2008 Audi A5

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air Bags2
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Exterior Lighting1
000
Electrical System1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module-inactive16V376000
Filed May 27, 20168,381 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.

Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Audi A4, A5, and Q5 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the air bag control units may corrode and fail.

Risk. If the air bag control unit fails, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69O1.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Apr 15, 2026WA

2008 Audi A5 3.2L S-Line Coupe experiencing severe water intrusion into trunk compartment causing progressive failure of multiple electronic modules. Water enters through a known design defect in the trunk seal and drainage pathway, pooling in the spare tire well where critical electronic control modules are mounted. Affected systems: (1) Complete audio and entertainment system failure due to amplifier module destroyed by water damage. (2) Electronic parking brake malfunction with brake failing to engage and disengage reliably, creating serious rollaway risk on inclines. (3) General electrical instability with intermittent warning lights and system malfunctions. (4) Severe parasitic battery drain with vehicle battery draining overnight due to water-damaged modules drawing constant current. This is a well-documented design flaw across the entire B8 A5 and S5 platform from 2008 to 2013. The manufacturer engineered a protective cover part for later production models, confirming awareness of the water intrusion defect, but never issued a recall or retrofit for earlier vehicles. Hundreds of owners have reported identical failures on major Audi enthusiast forums. The electronic parking brake failure is a serious safety hazard as the vehicle may roll uncontrolled on grades when parked.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jun 24, 2018100,000 milesGA

THE AUDIO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM HAS STOPPED WORKING. THE AUDIO SYSTEM POWERS ON, POWERS OFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER ABOUT 5. SECONDS

Air Bags
Filed Oct 22, 2016NY

TAKATA RECALL ON MAY 23, 2016, MY AUDI A5 WAS RECALLED. SAFETY RISK WAS CLAIMED TO BE "IF THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT FAILS, SAFETY SYSTEMS SUCH AS SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS AND AIRBAGS MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF OCCUPANT INJURY." 6 MONTHS LATER, THE RECALL IS "INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE" I AM TRYING TO TRADE IN MY VEHICLE, BUT THE DEALER SAYS THE LACK OF RECALL FIX WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE.

Air Bags
Filed Feb 12, 201435,000 milesMO

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR AND THE PARKING BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE HORN HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE DEFECTS WERE ALL CAUSED BY A FAULTY STEERING WHEEL SPRING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Oct 4, 201346,300 milesCA

MAIN BEAM/LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT WARNING CAME ON. SECOND TIME DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE READ THAT AUDIS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR THE SAME ISSUE BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT IT. HAVING BULB REPLACED IS COSTING 360.00 AT THE AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM. A FACTORY RECALL SHOULD BE ORDERED. THANK YOU *TR

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2020
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20261000Routine
20258200Routine
20248000Routine
20238000Routine
20227200Routine
20218500Routine
202060401Fatalities reported
201912300Routine
201838600Routine
20170200Routine
20167300Routine
20158300Routine
201428300Routine
201335320Routine
201222010Routine
201125000Routine
201034000Routine
200911100Routine
2008 — this page5100Routine

Compare every A5 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 27, 2016. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.