The Used Car Index

2018 Audi A5 problems

NHTSA lists 38 complaints for the 2018 Audi A5, 2 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-07.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as AUDI A5.

At a glance

Complaints
38
With crash
2
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
2
Deaths
0
Recalls
6
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
208,332
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
1,063

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE821.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER821.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM410.5%
SERVICE BRAKES410.5%
STRUCTURE410.5%
AIR BAGS37.9%
POWER TRAIN37.9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER37.9%
STEERING25.3%
SUSPENSION25.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS1
VISIBILITYSUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure1436.8%0.86
electrical electronic821.1%0.88
loss of control615.8%0.77
restraint or airbag37.9%0.94
fluid or fuel leak25.3%0.97
noise or comfort25.3%0.78
visibility or lighting25.3%0.91
structural or corrosion12.6%0.39
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate2668.4%0.78
low821.1%0.64
high410.5%0.95

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 38 tagged complaints of 38 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

6 recalls.

21V874000

Date: 2021-11-10. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEATS.

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 (excerpt)

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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 reme (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V547000

Date: 2019-07-24. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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.

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V893000

Date: 2018-12-17. Systems: SUSPENSION.

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.

Consequence: A loose front wheel may increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V836000

Date: 2018-11-27. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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.

Consequence: If the air bag does not deploy correctly in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of an injury.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V822000

Date: 2017-12-20. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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."

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V675000

Date: 2017-10-25. Systems: STRUCTURE.

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.

Consequence: The sharp edges of the speaker trim increase the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

1,063 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT339
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM284
STRUCTURE97
UNKNOWN OR OTHER85
POWER TRAIN59
STEERING55
SUSPENSION53
VISIBILITY51

11038027

Date: 2026-09-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.

11038130

Date: 2026-09-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

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.

11038024

Date: 2026-09-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.

11038042

Date: 2026-09-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.

This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.

11038056

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.

11038025

Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.

11038026

Date: 2026-09-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.

11038033

Date: 2026-09-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.

11038061

Date: 2026-09-02. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin provides information regarding fault finding and repair information for electric tailgate.

11036917

Date: 2026-08-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
A538

Same model, other years

All model years | All Audi models

Other Audi models, 2018

Sources

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