Vehicle recall R/2018/051

Audi A5 and others recall: Auxilliary heater element in air conditioning may fail and/or overheat

DVSA recall R/2018/051 names the Audi A5, Audi A4 and Audi Q5. It was launched 19 February 2018. It covers vehicles built 1 April 2011 to 31 July 2015.

Recall data updated 22 September 2026

Recall: R/2018/051
Launched: 19 February 2018
Issued by: AUDI
Manufacturer reference: 80C5
Vehicles: 114,287 across the whole recall

What can go wrong

The auxiliary heater element in the air conditioner may fail as the result of overheating in the area of the connectors. This can lead to smoulder damage or potentially a fire.

The fix

Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and change the auxiliary heater element for one with optimised electrical connectors.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. DVSA gives one vehicle number for the whole recall: 114,287.
Model	Built
Audi A4	1 April 2011 to 31 July 2015
Audi A5	1 April 2011 to 31 July 2015
Audi A5 (A5 CABRIOLET)	1 April 2011 to 31 July 2015
Audi Q5	1 April 2011 to 31 July 2015

Is a specific car affected? A recall lists models and build dates, not individual vehicles, so these pages cannot tell you whether one car is included. Enter the registration on the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK, or give the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the manufacturer or one of its dealers. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof that any recall work was done.

Other recalls for these models

R/2018/043 Passenger airbag may not deploy as intended 12 February 2018, Audi Q5
R/2017/334 Auxilliary heater element in air conditioning may fail and/or overheat 8 January 2018, Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi Q5
R/2018/086 Aluminium trim may partly detach from loudspeaker trim in doors and cause injury to occupants 30 April 2018, Audi A4, Audi A5
R/2018/152 Risk of overheating and failure of additional coolant pump 11 June 2018, Audi A5, Audi A4
R/2018/161 Rear brake pistons coated incorrectly 18 June 2018, Audi Q5
R/2018/149 Brake piston may not have been coated correctly 1 October 2018, Audi Q5

Found one you might buy?

A recall is one part of the picture. See how often it fails its MOT at each age, or what the VetTheCar Buying Report tells you about a specific car.

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA vehicle recall records (RecallsFile.csv), recalls launched 1992 to 2026. Recall data updated 22 September 2026.

Recall wording is DVSA's, with capitals and punctuation tidied and American spellings such as tire, center and windshield given in British English. We list a recall when its make and model match a car or van family with at least 1,000 DVSA MOT tests from 2022 to 2025, and when the maker of the vehicle issued it.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Methodology · Data sources