Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet problems

Owners filed 14 complaints about the 2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet with NHTSA between Sep 2016 and Mar 2019. The most-cited component is air bags (13).

Complaints
14
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags13
  2. Engine1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 13, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20164
20176
20183
20191

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

13 reports2 related recalls
“TAKATA RECALL MY AUDI DEALER [AUDI OF HUNTINGTON NY] HAS BEEN TELLING ME FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE REPLACEMENT AIRBAG. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEM AND IT IS ALWAYS "ON ORDER, WE WILL CALL YOU". THEN I RECEIVE A POST CARD FROM AUDI OF HUNTINGTON TO CALL FOR THE RECALL SERVICE....AND SAME STORY. AS I SAID, THIS IS THE PAST FEW YEARS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT PART. COULD YOU INQUIRE SO THAT I DO NOT WIND UP SERIOUSLY INJURED BECAUSE OF MY DEALER'S FAILURE AND NEGLECT. *JS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 8, 2019Air bagsODI 11185412

Engine

1 report
“MY CAR HAS HAD THE ADD OIL LIGHT ON MANY TIMES TO WHICH I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER. FIRST TIME THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A WATER PUMP FAILURE. I REPLACED AND PAID FOR THE WATER PUMP. SECOND TIME A YEAR LATER I RETURNED TO HEAR THAT THE WATER PUMP FAILED AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME IT WAS THE CAM BEARING LADDER THAT FAILED WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE WATER PUMP TO FAIL. BOTH TIMES I ASKED IF THE WATER PUMP IS REPLACED SHOULD I REPLACE THE TIMING BELT, I AM TOLD IT IS A TIMING CHAIN AND DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEN THE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN I TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE CHECKED THEY SAY IT IS FINE. TWO MONTHS LATER THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON, WHILE DRIVING TO THE GAS STATION TO GET OIL I TURN ENGINE OFF ONLY TO HAVE IT TURN BACK ON RUNNING SUPER ROUGH. CAR THEN WILL NOT START. I AM NOW TOLD THAT IT WAS THE TIMING BELT FAILURE AND THAT THE TENSIONER ROD BROKE. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. HTTPS://WWW.AUDIFORUMS.COM/FORUM/GENERAL-TECH-50/A5-2-0T-TIMING-CHAIN-FAILURE-215409/”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 19, 2018EngineODI 11102635
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 13, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.