2020 Audi S5 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other S5 years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 25 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Audi S5. That ranks 2nd out of 17 S5 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (14 complaints, 56%). There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 25owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2020 Audi S5 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 14 | 56% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 12 | 48% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 11 | 44% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 24% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 8% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2020 Audi S5 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Tires; suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passenger; seats
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Risk: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Exterior lighting:tail lights; electrical system
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2020-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, and S5 Sportback vehicles. The wiring harness for the rear lights could be missing the anti-abrasion protection in the area of the spare wheel well.
Risk: Without the scuff protection, the wires may become damaged during a rear crash, disabling the doors from being opened from the outside, causing a loss of hazard lights, and increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will apply scuff protection, free of charge. The recall began January 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EU.
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.
MMI - Multi Media Interface constantly reboots about every 90 seconds. This is a safety issue since if I am backing up and the MMI reboots I lose the backup camera and when the MMI reboots I also lose collision/parking/proximity sensors. This issue started happening with my Audi on 7/26/25 and can…
The radio (mmi system) is rebooting while driving every 5-10 min. Dealership can't fix and is affecting safety sytems like front and rear cameras/sensors.
I am writing to report a critical and recurring safety defect concerning the Multi Media Interface (MMI) system in my Audi S5. The MMI system consistently restarts itself approximately every 90 seconds, regardless of whether the vehicle is stationary (parking) or in motion (driving). This issue…
Audi MMI reboots constantly while the car is one. There is about 30 seconds between each reboot. This causes certain safety features like the backup camera to stop working when in use. I am not sure what the cause is but this seems to be a more common issue with the 2020 Audi's.
Sudden reboot of the vehicle's infotainment system, which then repeats every 60-90 seconds consistently. The reboot has happened while reversing the vehicle, which results in losing view of the backup camera and parking sensors / rear cross traffic detection. This issue was originally sparse, but…
Other Audi S5 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 S5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 S5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 S5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 S5 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 S5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 S5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2020 | 25 | 4 |
| 2019 S5 | 6 | 4 |
| 2018 S5 | 26 | 2 |
| 2016 S5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 S5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 S5 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 S5 | 16 | 0 |
| 2012 S5 | 10 | 1 |
| 2011 S5 | 8 | 1 |
| 2010 S5 | 20 | 0 |
| 2008 S5 | 3 | 0 |
See all Audi S5 problems by year, every Audi model, or the Audi VIN decoder.
Similar Audi models
Embed this 2020 Audi S5 badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Audi S5?
Owners most often report electrical system, unknown or other, back over prevention problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 14 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Audi S5?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2020 Audi S5 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other S5 model years, the 2020 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.