2019 Audi A5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Audi A5 over 8 years — 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Tires, Seats, and Rear non-powered axle assembly.

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

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Speed control (4 of 12), then Steering (3) and Electrical system (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 A5 has 9 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2020 has 60 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 Audi A5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall Seats 2021-11-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V874000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (12 total)

Speed control

Steering

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Air bags

Back-over prevention

Latches, locks, and linkages

Seats

Structure

Suspension

Wheels

Show 3 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"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…"
Electrical system, Speed control, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-01-21
"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…"
Electrical system, Back-over prevention · filed 2024-05-08
"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…"
Steering · filed 2023-01-04
"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…"
Air bags, Seats · filed 2022-06-21
"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…"
Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2022-06-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Audi A5 2 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2019 Audi A5 C AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2019 Audi A5 Sportback 4 DR AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars

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 (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	23	34	27 MPG	$2950
A5 Sportback quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	23	34	27 MPG	$2950
A5 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	23	34	27 MPG	$2950

Specs and fitment

F5 A5, 2018–present

Body styles Coupe, Cabriolet, Sportback

Oil 5W-40 (Audi/VW-approved; 2.0T) , 5.5 qt capacity

Tire size 245/40R18, 255/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 17V-822 covers certain 2018 A5 Coupe vehicles built with head curtain air bag assemblies that may not unfold properly, increasing injury risk if the air bag does not deploy correctly; dealers modify the head curtain air bags. Recall 18V-893 covers certain 2018 A5 Sportback vehicles where front suspension fasteners may not have been sufficiently tightened, possibly resulting in a loose front wheel; dealers inspect and replace fasteners as needed. Recall 21V-874 covers certain 2018-2020 A5 Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback vehicles (with A4/S4/S5/RS5 also listed) where a seat-heater cable to the passenger occupant detection system may fault and disable the passenger air bag; dealers replace the cable and heating mat or seat cover.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Audi A5 Next year 2020 Audi A5 See every Audi A5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Audi A5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Audi A5?

The complaints owners file most often name Speed control (4 of 12), then Steering (3) and Electrical system (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2019 Audi A5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 A5 has 9 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2020 has 60 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Audi A5 been recalled?

The 2019 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 2019 Audi A5?

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2019 Audi A5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Audi A5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Audi A5 is 27 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.