Total Complaints
9 filings
AUDI S5 · model year
9 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2011AUDIS5 carries 9 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2011 S5 is air bags with 4 filings, followed by unknown or other (3) and electronic stability control (esc) (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2011 S5. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
9 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
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 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
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.
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.
Mileage: 75,000
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.
Mileage: 65,000
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.
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, MILEAGE, WEAR AND TEAR, PREVIOUS OWNER, LACK OF WARRANTY OR WHATEVER ELSE THEY WANT TO COME UP WITH. *TR
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, MILEAGE, WEAR AND TEAR, PREVIOUS OWNER, LACK OF WARRANTY OR WHATEVER ELSE THEY WANT TO COME UP WITH. *TR
TAKATA RECALL - I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY AUDI THAT THE AIRBAG IN MY CAR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BUT THEY HAVE 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.
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED AUDI S5 CABRIOLET. AFTER RESEARCHING THE VEHICLE AND NOTING SEVERAL POSTS ABOUT THE REAR WINDOW DETACHING FROM THE TOP AND HAVING A FRIEND WHO JUST HAD HIS A5 REPAIRED THIS WAS SOMETHING I WAS LOOKING FOR. IN MY INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE I DID CONFIRM THAT THE TOP HAD ALREADY PULLED AWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW. I POINTED THIS OUT TO THE SALESMAN AND THE DEALER AGREED TO FIX IT AT NO COST. WHILE I'M GETTING THIS FIXED, THIS IS TO DOCUMENT THAT THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE THAT AUDI SHOULD ADDRESS. THIS CAR IS IN IMMACULATE CONDITION EXCEPT FOR THE ONE ISSUE.
Mileage: 46,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.