AutoUtility currently tracks 34 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Audi A5. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 12 complaints (35.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries. The 2018 Audi A5 belongs to the 2nd Generation (Typ F5) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
12 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"My 2018 Audi A5 Sportback previously received Audi Safety Recall 74E3 on January 27, 2023. The recall repair documentation indicates a seat POD (Passenger Occupant Detection System) update was performed. Several years later, the vehicle developed another passenger airbag fault. The vehicle displays..."
"The MMI ( main screen) system randomly reboots every 5 minutes, even when using CarPlay, which is unsafe. Please check it out. Thank you!"
"I turned on my car and several malfunctions came on the dash,and would not start and went in limp mode. A local mechanic stated it's the electrical component of the coolant pump causing malfunction. He also stated that could lead the car catching fire if overheats since the 5V is dipping below due..."
"An Audi dealer has just diagnosed my 2018 S5 Cabriolet Prestige with vacuum system contamination caused by water pump failure. I had requested the diagnostic due to small coolant leaks on the engine and loss of coolant in the expansion tank. No warning lights and no overheating yet. Not yet aware..."
"Component/System: Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) / Airbag system — Recall 74E3 / NHTSA 21V874. What Happened: The passenger airbag may switch off even when the seat is occupied due to a faulty PODS wiring connection. The warning message “Passenger Airbag Off” appears with a chime. This..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Audi A5 | 13 | 0 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Audi A5 | 8 | 0 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Audi A5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Audi A5 Current Page | 34 | 2 | 7 | Current |
| 2019 Audi A5 | 21 | 1 | 6 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Audi A5 | 85 | 1 | 4 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Audi A5 | 10 | 0 | 5 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Audi A5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Audi A5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Audi A5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Audi A5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Audi A5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 19 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2018 Audi A5
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2018 Audi A5 is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 12 records (35.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Air Bags & Restraints (5) and Electrical System (4).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 34 consumer defect complaints and 7 safety recall campaigns for the 2018 Audi A5.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Audi A5, 2 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.