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2018 Audi A5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 13 of 38 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

38 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2023
Structure

Sunroof exploded while driving down the highway. There was no impact from foreign objects and glass breakage shows upward breaks. No injury sustained due to shade being closed.

NHTSA ODI #11517462

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2022
Engine

I am experiencing an oil leak, the car has 49000 miles and Audi has issued a TSB, yet upon my outreach to Audi North they are aware of the issue of leaks developing yet have not offered either warranty extensions or a recall yet.

NHTSA ODI #11498640

16,000 miles · Dec 7, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the gears unexpectedly shifted. Additionally, on one occasion, the vehicle lost motive power for two full days. The vehicle was later able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the En…

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the gears unexpectedly shifted. Additionally, on one occasion, the vehicle lost motive power for two full days. The vehicle was later able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the Engine Control Unit (ECU) was replaced; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle also experienced a loss of power steering. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to various other unknown dealers; however, the mechanics were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.

NHTSA ODI #11496449

Mileage unknown · Oct 3, 2022
VisibilityInjury

Malfunctioning sunroof: I was the only vehicle on a flat paved road, partly cloudy skies and 65°. I had issues last summer, where when the sunroof was in the tilted position, it would not close securely. When I exited the vehicle to see what the issue was, I noticed the driver side corner was still in the tilted position, wherea…

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Malfunctioning sunroof: I was the only vehicle on a flat paved road, partly cloudy skies and 65°. I had issues last summer, where when the sunroof was in the tilted position, it would not close securely. When I exited the vehicle to see what the issue was, I noticed the driver side corner was still in the tilted position, whereas the passenger side corner of the panoramic sunroof, was latched and secured. Causing the glass to warp. After messing with the switch a few times, it finally “popped* alarmingly loud, but closed completely. I informed Audi of this issue the next day, and had them add it to my upcoming service. The sunroof functioned normally up until the appointment. Audi could not get it to reproduce the issue, and during other maintenance like fluid top offs, they greased the track of the sliding roof. Few months later it done it once again then was fine for a few more months, until yesterday 10/02/2022. I got in my car to drive to meet family for my birthday dinner, tilted my sunroof as I do. When I pushed the tilt, it popped loud like it did the first time but opened. I never touched it again. About 12 minutes into driving, I’m on the interstate going 65-70MPH when all the sudden I hear what sounds like a gunshot, followed the downward force of glass shards. The sunroof exploded. Glass projectiles all in my hair, eyes, shirt, and all over the vehicle and my face. Had it not been for having the “autopilot” engaged, I would have unavoidably wrecked. I called Audi this morning and got it into service asap so they could begin repairs. However they don’t want to admit fault to this, and say it should be insurance claim. I can not put into words how terrible that experience was, nor would I ever wish for it to happen to others, as it unfortunately does. Just googling “A5 sunroof exploding” opens cans of worms regarding this issue. Unless Audi will accept fault, this expense is expected to be a $3,000 repair bill. I’m still digging glass out of my skin.

NHTSA ODI #11487743

Mileage unknown · Aug 15, 2022
Unknown Or Other

i have a 2018 audi a5 premium plus cabriolet 2D. At 13000 miles all tires were determined to be worn to the point of being unsafe by the audi dealer.they were at 2/32, 3/32.My complaint is against audi for putting a failed type of tire on this new car. This has caused a dangerous condition for this car.This can be verified at th…

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i have a 2018 audi a5 premium plus cabriolet 2D. At 13000 miles all tires were determined to be worn to the point of being unsafe by the audi dealer.they were at 2/32, 3/32.My complaint is against audi for putting a failed type of tire on this new car. This has caused a dangerous condition for this car.This can be verified at the audi in sarasota florida.

NHTSA ODI #11479326

Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2022
Engine

Large coolant leak due to faulty plastic thermostat and water pump which can cause overheating, catastrophic engine failure, and fire, putting consumers at risk. The thermostat housing has been replaced by the dealership, but not the water pump, just the water pump seal. There were no warnings prior to the failure, and was only …

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Large coolant leak due to faulty plastic thermostat and water pump which can cause overheating, catastrophic engine failure, and fire, putting consumers at risk. The thermostat housing has been replaced by the dealership, but not the water pump, just the water pump seal. There were no warnings prior to the failure, and was only diagnosed after a visual inspection under the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11467989

Mileage unknown · Jun 6, 2021
Exterior LightingCrash

On the dark evening of 23 January 2021 a deer from the side of the Ohio Turnpike came onto the edge of my lane of roadway, did a Uturn and kicked the front fascia of my car. I slowed but couldn’t avoid the collision because of NHTSA rule Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. I did not see the deer in time to slo…

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On the dark evening of 23 January 2021 a deer from the side of the Ohio Turnpike came onto the edge of my lane of roadway, did a Uturn and kicked the front fascia of my car. I slowed but couldn’t avoid the collision because of NHTSA rule Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. I did not see the deer in time to slow further, which would have allowed emergency maneuvers. If I was driving this same car in Europe, or Canada or Japan, I would have Adaptive driving beams on my vehicle. There is often only seconds to act at night, at speed and the glare from oncoming drivers contributes to this lack of safety on American Roads. NHTSA has allowed Tesla to experiment with unproven technologies such as ‘AutoPilot’ on American retail vehicles, with LIDAR/RADAR, cameras, software and now the removal by TESLA of the LIDAR/RADAR functionality, which, allegedly, has resulted in deaths of drivers on US roads. However, NHTSA has been negligent by delaying passage of revisions to FMVSS 108 to allow ADBs on US Roads, a proven safety technology in the EU and around the world, requested by Toyota and MB and other manufacturers in 2013 and since. This is inexcusable on NHTSA part. This either represents incompetence or negligence on NHTSA part, since there has been insufficient regulatory revision in eight years! As a former Emergency Medicine Physician and now Radiologist who has traveled to Canada and the EU, and having cared for patients injured at night in vehicle crashes, as well as being involved in my own that could have been prevented, I can not understand the delay by NHTSA of eight years to complete this approval when the overwhelming evidence proves the technology of ADB not only safe and effective but enhancing safety of all concerned, including pedestrians. Here is a link to the most recent article supporting this proven technology: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/we-need-to-legalize-adaptive-driving-beams-already-for-safety-s-sake/ar-BB1gUAhR

NHTSA ODI #11419800

60,000 miles · Apr 19, 2021
Visibility/wiper

DRIVING STRAIGHT, ABOUT 60 MPH ON A TWO LANE ROAD, FAR REMOVED FROM ANY OTHER VEHICLES, MY SUNROOF/MOONROOF GLASS EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS VISIBLE DAMAGE THAT I WAS AWARE OF. NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND TO HAVE 'KICKED UP' A ROCK OR STONE. EXPLODED WITHOUT WARNING.

NHTSA ODI #11412812

24,500 miles · Jan 26, 2021
Air Bags

WITH THE FRONT PASSANGER SEAT OCCUPIED BY AN ADULT, DISPLAY ON THE DASH RANDAMLY DIPLAYS "PASSANGER AIRBAG OFF" THEN DISPLAYS "PASSANGER AIRBAG ON". DISPLAY SWITCHES BETWEEN THE TWO. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY OR CITY ROAD DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI #11390038

30,000 miles · Sep 28, 2020
StructureUnknown Or OtherInjury

THE ELECTRONIC TRUNK OF MY AUDI A5 FAILED TO STOP CLOSING ONCE IT HIT ME ON THE HEAD. THE HATCH KEPT CLOSING IN UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO MOVE MY BODY OUT OF THE WAY HOWEVER AT THIS POINT THE HATCH ALREADY CAUSED A LACERATION TO MY SKULL WHICH RESULTED IN A VISIT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE ENGINE WAS ON.

NHTSA ODI #11361546

Official recalls

6

21V874000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger; Seats

Nov 10, 2021

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.

Consequence & remedy

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

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 remedy.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

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.

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

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 remedy.

Seats

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.

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

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 remedy.

19V547000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Jul 24, 2019

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 & remedy

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

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.

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

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.

18V893000 · Suspension:front

Dec 17, 2018

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 & remedy

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.

18V836000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Nov 27, 2018

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 & remedy

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.

17V822000 · Air Bags:side/window

Dec 20, 2017

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 & remedy

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.

17V675000 · Structure:body:door:hinge And Attachments

Oct 25, 2017

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 & remedy

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.