CSR

Audi · NHTSA safety record

2019 Audi A5

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

12

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 Audi A5 have filed 12 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2019 and January 2025. The most complained-about system is vehicle speed control, named in 4 of them (33%). The typical failure was reported at 15,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

TIRES

22V034000 · January 26, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 31,058 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

21V874000 · November 10, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The 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.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 208,332 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

21V295000 · April 26, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 40,993 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 12.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 33%
STEERING 3 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 17%
AIR BAGS 1 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 8%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 8%
SEATS 1 8%
STRUCTURE 1 8%
SUSPENSION 1 8%
WHEELS 1 8%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 3.

2019 2021 2025
2019 to 2025

In owners' own words

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

STEERING

crash · towed

I was driving when the rear of my car began vibrating, then fishtailing and I lost control and hit a curb resulting in mostly forward damage. In reviewing the Preliminary Estimate from the auto-shop and insurance adjuster, there was quite a bit of damage to the Rear Suspension including a broken Trailing arm lock nut, washer, and bolt, as well as the Protector lining, lower control arm, its lock nut and the control arm mount bolt. The broken rear axle components caused me to lose control of my vehicle resulting in forward impact with a curb. My car was deemed a total loss with $28K in estimated repairs.

NHTSA complaint 11436024. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

towed · 17,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Steering Malfunction" message displayed on the instrument panel and continued flashing. Moments later the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who discovered that the power steering module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 17,000.

NHTSA complaint 11445976. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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 malfunctions and cuts off while driving or coming to a stop. Tonight on 1/21/2025 at 1:44 am it did just that. While sitting at the light it stalled out, manually crank it up attempt to get thru the light and it cuts off leaving my son and I stranded dead center of the intersection leaving the two of us sitting ducks. I look and there is traffic coming and we were nearly taken out by an oncoming vehicle after my 5th attempt to start up the car before finally pulling off. Prior I was

NHTSA complaint 11637225, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

25,000 miles

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 shifted to park(P) and shifted back to reverse(R); however, the failure persisted. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle and shifting to reverse(R), the rearview camera became operable, but the message "SOS System Deactivated" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was at a complete stop two weeks later, the Audi pre-sense warning light illuminated, and an alarm sounded. The windows rolled up independently, and the front driver's side seat

NHTSA complaint 11587709, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
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 and steering wheel became stiff. I had my mom and niece in the vehicle with me. This vehicle could had hurt all three of us. It is difficult to turn the steering wheel now. Failure message is still active.

NHTSA complaint 11500191. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
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 issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint 11470284. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

20,000 miles

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 keys. The contact was unable to unlock the door of the vehicle using the key fob or the keys manually. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact’s son who was occupying the vehicle assisted her in unlocking the doors. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while her two-year-old daughter was in the car seat on the rear passenger’s side. The contact was unable to unlock the door of the vehicle using the key fob or the keys manually. The contact was finally

NHTSA complaint 11467198, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi A5

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 60 4 1
2018 36 6
2015 8 3
2014 28 3
2013 35 3
2010 34 0

Other 2019 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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst