RoadVitals

2026 Audi A5

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Aug 31, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2026 Audi A5, most frequently naming the driver assistance category. 252 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Aug 31, 2026

Issue: Unexpected and extremely forceful Brake Hold impeded normal and safe driving maneuvers. While driving in heavy stop-and-go traffic on an incline approaching the GW Bridge towards NY, I cautiously attempted to move out of my lane into an adjacent lane. I lightly applied the brake, (I believe the automatic brake hold activated, to prevent rolling backwards) and the vehicle suddenly jerked extremely hard and came to a complete stop in the middle of the lane. A loud banging sound occurred at the same time, sounding like a collision. Fortunately, there was no collision. The safety concern is particularly serious when changing lanes or merging from slow-moving traffic into a lane where vehicles are traveling significantly faster. An unexpected and forceful stop could leave the vehicle stopped in the path of approaching traffic and creates a substantial risk of being struck from behind or causing a collision. Currently the 2026 Audi A5 Brake Hold function can be disabled only for level grade driving. However, it activates automatically when driving uphill. On a downhill it also activates if you press hard on the brake. "Because the Brake Hold function can interfere with normal and cautious maneuvering the manufacturer should allow the driver to totally deactivated the Brake Hold on demand". Thank you

NHTSA ID
11761117
Incident
Aug 16, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB_2083831_1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides a central overview of the combined software update for cluster 6 PPE/PPC vehicles.

TSB_2083829_1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides information when there is an electrical system fault; control unit for low-voltage power distrbution B1BF4F0.

TSB_2083828_1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides information when a software update fails, and control unit J1194 cannot be reached; DTC U159600 in DA0009.

TSB_2083826_1

POWER TRAIN

This bulletin provides information when a yellow warning message appears with DTC C05EC00.

TSB_2083514_3

SUSPENSION

This bulletin provides informaiton when there are noises from the all-wheel drive coupling when corning.

TSB_2070568_7

This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Audi A5 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027000—
2026Viewing100—
2025820—
2024800—
2023800—
2022720—
2021850—
2020604046.6
2019123046.1
2018386059.2
2017020—
2016730—
2015830—
2014283044.0
2013353057.8
2012220032.6
2011250040.9
2010340029.6
2009111031.0
2008510—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.