Model year guide

2020 Audi S5

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2020 Audi S5 is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 43 on record.

2020 Audi S5 — representative photo
Representative photo

2020 Audi S5 at a glance

Safety recalls4
Owner complaints25
Combined23 mpg

Included: that car's specs and build sheet, model-year recall campaigns and a fair price.

2020 Audi S5 recalls 4

Tires NHTSA Campaign #22V034000 · manufacturer #42L5 · 26/01/2022

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 af…

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.

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger NHTSA Campaign #21V874000 · manufacturer #74E3 · 10/11/2021

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 dis…

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…

Suspension:rear:axle:non-powered Axle Assembly NHTSA Campaign #21V295000 · manufacturer #42L1 · 26/04/2021

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 …

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 NHTSA Campaign #20V737000 · manufacturer #97EU · 25/11/2020

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.

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.

Source: U.S. NHTSA, checked 4 Nov 2026. A campaign covers the model year; to see whether a particular car still needs the repair, check its VIN on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer.

2020 Audi S5 common problems

The most-reported problem areas across all 25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.

Electrical System
Test every electrical feature: windows, locks, infotainment, charging and all lights. Watch for flickering, dead accessories or warning lights.
Back Over Prevention
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
Forward Collision Avoidance
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
Lane Departure
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.

2020 Audi S5 MPG & running costs

Combined23 mpg
City20 mpg
Highway27 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$3,550
EPA size classSubcompact Cars
TransmissionAutomatic (S8)
Forced inductionTurbocharged
Engine start-stopYes
Passenger volume84 cu ft
Cargo volume13 cu ft
5-yr fuel cost vs average new car$5,750 more

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2020 Audi S5 costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$17,750
Fuel only$17,750
Per mile$0.24

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. There aren't enough comparable listings to estimate depreciation for this model, so it is left out. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

Dimensions & weight

Length
184.6–187.0 in
Width
72.4–72.8 in
Height
53.9–54.3 in
Wheelbase
108.7–111.4 in
Curb weight
3,605–4,233 lb
Front track
62.6 in
Rear track
61.8 in

Manufacturer-reported figures for the 2020 Audi S5 — ranges cover the 3 body / drivetrain versions on record. Source: Transport Canada vehicle specifications via NHTSA.

Investigations & service bulletins

Manufacturer service bulletins 984

Technical notes the manufacturer sent to dealers about known issues and fixes. Useful to mention to a mechanic — they are not recalls and repairs may not be covered. Showing the 10 most recent of 984.

This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.

Bulletin TSB_2052680_2 · Sep 2026

This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.

Bulletin TSB_2083409_1 · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.

Bulletin TSB_2020552_15 · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides informaiton when DTC B200FF0 is stored.

Bulletin TSB_2065871_4 · Steering · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.

Bulletin TSB_2074846_5 · Steering · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking sensor loose, rear parking sensor fault message.

Bulletin TSB_2068573_6 · Electrical System · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.

Bulletin TSB_2078648_4 · Structure · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.

Bulletin TSB_2030471_9 · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides information when there is an abnormal knocking noise from the engine compartment; V6 3.0L TFSI.

Bulletin TSB_2081030_4 · Engine · Sep 2026

This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.

Bulletin TSB_2051095_12 · Sep 2026

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, listed for the S5 AWD. Model-year data, not specific to one car.

Canadian recalls 4

Transport Canada recall campaigns for the 2020 Audi S5. Relevant if the car was first sold in, or imported from, Canada.

Suspension

Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear wheel alignment was not checked during recall 42L1 (Transport Canada Recall 2021-249). As a result, the steering could pull to one side or another and the tires could wear unevenly. If you continue to drive the vehicle in this condition, there may be reduced traction. Eventually, a tire could fail and lose air pressure. Safety Risk: A tire f…

Transport Canada #2022022 · Jan 2022

Airbag

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a passenger is seated. Note: This problem would cause an error message to display on the instrument panel and a warning chime to sound. The airbag indicator light would also display "passenger airbag off"…

Transport Canada #2021688 · Nov 2021

Suspension

Issue: On certain vehicles, the lock nuts for the rear trailing arm bolts may be defective. If a nut breaks, there could be sudden changes in rear wheel alignment. This can cause a loss of vehicle stability. Safety Risk: Reduced vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you…

Transport Canada #2021249 · Apr 2021

Electrical

Issue: On certain vehicles, a layer of protective tape may not have been installed around a wiring harness in the spare tire area. As a result, the wiring harness could become damaged in a rear crash. If this happens, it may not be possible to open the doors from the outside and/or the hazard lights may not work. Safety Risk: Doors that cannot be opened from the outside could i…

Transport Canada #2020575 · Nov 2020

Source: Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database.

About the Audi S5

The Audi S5 is one of two high-performance variants of Audi's A5. The B8 and B9 generations were marketed as the coupé, cabriolet, and five-door fastback sedan versions of the B8 and B9 Audi S4 saloon and estate models, while the B10 S5 is the direct replacement of the B9 S4 models.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Describes the model line in general, not this model year specifically.

2020 Audi S5 vehicles on record

Other Audi S5 model years

2020 Audi S5 — frequently asked questions

Does the 2020 Audi S5 have any safety recalls?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2020 Audi S5. Whether an individual car still needs a recall repair depends on its VIN — check it on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer. Recall repairs are done at no charge.

What are the most common problems with the 2020 Audi S5?

Across all 25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are electrical system, back over prevention, forward collision avoidance.

What gas mileage does the 2020 Audi S5 get?

The 2020 Audi S5 has a U.S. EPA estimate of 23 mpg combined (20 city / 27 highway).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.