2020 Audi S5: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
50 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 50 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 8.33
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
MMI - Multi Media Interface constantly reboots about every 90 seconds. This is a safety issue since if I am backing up and the MMI reboots I lose the backup camera and when the MMI reboots I also lose collision/parking/proximity sensors. This issue started happening with my Audi on 7/26/25 and can be reproduced every time the ignition is on or car is running. From doing a quick search on the internet this is a ver…
The radio (mmi system) is rebooting while driving every 5-10 min. dealership can't fix and is affecting safety sytems like front and rear cameras/sensors.
Audi MMI reboots constantly while the car is one. There is about 30 seconds between each reboot. This causes certain safety features like the backup camera to stop working when in use. I am not sure what the cause is but this seems to be a more common issue with the 2020 Audi's.
Recalls: 4 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V874000 | Seats | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. |
| 20V737000 | Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2020-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, and S5 Sportback vehicles. |
| 22V034000 | Tires | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8… |
| 21V295000 | Suspension:Rear:Axle:Non-Powered Axle Assembly | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,450
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Electrical System28 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other24 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Back Over Prevention22 complaints · typical job: Reversing camera or park-sensor replacement (2.0 h labour + parts)$420–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance12 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Lane Departure4 complaints · typical job: Camera module replacement and calibration (2.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,700
Other Audi S5 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Audi S5?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (28 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2020 Audi S5 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 48/100, computed from 50 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2020 Audi S5's most common problem?
28 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2020 Audi S5 sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2020 Audi S5 cost to run per year?
About $5,118 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $25,590 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2020 Audi S5 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Audi S5, 0 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/11/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2020 Audi S5 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 50 complaints, 4 recalls on record
- 50 NHTSA complaints on record (8.3/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (1.0/yr)
- 4 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems