Summary of Safety Event: While traveling at highway speeds with active traffic behind me, the vehicle’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) suffered an un-commanded, severe "phantom braking" event. The vehicle aggressively engaged the emergency service brakes and decelerated rapidly with absolutely no obstacles, pedestrians, or vehicles ahead. This sudden, violent deceleration created an immediate and high-risk rear-end collision hazard.Cascading Component Failures:In tandem with the dangerous autonomous braking behavior, the vehicle's electronic architecture (E³ 1.2 platform) is exhibiting chronic software instability. The High-Performance Computing infotainment stack continuously enters an internal network routing loop, displaying "Hotspot Reconfiguring" error messages. This completely crashes the cloud connectivity, signs out the primary driver profile, and force-reboots the central MMI display screen and wireless Android Auto interfaces mid-drive.Manufacturer Actions & Hazard Status:I have contacted the manufacturer (Audi of America) and local dealership service networks regarding these systemic software and safety issues, which Audi documents under master overview Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 2081477. The vehicle currently poses an active safety risk to myself and surrounding motorists due to unpredictable braking behavior. The manufacturer has not yet provided a date to flash the corrected firmware containers (KD2* software update) to resolve the sensor fusion logic flaws.
The worst 2026 Audi S5 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes1
- Driver assistance1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes1
- Driver assistance1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2026 Audi S5 242
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin provides information when a software update fails, and control unit J1194 cannot be reached;...
- This bulletin provides information when there is an electrical system fault; control unit for low-voltage...
- This bulletin provides a central overview of the combined software update for cluster 6 PPE/PPC vehicles.
- This bulletin provides informaiton when there are noises from the all-wheel drive coupling when corning.
- This bulletin provides information when a yellow warning message appears with DTC C05EC00.
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides informaiton when there are functional issues; DTC P187C00 stroed in the gearbox...
- This bulletin provides information regarding the current top concerns being addressed by the Audi Digital...
- This bulletin provides service information when the dash cam does not recognize micro-SD card.
- This bulletin proides service information when there is a prompt to take over the steering wheel (hands...
2026 Audi S5 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 20 | 29 | 23 |
What 2026 Audi S5 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Compare the 2026 Audi S5
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Questions about the 2026 Audi S5
Is the 2026 Audi S5 reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 2026 Audi S5, fewer than a typical S5 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2026 Audi S5?
Brakes, with 1 complaint. Next is driver assistance (1).
How many recalls does the 2026 Audi S5 have?
No recalls on record.
What gas mileage does the 2026 Audi S5 get?
Official estimates for the 2026 Audi S5 range from 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, AWD) gets 20 city and 29 highway.
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