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What 29 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Audi A5

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (29)Engine (10)Steering (9)Electrical system (7)Visibility & wipers (3)Fuel system (2)Body & structure (1)Engine & cooling (1)Seats (1)Speed control (1)

10 of 29 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Aug 8, 2023Engine

Piston 3 imploded causing damage to the long block. Complete engine failure at 65K miles conformed by Audi dealership. You may view the car if you wish. The warning lights appeared the same day the car started malfunctioning. No advanced warning. There are several class action suits in the U.S. with the same issue of complete engine failure on low miles for several Audi models from 2012 - 2017. These cars are meant to run for 150k-200k miles, not completely fail at 65k miles. Cost to repair is $10k - $17k. I would like this to be reviewed for recall. My car is a 2014 Audi A5 2.0 Turbo VIN# WAURFAFR0EA054821

NHTSA ODI 11537253

Aug 8, 2023EngineSteering

The contact owns a 2014 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder. The check engine and EPS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with piston #3. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who confirmed the failure with piston #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was unable to assist. The failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537257

Dec 21, 2022Engine

Audi claims to have fixed their 2.0t engine piston defect which can cause safety issues and accidents caused by the car seizing or loosing power at any time due to their faulty pistons which class action act filed on 2014 indicates that 2012-2017 2.0t engine are susceptible to the same default. The company tried to hide this and failed to fix the issues on vehicles pass 2011. Please I have kids and this is our main vehicle I am being told by the dealer that I need a new piston rings based on the same issues they have encountered but is not eligible for that recall. There are law suit filed against this this a safety hazard for anyone in the road and Audi offers no assistance other than requiring more money for tests that ultimately will lead to what he say was needing a new piston.

NHTSA ODI 11498404

Mar 11, 2022Engine

The contact owns a 2014 Audi A5. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the oil light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact drove to the local dealer. The dealer informed the contact that many vehicles had experienced oil issues. The oil was topped off. The dealer performed an oil consumption test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,398.

NHTSA ODI 11456323

Jul 20, 2019Engine

I CURRENTLY HAVE 56K MILES ON MY CAR. IT IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD. THE DEALER TOLD ME I NEED MY TIMING CHAIN REPLACED. THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE 2013 MODEL. WOULD MY CAR ALSO QUALIFY?

NHTSA ODI 11233627

Jun 29, 2019Engine

THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN EXTENDED STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON VERY HOT DAYS (IN THE 90'S). AFTER COOLING DOWN FOR AN EXTENDED TIME (1/2 HOUR OR MORE), THE CAR STARTED AGAIN AND ACTED NORMAL. IT HAPPENED LAST LABOR DAY (2018 AND YESTERDAY (6/28/19). ONCE THE ENGINE STOPPED I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR UNTIL IT COOLED DOWN. I WAS STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY UNTIL I COULD MOVE THE CAR TO SIDE OF THE ROAD BY PUTTING IT INTO NEUTRAL. THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE I ACQUIRED THE CAR ON 3/15/14. I BELIEVE IT IS SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE CAR OVERHEATING AND SHUTTING ITSELF DOWN TO PROTECT THE ENGINE FROM DAMAGE. COULD THIS BE RELATED TO THE SAFETY RECALL 19N4 -ELECTRIC (AFTER RUN) COOLANT PUMP (NHTSA 18V229)?

NHTSA ODI 11228410

Jan 30, 2019Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 AUDI A5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V229000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (JACK DANIELS AUDI OF UPPER SADDLE RIVER, 243 NJ-17, UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ 07458) CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11173020

Oct 18, 2018Visibility & wipersEngine

2014 AUDI A5. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SAFETY RECALL NO. 80C5, 19M1, 19N4 AND PARTS FOR THE REPAIRS ARE OUT OF STOCK. *AS *JS

NHTSA ODI 11142029

Jul 19, 2018Engine

2014 AUDI A5. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AFTER RUN COOLANT PUMP SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE RECALL REPAIR EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11111599

Jan 9, 2018Engine

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT UP BEYOND 6TH GEAR (8 SPEED TRANSMISSION) AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TRANSMISSION COULD BE SHIFTED MANUALLY INTO 7TH AND 8TH GEARS, BUT ENGINE WAS LUGGING ON LEVEL HIGHWAY AT 60MPH. AUDI SERVICE CENTER STATES THE HYDRAULIC TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAS FAILED, CAUSING ENGINE TIMING ISSUES THAT COULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IF DRIVEN FURTHER. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 87K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED SINCE PURCHASED NEW. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNET SITES DETAILING AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VW / AUDI ENGINE PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM THE HYDRAULIC TIMING CHAIN TENSION MECHANISMS. MANY CONSUMERS ARE REPORTING REPAIRS OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. MY CONCERN (ASIDE FROM REPAIR COSTS FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM) IS WHAT HAPPENS TO AN ENGINE THAT HAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AT HIGH SPEEDS ON A BUSY INTERSTATE? IRONICALLY I HAD MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 80C5-AUXILLARY HEATER. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE AUDI SERVICE CENTER IN BLOOMINGTON INDIANA ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018, AT 9:45AM AND REPAIRS ARE NOT YET COMPLETE WITH NO ESTIMATED TIME FOR COMPLETION AS OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 9TH.

NHTSA ODI 11061499

Working with the data? Download all 29 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 11, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Audi A5 verdict →