AUDI S5 · model year

2012 AUDI S5

10 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012AUDIS5 carries 10 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. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 S5 is air bags with 8 filings, followed by power train (1) and electrical system (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 2012 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.

10
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS8
POWER TRAIN1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (1)

15V01900020/01/2015

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.

Recent Complaints

20220525AIR BAGS

I am affected by recall 69R6 for this vehicle. I moved to Germany in 2012 and took my car with me. Audi in Germany refused to honor the recall claiming that it is not applicable to Germany due to different "climate conditions". What can I do (other than shipping the car back to the US) ? Thanks

20210322ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE CAR'S BACKUP CAMERA FEED HAS A LOT OF ISSUES FOR MANY OWNERS, MYSELF INCLUDED. THERE IS A PROBABLY 10% CHANCE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA NOT TURNING ON WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR EACH TIME. LOTS OF OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES ON THE A5/S5/RS5 PLATFORM FROM SIMILAR YEARS. IF YOU GOOGLE THE FOLLOWING: "SITE:A5OC.COM BACKUP CAMERA" YOU CAN SEE LOTS OF THREADS FROM A FORUM DEDICATED TO THE ABOVE MODELS. THE FAILING BACKUP CAMERAS ARE DANGEROUS SINCE THEY INTERMITTENTLY FAIL. SOMETIMES I CATCH MYSELF STARTING TO REVERSE ASSUMING THE BACKUP CAMERA WILL COME ON BUT IT NEVER DOES. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A WHILE NOW. I WILL PUT AN ESTIMATE FOR WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED.

Mileage: 40,000

20200624POWER TRAIN

I GET THE GEARBOX MALFUNCTION AND TPMS LIGHT FLASHING AND THE CAR JERKS AND STUTTERS ESPECIALLY FROM START AND COMING TO A STOP. WHEN STOPPING, IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HIT YOU FROM BEHIND. RAN THE CODES AND IT IS A MECHATRONIC MALFUNCTION/FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 76,456

20171101AIR BAGS

FT. COLLINS DEALER SAYS REPLACEMENT AIRBAGS NOT AVAILABLE

Mileage: 70,000

20170801AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL.SAFETY RECALL 69N2. I CONTINUE TO GET DEFECT NOTICES FROM AUDI BUT NO ONE AT AUDI HAS ANY IDEA WHEN THE REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE REPAIR PARTS BE AVAILABLE IS MY QUESTION?

20170501AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20170130AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 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 MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20170129AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL. DRIVER FRONTAL AIRBAG INFLATOR COULD POTENTIALLY RUPTURE. REPEATED CALL AND INQUIRIES TO AUDI DEALER ABOUT REMEDY WITH NO TIMETABLE PROVIDED. I WAS TOLD THAT NO AIRBAGS HAVE THUSFAR BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED WITH NO ESTIMATE OF WHEN PART WILL BE AVAILABLE. IT HAS BEEN ALMOST ONE YEAR SINCE RECALL. UNACCEPTABLE.

20170120AIR BAGS

TIKATA AIRBAG RECALL AUDI SENT A RECALL LETTER SEVERAL MONTHS AGO (04/2016) BUT STILL HAS NOT DEVELOPED A SOLUTION FOR THE AIRBAG ISSUE. IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE OUR CAR? AUDI SAYS IT IS SAFE BUT BASED ON THE NHTSA RECALL IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE OUR CAR.

20160712AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

Compare 2012AUDIS5 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 AUDI S5 have?
The 2012 AUDI S5 has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2012 AUDI S5?
The 2012 AUDI S5 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2012 AUDI S5?
Yes, the 2012 AUDI S5 has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 AUDI S5?
The most-complained component for the 2012 AUDI S5 is AIR BAGS with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2012 AUDI S5 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2012 AUDI S5 has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.