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2012 Audi A5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 7 of 22 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Engine complaints

7 reports
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Mileage unknown · Nov 6, 2025
Engine

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 …

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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

NHTSA ODI #11697820

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2022
Engine

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 r…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11485780

Mileage unknown · Aug 9, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or OtherFire

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 departme…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11478481

Mileage unknown · Nov 18, 2020
Electrical SystemEngine

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 PURCH…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11375202

115,000 miles · Dec 30, 2019
Engine

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11292116

106,000 miles · Jul 18, 2018
Engine

PLEASE SEE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS REGARDING AN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR AND ITS ENGINE. I HAVE ALSO FILLED A COMPLAINT WITH THE FTC #978949978

NHTSA ODI #11112235

Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2017
Engine

AUDI ALONG WITH VOLKSWAGEN, EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L ENGINE HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST WATET PUMP FAILURE RATE. I HAVE CONDUCTED SOME RESEARCH AND THERE IS NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS IN BLOGS/VLOGS AND YOUTUBE OF INDIVIDUALS GIVING PERSONAL STATEMENT ON THEIR "WATER PUMP" MISFORTUNE. I PERSONALLY OWN A AUDI A5 WITH 54,000 MILES AND I'M JUST ON…

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AUDI ALONG WITH VOLKSWAGEN, EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L ENGINE HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST WATET PUMP FAILURE RATE. I HAVE CONDUCTED SOME RESEARCH AND THERE IS NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS IN BLOGS/VLOGS AND YOUTUBE OF INDIVIDUALS GIVING PERSONAL STATEMENT ON THEIR "WATER PUMP" MISFORTUNE. I PERSONALLY OWN A AUDI A5 WITH 54,000 MILES AND I'M JUST ONE OF THOUSANDS OF STATISTICS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE "WATER PUMP" TRAUMA. I HAVE CROSSED REFERENCED SEVERAL RECALL WEBSITES AND ACCORDING TO AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN RECALLS TOWARDS THESE PUMPS HAVE NEVER BEEN ISSUED. NOW THAT IS SCARY!!! ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF AGO WHILE MY AUDI WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY I NOTICED COOLANT LOST, THE AUDI DEALERSHIP TOPPED IT OF AND SEND ME ON MY WAY. A SECOND TIME WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY I VISITED AUDI DEALERSHIP AND EXPRESSED MY CONSERNS WITH LOW COOLANT LEVEL AND ONCE AGAIN IT WAS TOPPED OFF, I WAS GIVEN A MEDIOCRE ANSWER, I WAS RESPECTFUL CALLED "SR" AND DROVE OFF. SO FROM TIME TO TIME I WOULD ADD COOLANT AND THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. SUMMER OF 2017 IS WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME AFTER A DAY OF HIKING WHEN I NOTICE A LOST OF COOL AIR, MY A/C QUIT WORKING AND MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS PAST THE MIDPOINT LEVEL. AT THIS POINT I WAS SECONDS WAY FROM HOME SO I WAS RELIEFED.TURNED OUT THE PUMP GAVE OUT, MY COOLING FLUID HAD EVAPORATED AND MY WARNING LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. PERHAPS AUDI DEALERSHIP DID NOT SEE TRACES OF COOLANT AT THE FIRST VISIT AND SECOND INSPECTION. PERHAPS THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT AWARE OF THESE FAULTY PUMPS OR PERHAPS I NEGLECTED TO PLAY THE MECHANIC/SERVICE PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL. HOWEVER ACCORDING TO AUDI A SB SERVICE BULLETIN RELEASED ON JULY 11, 2013 STATES AS FOLLOWS "COOLANT LEAK AT CONNECTION OF WATER PUMP AND HOSE LEADING TO THE HEATER CORE", ATTACHED IS THE BULLETIN. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU GUYS LOOKING INTO THIS MATTER. THANK YOU MIGUEL 😊

NHTSA ODI #11011896

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.