2012 Audi A5: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 36 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (71% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My 2012 audi a5 has 155,000 miles on it and it has had every oil change and maintenance up to date , my turbos and pistons have caused complete engine failure with 0 compression in my only car . Both have recalls on them for my year and model and even tho I got a letter in the mail about being part of a settlement for my turbos causing engine failure I feel as tho my car shouldn't be broke it should of already been fixed”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2025
“2012 Audi a5 quattro burns oil every 100miles 5qt and does not allow a quick acceleration if trying to avoid an accident. The car misfires and shuts off while driving. No check engine light was on when it first did this. Mechanic was able to reproduce the same problem. Turbo is bad. O2 sensor is bad. Air intake leak. Running rich at bank 1. The oil meter on the display does not display actual amount of oil. It also has several electrical problems. Rear turning lights have an electrical problem. Great drive most of the time and check engine light goes off randomly then all of it starts again.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2022
“While I was driving, my car started to slow down and eventually stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning sensors or indicators on the car. II then started to see smoke coming from my hood and decided to turn off the car and get out to inspect. On the right front side, I saw a fire under the car. The fire department was called and they put out the fire. They suspected an electrical issue, however it has yet to be confirmed. I contacted the dealership and they said they do not handle repairs of that sort. Insurance sent out an estimator for the damage. The car will be sent to a mechanic to diagnose the issue.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2022
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“This vehicle had a recall, and a new engine was put into it and ever since the new engine was put in, the vehicle has had numerous problems and electrical failures. Now the new engine, with less than 50k is burning oil and no one can tell me why. This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. The minute the car was purchased off of the lease, I feel like the car has just fallen apart.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 audi a5. While operating the vehicle, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and audi of shrewsbury (780 boston turnpike, shrewsbury, ma) were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 115,000.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 audi a5. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate, especially while on an incline and when accelerating from a stop. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to rusnak pasadena audi (626-714-3159, located at 267 w colorado blvd, pasadena, ca 91105) where it was diagnosed that the mass air flow sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer and NHTSA. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · May 2019
“Please see following documents regarding an issue with this car and its engine. I have also filled a complaint with the ftc #978949978”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2018
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2018
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 audi a5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v082000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair as the recall notice was received over a year ago. Audi north atlanta (11505 alpharetta hwy, roswell, ga 30076, (404) 994-4327) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was contacted several times and was unable to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2018
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2018
Recalls - 2 campaigns
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.
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. (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.
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.
How other years compare
Check your exact A5 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Audi A5 reliable?
NHTSA has 36 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Audi A5. The most complained-about area is air bags (71% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 Audi A5 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 75,000 miles or less.
Does the 2012 Audi A5 have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.