27 of the 443 complaints filed about the Audi A5 are about the steering — 6% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2014.
27
Complaints
6%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
STEERING
See attached document for complaint.
NHTSA complaint #11685304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The contact owns a 2018 Audi A5. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the yellow message "Steering Malfunction - Safe to Drive" was displayed. The contact continued driving 40 MPH, and the message turned red, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
NHTSA complaint #11659701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
1) power steering module failed resulting in steering failing on highway. Car is not available for inspection due to being totaled. Issue was a known service bulletin by Audi however new owners had no way to know it was a life threatening issue. 2) The car lost control when power module failed, steering wheel locked up. 3) Yes 4) insurance and the dealership. The dealership refused to cover it because it was 10years past extended warranty even thought it had less than 125,000 miles. Apparently RAIN affects these units. 5) No.
NHTSA complaint #11652206 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
Steering malfunction indicator light illuminated and I experienced a total loss of power steering. Brought car to Dealer Service Center. Was informed that the problem is related to a known software issue and that an update to the software is expected sometime toward the end of Q4 2024. In the interim, DTC's have been set to passive and the steering malfunction indicator light has been deactivated.
NHTSA complaint #11618547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
Electromechanical steering rack has gone out. Had this completely failed while driving myself and others could be put in serious harm of a collision or crash. There are many online complaints and issues with the audi steering racks. No other warnings then it just went out at the same time it tells you stop driving.
NHTSA complaint #11578259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
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 complaint #11537257 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
Hello, I was driving down highway at 55mph when my Electric Power steering Failed suddenly. I almost crashed to the barrier as I was in the passing lane. My steering failure message popped up on my instrument cluster and steering wheel became stiff. I had my mom and niece in the vehicle with me. This vehicle could had hurt all three of us. It is difficult to turn the steering wheel now. Failure message is still active.
NHTSA complaint #11500191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
SIMILAR PROBLEM TO ANOTHER FILED COMPLAINT, MODIFIED FOR THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT....2014 AUDI A5 WITH APPROX 56K MILES. THE STEERING SYSTEM HAS BEGUN TO OFFER INCONSISTENT RESISTANCE TO DRIVER INPUT, WHICH IMPACTS DRIVER'S ABILITY TO JUDGE THE AMOUNT OF FORCE NEEDED TO TURN THE WHEEL TO THE DESIRED POSITION.
NHTSA complaint #11479290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the "Steering Malfunction" message displayed on the instrument panel and continued flashing. Moments later the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who discovered that the power steering module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 17,000.
NHTSA complaint #11445976 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
I was driving when the rear of my car began vibrating, then fishtailing and I lost control and hit a curb resulting in mostly forward damage. In reviewing the Preliminary Estimate from the auto-shop and insurance adjuster, there was quite a bit of damage to the Rear Suspension including a broken Trailing arm lock nut, washer, and bolt, as well as the Protector lining, lower control arm, its lock nut and the control arm mount bolt. The broken rear axle components caused me to lose control of my vehicle resulting in forward impact with a curb. My car was deemed a total loss with $28K in estimated repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11436024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
January 2021 driving straight - 30 MPH. RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION DYNAMIC STEERING "STEERING DEFECTIVE. I PULLED INTO A PARKING STALL AND IT DID A TOTAL LOCK UP. THE STEERING WHEEL COULD NOT BE TURNED AT ALL. THE WHOLE STEERING RACK AND PINION HAD TO BE REPLACED COSTING OVER $3,000 BECASUE THE ELECTRONIC CHIP WASNT ABLE TO BE REMOVED ITSELF. CAR HAD UNDER 50K MILES. I ASKED HOW DOES THIS GO OUT SO SOON WITH LOW MILEAGE? THE AUDI DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IT CAN JUST BE A BAD BATCH MEANING THE ELECTRONIC CHIP INSIDE THE STEERING RACK THAT CONTROLS THE STEERING RACK WAS A BAD BATCH AND JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPENS. THEY ALSO INDICATED THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THIS PART HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED 8 TIMES INDICATING THAT IT WAS A BAD DESIGN. WE HAVE TO PAY FOR A BAD DESIGN????? THERE ARE MANY CASES THAT I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. REPAIRS SHOULD BE REPLACED AT THE VEHICLE OWNERS EXPENCE DUE TO WEAR NOT A BAD BATCH OR BAD DESIGN FOR THE CUSTOMER/OWNER OF THE VEHICLE TO HAVE TO PAY FOR.
NHTSA complaint #11433851 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
About 3 weeks ago I noticed the beginning of a steering problem. I first noticed that the wheel seemed to require more than normal force to turn, especially in about the 10 and 2 o’clock position. It would behave pretty normally most of the time, but then, unpredictably, this would happen. Now it seems to be pretty constant. The steering wheel now requires much more force than usual, but only when in certain positions. Otherwise, everything appears normal. A couple of days ago I needed to try an evasive maneuver, which required sudden, hard steering. However, the response of the car was not what I expected under similar conditions with other Audi’s I own. This is an obvious safety concern. There appears to be a repair bulletin by Audi, but only Audis that are still under warranty will be fixed for free by Audi. I strongly believe this is a serious safety issue that deserves a safety recall of all affected Audi’s, and repair at Audi expense.
NHTSA complaint #11428294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
THERE'S 1000S OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND AUDI GROUP THREADS REPORTING AND EXPERIENCING POWER STEERING LOSS OF POWER OR STIFFNESS WHILE DRIVING, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER CAR MODELS INCLUDE 2013 A4,A5, S5,A6, Q5, SQ5. AUDI KNOWS THE PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT CORRECTED OR RECALL ONLY THE 2018 SQ5 NO OTHER VEHICLES WITH ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING. DEALERS EVEN ARE AWARE OF ISSUE. AUDI SAYS IT COULD A STEERING SENSOR, BUT HAVE NOT OFFERED REMEDY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO ACCIDENT.
NHTSA complaint #11413505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
NO INCIDENT CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR - RANDOMLY ONE DAY STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN - AN ISSUE AT BOTH LOW AND HIGH SPEED - INTERMITTENT SO NO IDEA EACH TIME GO TO CHANGE LANES OR TURN A CORNER IF GOING TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL - INITIALLY IT IS SPORADIC, HOWEVER, WITH TIME/USE OCCURS MUCH MORE OFTEN LOTS OF INFORMATION/COMPLAINTS ONLINE - APPEARS TO BE STEERING SHAFT / SEIZURE OF U-JOINTS: THERE WAS A AUDI ISSUED TSB 481461, THAT COVERS THIS PROBLEM. A REVISED PART WAS ISSUED FOR THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT THAT CORRECTED THIS ISSUE. ONE OR BOTH UNIVERSAL JOINTS WAS SUBJECT TO SEIZURE. 8K1419753H WAS ISSUED AND SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS EDITIONS (53A-53G). RECOMMEND OWNERS ENSURE THERE EXISTS NO EXCESS PLAY IN EITHER IMMEDIATE SHAFT UNIVERSAL JOINT AFTER LUBING.
NHTSA complaint #11398022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
I PARKED MY CAR AND WHEN RETURNED SHOW POWER STEERING IS DEFECTVE WHEN I SEARCH THE DEFECT ON INTERNET SHOW SEVERAL SIMILAR CASES
NHTSA complaint #11354618 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
MY VEHICLE HAS ONLY 36K MILES AND HAS NOT BEEN THROUGH ANY PUDDLES OR POTHOLES. ONE DAY I DROVE MY CAR DOWN THE STREET BACK TO MY GARAGE AND AS I WAS PARKING I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION "STEERING DEFECTIVE DO NOT DRIVE". THE STEERING RACK AND PINION HAD TO BE REPLACED COSTING $3,000 (PART WAS $2,127). THE REPAIR SHOP INDICATED THAT AFTER SPEAKING WITH AUDI, THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THIS PART HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED 8 TIMES INDICATING THAT IT WAS A BAD DESIGN. THERE ARE MANY CASES THAT I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11327151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
2014 AUDI A5 WITH APPROX 62K MILES. THE STEERING SYSTEM HAS BEGUN TO OFFER INCONSISTENT RESISTANCE TO DRIVER INPUT, WHICH IMPACTS DRIVER'S ABILITY TO JUDGE THE AMOUNT OF FORCE NEEDED TO TURN THE WHEEL TO THE DESIRED POSITION. WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL FROM CENTER TO EITHER STOP, THERE ARE SEVERAL SECTORS WHERE IT FEELS LIKE THE ASSIST IS WORKING, AND SEVERAL WHERE THE STEERING GETS HEAVY AND HARD TO TURN. THE ISSUE OCCURS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WHILE STOPPED. IT SEEMS SIMILAR TO ISSUES REPORTED WITH 2013 A4 AND A5 MODELS.
NHTSA complaint #11302952 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
WHEN TURNING, THE STEERING FEELS STIFF AND OCCURS EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS STATIONARY
NHTSA complaint #11207546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
CLICKING AND VIBRATION IN STEERING COLUMN, ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEEDS
NHTSA complaint #11130023 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
WHILE APPROACHING A TURN I SLOWED DOWN , ANOTHER CAR CAME AROUND THE RIGHT SIDE. MY CAR WASN'T RESOONDING I WASN'T ABLE TO BEAR RIGHT AROUND CURVE AND WENT ACROSS ROAD AND UP HILL. APPROACHING HILL FELT LIKE I DIDN'T HAVE POWER STEERING, I TOOK 2 HANDS AND GRABBED THE STEERING WHEEL AND FORCED MYSELF TO GO DOWN , BRAKES SEEMED USELESS.. CAR WENT DOWN HILL. I PUT FOOT ON MY BRAKE BECAUSE I WAS IN HEAD ON TRAFFIC ON A SMALL BACK ROAD. I THEN PUT CAR IN REVERSES, IT JERKED BACK TO STRAIGHTEN CAR UP, AND STRAIGHTEN UP CAR- DROVE UP TO LIGHT SHAKEN UP, PULLED OVER TO SHOULDER - NO SHOULDER THE BACK ROAD AT IT WAS ABOUT 10 PM WEEKNIGHT... I LOOKED AT THE DRIVERS FRONT END THAT MADE CONTACT AND IT LOOKED OK- JUST SCRAPES... I DROVE HOME AND WOKE UP TO FLAT TIRES IN AM. I TOOK MY CAR TO AUDI TURNERSVILLE- AUTOMALL. I TOLD THEM OF SAFETY CONCERNS- THEY FINALLY ON WEDNESDAY RAN A SCAN- NO TPMS ILLUMINATED OR DEFUALT LIGHT- I WAS LIED TO AND TOLD IT DID, UNTIL I ASKED TO SEE REPORT. SERVICE DEPT. TIGHTEN MY DRIVERS DOOR THAT WAS LOOSENED BY IMPACT BEFORE INS COMPANY SAW THE CAR. AUDI CORP SENT A ENGINEER AND I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD GO OVER MY REPORT AND CONCERNS, I WAS TREATED HORRIBLE BY DEALERSHIP, THEY WORKED ON MY CAR WITHOUT CALLING ME FIRST, TIRED TO REMOVE CAR FROM DEALERSHIP TO TAKE TO ANOTHER COLLISON CENTER AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS ALREADY ON THE LIFT AND AUDI WOULD BE THERE FOR MY SAFETY CONCERNS ON MONDAY/ I NEVER AUTHORIZED AUDI TO LOOK AT MY CAR- I WAS TOLD. I WAS GIVEN A HAND TYPED REPORT - 2 DAYS AGO THAT MY CAR IS SAFE... ONLY MALFUNCTION CODE TPMS CAME ON IN APRIL. AUDI WOULD ALLOW ME TO SPEAK TO THE AUDI REP WHILE HE WAS HERE FROM MICHIGAN AND STILL HAS REFUSED TO ANSWER MY CONCERNS ON THE ORIGINAL 26 PAGE REPORT I HAVE FROM SERVICE, MY IGNITION KEY STICKS OCCASIONALLY , MY REAR BACK UP CAMERA DELAYS AT TIMES- DEFAULT FOUND DRIVERS HEAD RESTRAINT ???
NHTSA complaint #10766449 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.