Reliability & cost of ownership
Audi A5 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Audi A5? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Audi A5 problems by model year
36 recall entries and 295 owner complaints on file across 19 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 A5 | 0 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2025 A5 | 2 | 0 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2024 A5 | 0 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2023 A5 | 0 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 A5 | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 A5 | 5 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 A5 | 4 | 60 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 A5 | 3 | 12 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 A5 | 6 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 A5 | 2 | 0 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2016 A5 | 3 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 A5 | 3 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 A5 | 3 | 28 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 A5 | 3 | 35 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 A5 | 0 | 22 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 A5 | 0 | 24 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 A5 | 0 | 34 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 A5 | 1 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 A5 | 1 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Audi A5, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system78 complaints
- engine53 complaints
- unknown or other48 complaints
- air bags47 complaints
- steering25 complaints
- back over prevention18 complaints
- power train16 complaints
- structure13 complaints