The soft tops for this vehicle are extremely defective.I aquired my vehicle at 65000 miles and the top would act funny every now and then but it would snap out of it and work fine.the back window completely detached from the top and has not operated since.going back and forth with audi I was told they cannot fix this but instead to get a new top.after I paid for them to look at it and the technician didnt have a clue.that window and top has been a common issue it seems like audi doesnt want to own up to.I drive the freeway to and from work everyday.at high speeds I fear that thing will come out and hurt someone on the freeway one day soon.I have been dealing with this since last year and have not found a solution besides "get a new top".
The worst 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Airbags12
- Engine1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags12
- Engine1
Recalls 2
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V‑078.
Recall number 18V082000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834.
Recall number 16V078000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet 980
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides information to aid in diagnosing the vehicle locking system.
- This bulletin provides information when the engine is not runing smoothly; all gas engines.
- This bulletin provides information on VIN plates, Safety Certification labels, and ordering procedures.
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
- This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
- This bulletin provides information on the zirconium insercts in the brake piston (ceramic brakes only).
- This bulletin provides information for all models regarding brake sounds.
- This bulletin provides information when there is an ABS/ESC speed sensor implausible signal.
What 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My 2011 audi a5 2.0t has experienced low compression on piston number 1 which is a sign of engine failure and requires the engine to be redone. Since then I have checked with audi mechanics and online reviews and it seems like my model of audi has a common problem with the engine. The fact that many a5's have experienced engine failures begs the question of why audi has not recalled this vehicle and why the engines were allowed to be released that are obviously sub optimal and weak!
Takata recall. Audi of america inc. Keeps sending out recall notices and the dealer keeps claiming there are no replacement airbags available. Enough already, either make replacements available or stop sending notices.
Takata recall. I have call for the past year to have this recall fixed and have not been able to find an audi dealership that has the parts. They keep telling me they will call when the parts are in. As I mentioned it has been a year, and I have checked in with them several times.
Takata recall received 1st letter apr 2016. No action. Complaint filed with 11/13/2016. Received temp fix letter 8/14/2017. Local dealer says only temp but there are no parts anyway. Contacted corporate audi sep 2017. They say local dealer has parts. Local dealer says they have no parts. Received card for recall 11/13/2017. Local dealer says they have no parts! ??? Run-around ???
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 audi a5 cabriolet. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v078000 (air bags); however, the parts do to the repair were unavailable. The contact received the recall notice over a year ago. The dealer (audi fairfield, 435 commerce dr, fairfield, ct 06825 (203) 951-6570) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that each dealer received a few replacment parts every month. The contact received a postcard from tk holdings, alerting him that they filed for bankruptcy. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 audi a5 cabriolet. The contact received a recall notification for the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v078000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Takata recall. I am trying to trade in my car and dealership will not repair/replace my airbag.
Takata recall. It has been almost 11 months and per conversation with my dealer today, they do not have the parts or any idea when they will be available. This is not acceptable for a life safety issue.
Tamara recall. My car was recalled in april and I have heard nothing since except that it is not safe to drive. How about having the dealer disable the airbag until parts are available!
Compare the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet
Other model years
Questions about the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet
Is the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet reliable?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet, 4.7 times a typical A5 Cabriolet model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet?
Airbags, with 12 complaints. Next is engine (1).
How many recalls does the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet have?
2 recalls, covering air bags.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet airbags?
Yes, 2 recalls: 18V082000, 16V078000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Audi A5 Cabriolet have bad airbags?
The Audi A5 Cabriolet model years with the most airbags complaints are 2010 (15 complaints), 2012 (13 complaints) and 2011 (12 complaints).
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