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2011 Audi S5 Cabriolet

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

Other model years Selected year
Compare all S5 Cabriolet years →

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

What owners reported most

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: 2 of 5 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.

  • Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 1 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 reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

5 reports
Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2019
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EnginePower Train

I AM THE SOLE OWNER OF A 2011 AUDI S5 CABRIOLET. CHIEF COMPLAINTS: ENGINE PROBLEM,.WARNING LIGHT SHUT DOWN ENGINE,GEARBOX MALFUNCTION,TPMS MALFUNCTION,. TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SLIPPING AND WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE,TAKATA AIRBAG NOT CHANGED BY KEYES AUDI COMPLAINT FOR LEMON LAW WITH AUDI CORP. CAR IS INOPERABLE REMAINS IN…

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I AM THE SOLE OWNER OF A 2011 AUDI S5 CABRIOLET. CHIEF COMPLAINTS: ENGINE PROBLEM,.WARNING LIGHT SHUT DOWN ENGINE,GEARBOX MALFUNCTION,TPMS MALFUNCTION,. TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SLIPPING AND WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE,TAKATA AIRBAG NOT CHANGED BY KEYES AUDI COMPLAINT FOR LEMON LAW WITH AUDI CORP. CAR IS INOPERABLE REMAINS IN AUDI DEALERSHIP PENDING OUTCOME PER AUDI CORP.DIAGNOSTIC WORK ORDER REPAIR ESTIMATE,$5, 800. CAR HAD THE ENGINE LIGHT ALERT ON SINCE I BOUGHT IT. DEALSHIPS SAID "IT'S JUST A SENSOR,PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. IN FACT DRIVING ON FREEWAY "DO NOT DRIVE", IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO KEYES AUDI.THERMOSTAT IN THE ENGINE.TOLD THE CAR IS NO LONGER IN WARRANTY, HOWEVER FIXED NO CHARGE, "THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED."BROUGHT CAR IN FOR AIRBAG CHANGE AT KEYES AUDI, THE GEARBOX MALFUNCTION, TPMS. WARNINGS WERE ILLUMINATED. TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SLIPS OR DOESN'T WORK. MY SON TOLD "DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR, THE COMPUTER SYSTEM CAN GO DOWN AND DISABLE THE CAR AS YOU ARE DRIVING" CAR NOT DRIVEN SINCE APRIL. TOWED TO AUDI OF CALABASAS ON MAY 14, 2019, FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING TO DETERMINE PROBLEM. TOLD AIRBAG RECALL NEEDS TO BE DONE. SAID IT WAS DONE AT KEYES AUDI. TOLD ON SENSOR CHANGED. ATTACHED IS THEIR REPAIR ESTIMATE OF $5080. CAR HAS 61225 MILES.CAR REMAINS IN AUDI OF CALABASAS AWAITING DECISION FROM AUDI CORPORATE. ORIGINAL PRICE OF CAR $63,530. ALL WORK INVOICES WERE SEND TO AUDI CORP.ATTACHED ARE WORK INVOICES RELATED TO ABOVE COMPLAINTS. THIS CAR IS A HAZARD AND A RIPOFF! I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE IN DANGER OF THIS CAR. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.

NHTSA ODI #11218424

39,500 miles · Jan 9, 2019
Power Train

OCCASIONAL LACK OF PROPULSION WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, LOSS OF GEAR WHILE MOVING SLOWLY (FROM A STOP). IN EITHER CASE, THE CAR MAY BE STUCK IN AN INTERSECTION OR OTHERWISE ACT UNPREDICTABLY TO OTHER TRAFFIC. REMEDY IS TO EITHER TAKE FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR TO RE-ENGAGE MULTIPLE TIMES, OR TURN CAR OFF AND BACK ON. T…

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OCCASIONAL LACK OF PROPULSION WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, LOSS OF GEAR WHILE MOVING SLOWLY (FROM A STOP). IN EITHER CASE, THE CAR MAY BE STUCK IN AN INTERSECTION OR OTHERWISE ACT UNPREDICTABLY TO OTHER TRAFFIC. REMEDY IS TO EITHER TAKE FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR TO RE-ENGAGE MULTIPLE TIMES, OR TURN CAR OFF AND BACK ON. TRANSMISSION SHOWS ERROR (MALFUNCTION - YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING) WHEN THIS FAULT OCCURS. VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION., REGULARLY MAINTAINED, AND UNDER 40K MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11165984

96,000 miles · Nov 8, 2018
Power Train

MY WIFE AND I WENT ON A DRIVE, TO GET LUNCH, AFTER LEAVING LUNCH , WE HEADED HOME, I PULLED OUT ON TO THE HWY, AND THE AUDI,"CHECK ENGINE" "NO REVERSE" LIGHT LIT UP, AND THEN THE TPMS LIT UP, THE WARNING STATED I HAD LOST REVERSE, AND I COULD CONTINUE DRIVING. HOME WAS OVER 10 MILES AWAY, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME. I WAS TRY…

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MY WIFE AND I WENT ON A DRIVE, TO GET LUNCH, AFTER LEAVING LUNCH , WE HEADED HOME, I PULLED OUT ON TO THE HWY, AND THE AUDI,"CHECK ENGINE" "NO REVERSE" LIGHT LIT UP, AND THEN THE TPMS LIT UP, THE WARNING STATED I HAD LOST REVERSE, AND I COULD CONTINUE DRIVING. HOME WAS OVER 10 MILES AWAY, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME. I WAS TRYING TO MOVE IN TO THE TURN LANE , PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, AND THE CAR SLOWED DOWN, I JAMMED THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR TO AVOID BEING RUN OVER BY TRAFFIC. IT SLOWED DOWN MORE THEN SHOT OFF QUICKLY, AND THEN SLOWED DOWN AGAIN, I MADE IT TO THE TURN LANE, EVENTUALLY, BEING TOLD I WAS NUMBER ONE SEVERAL TIME FROM OTHER DRIVERS. MY WIFE WAS WHITE AS A GHOST. WE TURNED ON TO THE STREET GOING TOWARDS OUR HOME AND THE AUDI TOOK OFF LIKE NORMAL AND THEN THE SAME THING IT SLOWED DOWN THEN SHOT OFF SEVERAL TIMES, WE DIDN'T MAKE THE LIGHT, THE FIRST TIME, WE EVENTUALLY MADE IT HOME. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT AUDI CLEARWATER, THEY ARE FIXING A KNOW ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION 7 SPD DSG. THE MECHATRONICS UNIT APPARENTLY WAS THE ISSUE. THEIR IS A TSB # SB-10054213-2278 ON THIS ISSUE, BUT NO RECALL SO IT GETS ADDRESSED WHEN PEOPLE ALMOST DIE DRIVING THEIR VEHICLES. MY VECHILE WAS IN WARRANTY WHEN THE TSB WAS ISSUED, BUT NOW IT'S NOT COVERED, THAT ALSO CONFUSES ME WHEN IT TO ME IS A SAFETY ISSUE, IF THE CAR HAD TOLD ME TO "DISCONTINUE DRIVING" I WOULD HAVE PULLED OVER AND HAD IT TOWED, BUT IT CLEARLY STATED "SAFE TO CONTINUE DRIVING" THE DSG UNIT HAS BEEN SERVICED PER THE AUDI REQUIREMENTS.

NHTSA ODI #11150038

Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2018
Air Bags

TAKATA RECALL NOTICE WAS ISSUED BY AUDI OVER 24 MONTHS AGO. AUTHORIZED DEALERS CANNOT SOURCE PARTS TO COMPLETE REPAIR JEOPARDIZING SAFETY OF OUR DRIVERS. DEALERS ARE NOT ABLE TO SCHEDULE OR EVEN FORECAST WHEN PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. GIVEN THE LENGTH OF ELAPSED TIME AND POTENTIAL DANGER PRESENTED, THIS SITUATION IS UNACCE…

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TAKATA RECALL NOTICE WAS ISSUED BY AUDI OVER 24 MONTHS AGO. AUTHORIZED DEALERS CANNOT SOURCE PARTS TO COMPLETE REPAIR JEOPARDIZING SAFETY OF OUR DRIVERS. DEALERS ARE NOT ABLE TO SCHEDULE OR EVEN FORECAST WHEN PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. GIVEN THE LENGTH OF ELAPSED TIME AND POTENTIAL DANGER PRESENTED, THIS SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE.

NHTSA ODI #11111108

Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2018
Air Bags

TAKATA RECALL - RECEIVED URGENT RECALL AUGUST 2017. MULTIPLE CALLS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AUDI USA HAVE NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING 1) WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY URGENT RECALL NOTICE, AND 2) IS THE CAR SAFE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE? I UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THIS RECALL, HOWEVER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO MAKE D…

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TAKATA RECALL - RECEIVED URGENT RECALL AUGUST 2017. MULTIPLE CALLS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AUDI USA HAVE NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING 1) WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MY URGENT RECALL NOTICE, AND 2) IS THE CAR SAFE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE? I UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THIS RECALL, HOWEVER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO MAKE DECISIONS.

NHTSA ODI #11058325

Official recalls

2

18V082000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Jan 30, 2018

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

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.

16V078000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Feb 10, 2016

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

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.

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.