The 2019 Audi A5 has 3 safety recalls and 12 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is vehicle speed control (4 complaints).
Recalls3safety recalls
Complaints12filed by owners
Crashes · fires1 · 0reported in complaints
Injuries · deaths0 · 0reported in complaints
Safety recalls
Tires
NHTSA recall 22V034000 · Jan 26, 2022 · 31,058 vehicles
Problem: 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
NHTSA recall 21V874000 · Nov 10, 2021 · 208,332 vehicles
Problem: 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.
Components: Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger; Seats
Problem: 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.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2019 Audi A5 2 DR AWD
Overall
Not Rated
Frontal crash
Not Rated
Side crash
Not Rated
Rollover
Not Rated
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Optional
2019 Audi A5 C AWD
Overall
Not Rated
Frontal crash
Not Rated
Side crash
Not Rated
Rollover
Not Rated
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Optional
2019 Audi A5 Sportback 4 DR AWD
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover
★★★★★
Rollover risk
9.9%
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Optional
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
A5 quattro
27mpg combined
City / highway
23 / 34 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM-S7) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel
A5 Cabriolet quattro
27mpg combined
City / highway
23 / 34 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM-S7) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel
A5 Sportback quattro
27mpg combined
City / highway
23 / 34 mpg
Fuel
Premium Gasoline
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM-S7) · All-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Vehicle speed control
4
0
0
0
2,150 mi
Steering
3
1
0
0
—
Forward collision avoidance Automatic emergency braking; Adaptive cruise control
2
0
0
0
—
Electrical system
2
0
0
0
—
Structure Body
1
0
0
0
—
Suspension
1
1
0
0
—
Wheels
1
1
0
0
—
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
—
Seats
1
0
0
0
—
Air bags
1
0
0
0
—
Back over prevention Sensing system › Camera
1
0
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Jan 21, 2025Electrical system I drive an 2019 Audi A5 and there is a terrible Auto start/stop malfunction and cruise control malfunction that has made this car unsafe to drive. The Auto start is featured on the A5 to "save gas," but however malfunctions and cuts off while driving or coming to a stop. Tonight on 1/21/2025 at 1:44 am it did just that. While sitting at the light it stalled out, manually crank it up attempt to get thru the light and it cuts off leaving my son and I stranded dead center of the intersection leaving the two of us sitting ducks. I look and there is traffic coming and we were nearly taken out by an oncoming vehicle after my 5th attempt to start up the car before finally pulling off. Prior I was…
Apr 30, 2024 · 25,000 milesElectrical system The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated while starting the vehicle and shifting into reverse(R), the message "SOS System Deactivated" was displayed, and the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact shifted to park(P) and shifted back to reverse(R); however, the failure persisted. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle and shifting to reverse(R), the rearview camera became operable, but the message "SOS System Deactivated" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was at a complete stop two weeks later, the Audi pre-sense warning light illuminated, and an alarm sounded. The windows rolled up independently, and the front driver's side seat…
Jan 2, 2023Steering Hello, I was driving down highway at 55mph when my Electric Power steering Failed suddenly. I almost crashed to the barrier as I was in the passing lane. My steering failure message popped up on my instrument cluster and steering wheel became stiff. I had my mom and niece in the vehicle with me. This vehicle could had hurt all three of us. It is difficult to turn the steering wheel now. Failure message is still active.
Jan 1, 2022Seats The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V874000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Nov 2, 2021 · 20,000 milesLatches/locks/linkages The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked with the engine running, all four doors of the vehicle locked independently while she was outside of the vehicle and in possession of the keys. The contact was unable to unlock the door of the vehicle using the key fob or the keys manually. There was no warning light illuminated. The contactâs son who was occupying the vehicle assisted her in unlocking the doors. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while her two-year-old daughter was in the car seat on the rear passengerâs side. The contact was unable to unlock the door of the vehicle using the key fob or the keys manually. The contact was…
Dec 9, 2021 · 17,000 milesSteering The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Steering Malfunction" message displayed on the instrument panel and continued flashing. Moments later the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who discovered that the power steering module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 17,000.
Sep 21, 2021 · crashSteering I was driving when the rear of my car began vibrating, then fishtailing and I lost control and hit a curb resulting in mostly forward damage. In reviewing the Preliminary Estimate from the auto-shop and insurance adjuster, there was quite a bit of damage to the Rear Suspension including a broken Trailing arm lock nut, washer, and bolt, as well as the Protector lining, lower control arm, its lock nut and the control arm mount bolt. The broken rear axle components caused me to lose control of my vehicle resulting in forward impact with a curb. My car was deemed a total loss with $28K in estimated repairs.
Aug 3, 2021Forward collision avoidance › Automatic emergency braking On three different occasions, I have experienced automatic emergency braking of the car which, rather than keeping me safe, placed me in a very dangerous situation. Each time, I was in a controlled intersection on a green light and in the left turn lane, with oncoming traffic also having a green light. When it was amply safe to make the left turn, with oncoming traffic at a safe distance from the intersection, I began my left turn. Just as my car was turning in front of that oncoming traffic, and just as I needed to proceed safely and promptly through the intersection, the Pre-Sense system jammed on the brakes, stopping my car in the path of oncoming traffic. In the time it took to get over…
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.