Audi · NHTSA safety record
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 34 safety complaints about the 2010 Audi A5 with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 14 complaints, 41% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 64,224 miles, the median across the 20 complaints that gave an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2009 to August 2021 · How this is counted
34
Complaints
0
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 34.
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 7.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2009 to 2021.
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2010 Audi A5. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
towed · 76,336 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A5. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE, EPC, AND ENGINE OIL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,336.
NHTSA complaint 10904826. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
towed · 115,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIR UNDER MANUFACTURER REFERENCE NUMBER: 170626336. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR THE CRANK SHAFT SEALS AND TURBO CHARGER IN JANUARY. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER MENTIONED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED AT 110,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AT
NHTSA complaint 10991127, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
98,960 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Audi A5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the catalytic converter, but a diagnostic test was not performed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that her son inspected the vehicle and discovered that all the fluids were low. The fluids were topped off to the proper level. The warning light disappeared; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated a month later. The contact stated that
NHTSA complaint 11429505, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH OF PURCHASE AND TO START PUTTING AN ADDITIONAL 1QT OF OIL ON EVERY 1000 MILES...NOW FEW MINTS LATER I HAVE TO DO THAT MORE OFTEN ON EVERY 500MILES... AND RECENTLY I HAD TO ADD COOLING AND NOW THIS HAS BEEN AN NEW ISSUE... MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR MY CAR AND HE IS SURPRISED AUDI HASN'T DONE A RECALL ON IT. MY CAR IS UNDER 90K AND MAY REQUIRE AN ENGINE CHANGE FOR OVER $3-4K. THAT'S NOT RIGHT!
NHTSA complaint 11361935. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
CAR RUNS OUT OF ENGINE OIL WITHIN 2 TO 3 WEEKS OF OIL CHANGE, I HAVE CHANGED THE OIL THREE TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF 2.5 MONTHS.
NHTSA complaint 11290000. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
75,640 miles
WHEN THERE IS SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE IN THE AIR THE TURN SIGNALS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. AN INTENDED RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WILL CAUSE THE LEFT SIGNAL TO FIRE INSTEAD, BUT IT WILL ALSO ERRATICALLY FIRE THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL. THE ISSUE TENDS TO REDUCE IN FREQUENCY THE LONGER THE CAR IS RUNNING. I READ ON AN AUDI OWNERS FORUM THAT THE BLINKER SWITCH IS AFFECTED BY HIGH MOISTURE AND CAUSES THIS ISSUE IN 2008-2010 MODELS.
NHTSA complaint 11282356. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
3,700 miles
THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED COMPLETELY FROM THE SIDEWALLS, ON BOTH SIDES. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY ISSUES, LOW PRESSURE, PULLING ETC. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CAR DRIVING NORMAL. I STARTED TO HEAR A PULSATING VIBRATION SOUND LIKE A WHEEL BEARING. I LET OFF THE GAS TO SLOW DOWN A BIT AND LISTEN, THEN THERE WAS SOME LOUD NOISES, I PULLED OVER TO FIND THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED COMPLETELY ALL THE WAY AROUND.
NHTSA complaint 11267936. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
61,447 miles
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE MY CAR STALLED NEARLY COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I WAS SMELLING GASOLINE SO I HAD TO BRING IT TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC AND THERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FUEL INJECTOR LEAKING WITH MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRE DETECTED. AS THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UNDER AUDI FOR FAULTY FUEL INJECTORS, I TOOK THE CAR TO AUDI TO HAVE THE MANUFACTURER DEFECTED FUEL INJECTOR REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE ORIGINAL MECHANIC CLEARED THE CODE FROM MY CAR'S SYSTEM WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE LIGHT TO TURN OFF. BECAUSE THE FAULT CODE WAS CLEARED BY THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, AUDI IS REFUSING TO FIX THE FAULTY FUEL INJECTOR UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH I HAVE
NHTSA complaint 11222261, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | — |
| 2021 | 8 | 5 | — |
| 2020 | 60 | 4 | 1 |
| 2019 | 12 | 3 | — |
| 2018 | 38 | 6 | — |
| 2015 | 8 | 3 | — |
| 2014 | 28 | 3 | — |
| 2013 | 35 | 3 | — |
Complaints on file, same model year.
Every Audi on this site — 155 vehicles.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst