recent of 596 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-06 · Lane Departure: Warning“i am filing this safety complaint regarding my 2025 audi s5, vin [xxx]. since taking delivery on [xxx], the vehicle has experienced repeated and intermittent malfunctions involving the driver-assistance and steering systems. on numerous occasions, the lane departure warning/lane assist system has applied unexpected and excessive steering input. whe…”
2026-08-31 · Lane Departure: Assist“the lane keep assist system will randomly attempt to steer into the shoulder or oncoming lane. this requires rapid correction from the driver to maintain travel within the lane. the most recent incident attempted to steer the vehicle into an oncoming school bus. multiple repair attempts have been made by three dealers, the third of which perfo…”
2026-06-21 · Service Brakes“i was making a left hand turn at an intersection with no cars in immediate proximity to my car and the emergency braking system activated violently causing the car to shut off. the pre sense light came on the dashboard. this happened 3 different times. i went to freehold audi and they stated the pre sense was doing its job. i reported this to audi …”
2026-05-23 · Lane Departure: Warning“all driver assistance features shut down randomly when starting vehicle for at least 45 minutes. had to drive vehicle without safety features to get home. without lane assist-fwd collision-side collision alert-rear traffic alert etc make vehicle difficult to drive and could result in accident. dealer and audi are aware of problem have tried to fix …”
2026-04-24 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“since the day of delivery, this 2025 audi s5 has experienced daily electronic and safety system failures. at least once per day, on startup, the vehicle throws 10 or more warning codes disabling safety-critical systems including blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, forward collision avoidance, rear traffic alert, and adaptive lighting. th…”
2026-04-23 · Engine · 8,577 mi“the contact owns a 2025 audi s5. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle failed to respond while attempting to drive. the vehicle was restarted after the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed o…”
2026-04-14 · Lane Departure: Warning“when starting vehicle every three or four days all safety systems fail and takes anywhere from one hour to 12 hours to reset. this forces me to drive vehicle without any safety systems i.e fwd collision, rear traffic alert, lane assist , side view mirror alerts, heads up display adaptive lighting. dealer claims there is no fix at present and cannot…”
2025-11-26 · Wheels“below is a detailed timeline of the problems i experienced: intermittent starting issue over the past few months, the car has occasionally failed to start on the first attempt. it always started on the second try, so i planned to mention it at the next service visit. complete mmi/display blackout while driving on the highway in the middle of my …”
2025-11-25 · Vehicle Speed Control“system malfunctions for new all new 2025 audi s5 including drive system malfunction, loose wheel, brakes limited functionality, parking break malfunction, stabilization control malfunction, driving dynamics system malfunction, hold assist malfunction.…”
2025-11-25 · Engine“known-best assesment-piston skirt defect and non-disclosure of prior issues: approximately only three months after purchase of a brand new 2025 audi s5 on 6/11/25 , i received a letter from audi of america acknowledging a potential piston skirt defect/failure resulting from faulty material and/or workmanship. they extended the part warranty for 8 y…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.