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Audi · NHTSA safety record

2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet

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

Owners have filed 14 safety complaints about the 2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 13 complaints, 93% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2016 to March 2019 · How this is counted

What is on file

14 complaints on file

14

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.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 13 · 93%
ENGINE 1 · 7%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 14.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

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

8 6 4 2
16 17 18 19

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2016 to 2019.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet. 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.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

18V082000 · January 30, 2018

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 162,782 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

16V078000 · February 10, 2016

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 659,493 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL MY AUDI DEALER [AUDI OF HUNTINGTON NY] HAS BEEN TELLING ME FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE REPLACEMENT AIRBAG. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEM AND IT IS ALWAYS "ON ORDER, WE WILL CALL YOU". THEN I RECEIVE A POST CARD FROM AUDI OF HUNTINGTON TO CALL FOR THE RECALL SERVICE....AND SAME STORY. AS I SAID, THIS IS THE PAST FEW YEARS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT PART. COULD YOU INQUIRE SO THAT I DO NOT WIND UP SERIOUSLY INJURED BECAUSE OF MY DEALER'S FAILURE AND NEGLECT. *JS

NHTSA complaint 11185412. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

106,000 miles

MY CAR HAS HAD THE ADD OIL LIGHT ON MANY TIMES TO WHICH I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER. FIRST TIME THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A WATER PUMP FAILURE. I REPLACED AND PAID FOR THE WATER PUMP. SECOND TIME A YEAR LATER I RETURNED TO HEAR THAT THE WATER PUMP FAILED AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME IT WAS THE CAM BEARING LADDER THAT FAILED WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE WATER PUMP TO FAIL. BOTH TIMES I ASKED IF THE WATER PUMP IS REPLACED SHOULD I REPLACE THE TIMING BELT, I AM TOLD IT IS A TIMING CHAIN AND DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEN THE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN I TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE CHECKED THEY SAY IT IS FINE. TWO MONTHS LATER THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON, WHILE DRIVING TO THE GAS STATION TO GET OIL I TURN

NHTSA complaint 11102635, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
MY VEHICLE IS IMPACTED BY THE TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY ISSUE. I RECENTLY RECEIVED A FOLLOW UP LETTER FROM AUDI INDICATING THAT I SHOULD "SCHEDULE THIS RECALL REPAIR IMMEDIATELY, EVEN IF AN INTERIM REPAIR WAS RECENTLY DONE." UPON CALLING THE LOCAL AUDI DEALERS THEY ALL INDICATE THAT THE MANUFACTURER (AUDI) HAS NOT YET SHIPPED THE NECESSARY PARTS TO EFFECT THE REPAIR, AND THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE PARTS SINCE EARLY TO MID MARCH 2018. IF AUDI IS NOT READY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLES THEN THE COMMUNICATION TO THE VEHICLE OWNERS SHOULD INDICATE THIS CLEARLY. IT NOW FEELS LIKE AUDI IS COVERING THEMSELVES BY STATING THEY ARE READY TO MAKE A REPAIR WHICH THEY ARE CLEARLY NOT YET READY FOR.

NHTSA complaint 11083976. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A5 CABROLET. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V082000 (AIR BAGS) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER (AUDI ALBUQUERUE, 8900 PAN AMERICAN FWY NE, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87113) STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA complaint 11078727. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS). 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 CONTACT SPOKE TO MOHEGAN LAKE AUDI (1791 E MAIN ST, MOHEGAN LAKE, NY 10547) WHO STATED THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE THE PARTS IN SEPTEMBER AND PLACE THE CONTACT ON A WAITING LIST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA complaint 11003708. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET. 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 NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA complaint 10959908. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi A5 Cabriolet

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2011 14 2 —
2010 16 2 —

Other 2012 Audi models

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.

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst