2016 Audi A5
Gas Compact car
The 2016 Audi A5 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A5 quattro, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 7 complaints, most often about engine.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A5 quattro | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 32 | 26 | $3,000 |
| A5 Cabriolet quattro | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 29 | 24 | $3,250 |
| A5 quattro | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 30 | 24 | $3,250 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (3)
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.
Risk: A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.
Electrical System
criticalProblem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.
Risk: The melted wires can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.
Risk: If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.
Owner complaints
7 complaints filed
0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 1
Most-cited components
- Engine — 3
- Power Train — 2
- Steering — 1
- Electrical System — 1
- Structure — 1
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Other A5 model years
2027 A5
0 recalls · 0 complaints
A2026 A5
0 recalls · 1 complaints
B2025 A5
2 recalls · 9 complaints
A2024 A5
0 recalls · 8 complaints
A2023 A5
0 recalls · 8 complaints
B2022 A5
2 recalls · 7 complaints
D2021 A5
5 recalls · 7 complaints
D2020 A5
4 recalls · 60 complaints
C2019 A5
3 recalls · 12 complaints
F2018 A5
6 recalls · 37 complaints
D2017 A5
3 recalls · 2 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36390, 36382, 36381). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.