2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 26, 2018 · 14 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other A5 Cabriolet years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 12 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet. That ranks 2nd out of 12 A5 Cabriolet model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (12 complaints, 86%). There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags12
Engine1 · ~59,000 mi
Unknown or Other1 · ~67,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags1286%———
Engine17%59,000——
Unknown or Other17%67,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 6 complaints
2016: 6201662017: 4201742018: 420184

n = 14 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet recalls (2)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleJan 30, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V082000 · 162,782 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleFeb 10, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000 · 659,493 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The soft tops for this vehicle are extremely defective.i aquired my vehicle at 65000 miles and the top would act funny every now and then but it would snap out of it and work fine.the back window completely detached from the top and has not operated since.going back and forth with audi i was told…

Unknown or Other · received Sep 26, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11131789

My 2011 audi a5 2.0t has experienced low compression on piston number 1 which is a sign of engine failure and requires the engine to be redone. Since then i have checked with audi mechanics and online reviews and it seems like my model of audi has a common problem with the engine. The fact that…

Engine · received Jul 23, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11112964

Takata recall. Audi of america inc. Keeps sending out recall notices and the dealer keeps claiming there are no replacement airbags available. Enough already, either make replacements available or stop sending notices.

Air Bags · received Mar 13, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11078916

Takata recall. I have call for the past year to have this recall fixed and have not been able to find an audi dealership that has the parts. They keep telling me they will call when the parts are in. As i mentioned it has been a year, and i have checked in with them several times.

Air Bags · received Mar 12, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11078688

Takata recall received 1st letter apr 2016. No action. Complaint filed with safercar.gov 11/13/2016. Received temp fix letter 8/14/2017. Local dealer says only temp but there are no parts anyway. Contacted corporate audi sep 2017. They say local dealer has parts. Local dealer says they have no…

Air Bags · received Nov 14, 2017 · NHTSA complaint 11045939

Other Audi A5 Cabriolet years

← 2010 A5 Cabriolet · 2012 A5 Cabriolet →

See all Audi A5 Cabriolet problems by year, every Audi model, or the Audi VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet?

Owners most often report air bags, engine, unknown or other problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 12 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet?

Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other A5 Cabriolet model years, the 2011 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.