2021 Audi A5 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Audi A5 has 8 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 1 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 5 recalls on file, including Display, Tires, and Retractor.

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 Electrical system (2 of 8), then Air bags (1) and Engine (1).

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 A5 has 60 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Audi A5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall back-over prevention, display 2022-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 22V742000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.

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 seat belts, rear or other, retractor 2021-08-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V606000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

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.

Recall exterior lighting, tail lights 2020-11-25 · NHTSA campaign 20V737000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2020-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, and S5 Sportback vehicles. The wiring harness for the rear lights could be missing the anti-abrasion protection in the area of the spare wheel well.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will apply scuff protection, free of charge. The recall began January 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EU.

Complaints by component (8 total)

Electrical system

Air bags

Engine

Forward collision avoidance

Powertrain

Seats

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Car began bucking at low speeds. I parked car and when I turned on ignition next day, dashboard warning indicated "Transmission malfunction" and warned me not to drive car. I had it towed to dealer. Diagnosis was that…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-15
"What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? TRANSMISSION - GEAR SHIFT How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? THE CAR STOPPED SHIFTING GEARS AND WE…"
Powertrain · filed 2026-01-19
"The passenger side air bag indicator constantly turns off and on in my Audi no matter if there is or is not a passenger in the seat. I took my vehicle to an authorized Audi service center to have the issue checked and…"
Air bags, Seats · filed 2025-12-28
"I was driving down the interstate when my Warning Transmission Failure light came on. Then another message said you can drive with limited use if vehicle. Seconds later the Warning Transmission Failure light came on…"
Unknown or other · filed 2025-11-19
"The contact owns a 2021 Audi A5. The contact stated while the driving 35 MPH, the instrument panel was blinking on and off several times and then went dark. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the…"
Electrical system · filed 2025-06-17

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 Audi A5 2 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Audi A5 Cabriolet C AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 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	31	26 MPG	$3050
A5 Sportback S line quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	24	31	27 MPG	$2950
A5 Sportback quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	25	34	28 MPG	$2850
A5 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	24	31	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 2020 Audi A5 See every Audi A5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi A5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi A5?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (2 of 8), then Air bags (1) and Engine (1).

Is the 2021 Audi A5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 A5 has 60 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Audi A5 been recalled?

The 2021 Audi A5 has 5 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 2021 Audi A5?

Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2021 Audi A5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi A5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 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.