Reliable Auto DB

2016 Audi A5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Audi A5 over 11 years — 0 per year. The other A5 years sit at about the same rate: their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Cooling system and Wiring.

2012 Audi A5
Photo by Lothar Spurzem, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Complaints

7

Per year

0

Recalls

3

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (3 of 7), then Powertrain (2) and Electrical system (1).

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 A5 has 9 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2017 has 2 complaints, 1 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Audi A5. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system 2018-04-11 · NHTSA campaign 18V229000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.
Recall electrical system, wiring 2017-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 17V622000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6.
Recall engine and cooling, cooling system 2017-01-03 · NHTSA campaign 17V002000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.

Complaints by component (7 total)

Engine
3
Powertrain
2
Electrical system
1
Steering
1
Structure
1
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120181201912021220241202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Immediately after taking it home from a dealership, I noticed the MMI system wasn’t turning on. I figured it would fix itself, but it’s been 4 days and nothing has happened. The screen stays black when starting the car.…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-01-18
  • "On August 3, 2025, my wife and I came home from dinner and I couldn’t get out of the driver’s side door. I took it to Naples Audi where I bought the car and delt with its Assistant Service Manager and Service Advisor.…"
    Structure · filed 2025-08-07
  • "Car went into limp mode and check engine light came on."
    Electrical system · filed 2024-09-05
  • "Electromechanical steering rack has gone out. Had this completely failed while driving myself and others could be put in serious harm of a collision or crash. There are many online complaints and issues with the audi…"
    Steering · filed 2024-03-19
  • "The drive chain broke, causing permanent damage to the engine which requires a complete engine replacement. The car was 5 + years old with 38,000 miles on it and well maintained."
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2021-08-31

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Audi A5 2 DR AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Audi A5 C AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
A5 Cabriolet quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $3300
A5 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $3300
A5 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed All-wheel drive 22 32 26 MPG $3050

Specs and fitment

8T A5, 2012–2017
Body styles Coupe, Cabriolet
Oil 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (Audi/VW-approved; 2.0T) , 4.9 qt capacity
Tire size 245/40R18, 255/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V-229 covers certain 2013-2017 A5 Cabriolet and A5 Sedan vehicles (with Q5, A4, and A6 also listed) with 2.0L Turbo FSI engines: an electric coolant pump may become blocked or short-circuited, increasing fire risk; dealers replace the pumps. Related recall 17V-002 updates software to cut pump power if the pump becomes blocked. Recall 17V-622 covers certain 2013-2016 A5 Coupe and A5 Cabriolet vehicles (with A4 and Q5) where contact corrosion in the auxiliary-heater connector may overheat or melt heater wires; dealers replace the auxiliary heater and update software as needed.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Audi A5 See every Audi A5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Audi A5 reliable?

Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Audi A5 over 11 years — 0 per year. The other A5 years sit at about the same rate: their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Cooling system and Wiring.

What are common problems with a 2016 Audi A5?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (3 of 7), then Powertrain (2) and Electrical system (1).

Is the 2016 Audi A5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 A5 has 9 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2017 has 2 complaints, 1 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Audi A5 been recalled?

The 2016 Audi A5 has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Audi A5?

Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2016 Audi A5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Audi A5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Audi A5 is 24.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What body styles does the F5 Audi A5 offer?

Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback depending on market and year.

What oil does an Audi A5 take?

8T 2.0T uses Audi/VW-approved 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (~4.9 qt); F5 2.0T commonly lists 5W-40 (~5.5 qt).

What does recall 18V-229 cover on the A5?

Certain 2013-2017 A5 Cabriolet and A5 Sedan vehicles (with Q5, A4, and A6 also listed) with 2.0L TFSI engines—see the NHTSA campaign for the defect and remedy.