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.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 34 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (12 reports • 35.3% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Air Bags & Restraints (5), Electrical System (4)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Audi A5
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #18V836000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Campaign #19V547000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Campaign #17V822000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #20V760000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
Brakes & Traction Control
Powertrain & Transmission
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Audi A5
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..."
Complaint History for Audi A5
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 → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Audi A5
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 19 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported 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 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.