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2020 Audi S5 problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2020 Audi S5 has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 4safety recalls
- 25owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 0fire reports
- 14%fail the UK MOT
25 complaints, against an average of 10 for the other 8 Audi S5 model years.
Every Audi S5 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2020 Audi S5?
The components named most often in the 25 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2020 Audi S5 owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 25 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2020 Audi S5 been recalled?
4 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
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 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
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. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Risk: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
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. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
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. The wiring harness for the rear lights could be missing the anti-abrasion protection in the area of the spare wheel well.
Risk: Without the scuff protection, the wires may become damaged during a rear crash, disabling the doors from being opened from the outside, causing a loss of hazard lights, and increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will apply scuff protection, free of charge. The recall began January 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EU.
How often does the 2020 Audi S5 fail its MOT?
Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2020, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do 2020 Audi S5 owners report?
12 of the 25 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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 very common problem that just started happening within the last few months with a number of 2020 model Audi's.
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.
I am writing to report a critical and recurring safety defect concerning the Multi Media Interface (MMI) system in my Audi S5. The MMI system consistently restarts itself approximately every 90 seconds, regardless of whether the vehicle is stationary (parking) or in motion (driving). This issue presents a significant safety hazard because critical sensor information and vehicle status displays, which are shown on the infotainment screen, become unavailable during each restart cycle. During the 5-10 second period of the system restarting, the screen goes blank, and all related functions and…
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.
Sudden reboot of the vehicle's infotainment system, which then repeats every 60-90 seconds consistently. The reboot has happened while reversing the vehicle, which results in losing view of the backup camera and parking sensors / rear cross traffic detection. This issue was originally sparse, but after 7/14 manifests 100% of the time when using the vehicle. This represents a safety issue due to the loss of rear backup camera for 30+ seconds while the infotainment reboots. No warning lights appear, no inspections have been performed by the dealer or any others.
MMI system is failing, parking assist is malfunctioning, back up camera doesn’t activate, CarPlay turns off mid drive and reboots, navigation not working, car wants to brake at highway speeds as computer system malfunctions, Bluetooth phone connection drops mid call, overall the computer infotainment system has failed.
Component or System that Failed or Malfunctioned: The infotainment system in my vehicle fails frequently and unpredictably. This includes both the built-in system and connected features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system is available for inspection upon request. How Was Safety Put at Risk: The failure of the infotainment system creates multiple serious safety hazards. First, it disables navigation features, which forces drivers who rely on GPS directions to pull out their phones while driving—causing distraction and increasing the risk of accidents. More critically, when the…
"The MMI spontaneously reboots numerous times while driving. When the reboots happen, the screen goes black and key systems such as the backup camera, rear obstacle detection, and navigation, become unavailable until the reboot completes and the systems reload. The reboots have affected other sensors/systems in the car like resetting my stored tire pressure values resulting in a TPMS malfunction warning and blocking use of the SOS call feature resulting in a SOS system malfunction warning. Restoring functionality after the reboots requires user input to get through the loading screens. It’s…
Main computer, multi media interface, MMI constantly shuts off and disconnects from system. This renders all backup cameras, traffic sensors and impact avoidance sensors inoperative. It also stops speedometer
The MMI spontaneously reboots numerous times while driving. When the reboots happen, the screen goes black and key systems such as the backup camera, rear obstacle detection, and navigation, become unavailable until the reboot completes and the systems reload. The last few days this issue has gone from happening once or maybe twice a day to almost every single minute I am driving the vehicle. Completely unacceptable and dangerous! Restoring functionality requires user input to get through the loading screens. The issue started in mid 2024 and the vehicle has been inspected by the Audi…
MMI or the center console screen is shutting down and rebooting during random intervals during driving and stopped. Causing the sensors to say there’s an error and not function. GPS, and volume control also go out.
Audi completed an over the air update and now the mmi screen reboots randomly, making it very dangerous when reversing using the backup camera and relying on parking sensors. Following navigation and it rebooting and having to utilize my cell phone making it difficult to also pay attention to the road.
2020 Audi S5: questions owners ask
Is the 2020 Audi S5 reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 25 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Audi S5; the most common categories were electrical system (14, 56%), back over prevention (11, 44%), forward collision avoidance (6, 24%). There are 4 safety recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Audi S5?
Across 25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are electrical system (56% of complaints), back over prevention (44% of complaints), forward collision avoidance (24% of complaints), lane departure (8% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2020 Audi S5 have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2020 Audi S5; the most recent (campaign 22V034000, 2022-01-26) concerns Tires. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does the infotainment screen freeze, reboot or go black in my 2020 Audi S5?
17 of the 25 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2020 Audi S5 (68%) describe the infotainment or touch screen freezing, rebooting or going black. One owner wrote: "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." (NHTSA complaint 11677943, August 2025). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does the backup camera not work on my 2020 Audi S5?
3 of the 25 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2020 Audi S5 (12%) describe the rearview or backup camera failing or showing a blank screen. One owner wrote: "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." (NHTSA complaint 11676410, July 2025). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own S5
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2020 only; combines NHTSA's entries for S5 and S5 SPORTBACK.