CSR

Audi · NHTSA safety record

2011 Audi S5

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

8

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2011 Audi S5 have filed 8 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2016 and April 2017. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 4 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 65,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

15V019000 · January 20, 2015

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
The risk
A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 26,008 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 8.

AIR BAGS 4 50%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 38%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 13%
POWER TRAIN 1 13%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 6.

2016 2017
2016 to 2017

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG IN MY CAR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BUT AUDI HAS OFFERED NO TIMETABLE AS TO WHEN THIS MAY BE POSSIBLE. NO SOLUTION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. I FIND IT DISCONCERTING TO BE DRIVING A CAR THAT HAS AN AIRBAG THAT COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INJURY. UPDATED 10/10/2017*JS

NHTSA complaint 10971077. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA complaint 10949017. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

75,000 miles

WHILE INSPECTING MY 2011 S5 AFTER PURCHASE I NOTICED THAT THE REAR WINDOW WAS DETACHING FROM THE TOP. THE DEALER REPAIRED AS A WARRANTY REPAIR. A FEW YEARS LATER THE TOP OF THE CONVERTIBLE ROOF ON THE INSIDE STARTED TO SAG. I CAN'T PROVE THE DEALER WAS AT FAULT BUT THEY WERE THE LAST TO WORK ON THE CONVERTIBLE ROOF. THE REPAIR IS NOT WORTH THE REMAINING VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE DEALER WILL NOT INSURE THE REPAIR MORE THAN A YEAR. SO BE CAREFUL WITH THESE PARTS AND NOW MOST OF YOU KNOW THESE VEHICLES HAVE TAKATA AIRBAGS SUBJECT TO A RECALL WHICH AUDI HAS NOT PROVIDE A TIME TABLE FOR RESOLUTION.

NHTSA complaint 10948673. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

65,000 miles

IN 2014 I NOTICED THAT THE CARBON FIBER INSERT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS PEELING OFF. THE DEALER REPLACED IT BUT THEN TOLD ME THEY REPAIRED IT BY ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COVERED. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE CARBON FIBER INSERTS IN THE BACK SEATS STARTED TO PEEL OFF. AUDI COULD NOT EXPLAIN IT. I HAD TO TEAR THEM OFF BECAUSE THEY WERE SCRATCHING MY CHILDREN WHEN THEY SAT IN THE BACK SEAT. I PERSONALLY REPLACE THE INSERTS AND NOTICED THAT THE INSERT AROUND THE MMI WAS ALSO STARTING TO PEEL. SOMEONE SAID THAT UV RAYS AND HIGH HEAT COULD CAUSE THIS TO HAPPEN. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF THIS PRODUCT.

NHTSA complaint 10948679. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 10948668. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
UNABLE TO GET PARTS FOR FAULTY MSE TRANSMISSION CURRENTLY IN MY 2011. AUDI UPGRADED BECAUSE OF KNOWN PROBLEMS TO NSY MODEL TRANSMISSION AND EXPECTS OWNER TO PAY EXPENSE. THEY DID NOT AND HAVE NOT MAKE THE CUSTOMER/CONSUMER AWARE OF THIS UNTIL YOU FORCED TO TAKE IT IN FOR SERVICE DUE TO SENSORS AND LIMITED FUNCTIONALITY IN DRIVING CAPABILITIES. VEHICLE HESITATES AND DROPS GEARS WHILE IN MOTION. THIS OCCURRED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY CREATING A HAZARDOUS EVENT, IN ADDITION THEY WILL ALSO CHARGE YOU FOR A DIAGNOSIS AND BOGUS SERVICE WHILE THEY ARE ALREADY AWARE THAT THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THAT TRANSMISSION. UPON RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, OR DUE TO DRIVING,

NHTSA complaint 10946189, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi S5

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 9 2
2020 25 4
2018 26 2
2012 10 1

Other 2011 Audi models

Every Audi on this site — 147 vehicles, 216 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

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.

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