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2012 Audi A5 / S5

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2012 A5 / S5.

Body PASSENGER CARTransmission Automatic (variable gear ratios)

The 2012 Audi A5 and S5 passenger cars pair a variable-ratio automatic transmission with an EPA fuel economy rating of up to 30 mpg on the highway, requiring 4.9 quarts of 5W-30 or 5W-40 API engine oil to maintain their operation. From a reliability perspective, this model year occupies a notably stable position in the vehicle's history, recording zero recalls alongside a relatively low volume of 22 total owner complaints. Although airbags stand out as the primary complaint area, the absence of any official recalls means researchers can view the 2012 model as a structurally sound iteration rather than a maintenance liability.

Model year2017201620122011201020092008

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.9 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30 / 5W-40 APIOEM · verified
Lug nut torque89 ft-lbsOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy22/30/25 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 760 CCA battery, OE oil filter 06J115403Q. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 760 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeP255-35R19OEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter06J115403Q
Engine air filter8R0133843D
Fuel filter8K0201511A
Spark plug06H905601A
Front wiper blades8F1955426B alt 8K1955425A
Serpentine belt06J260849F
Thermostat06H121113B alt 06J121113C
Cabin air filter8K0819439C

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic (variable gear ratios)

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length182.7 in
Overall width72.8 in
Overall height53.9 in
Wheelbase108.3 in
Curb weight4032 lb
Track (front / rear)61.8 / 61.8 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)52/48

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined22 / 30 / 25 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelPremium Gasoline

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.9 qt of 5W-30 / 5W-40 API engine oil, DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 89 ft-lbs, the oil drain plug to 22.1 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidAudi part number G060162A2
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity4.2-4.9
Brake FluidDOT 4
Differential Gear Oil Capacity1.9 Pints
Differential Gear Oil Capacity1.5 Pints
Engine Oil5W-30 · 5W-40 · API
Engine Oil Capacity4.9 qt
Engine Oil5W-30 · 5W-40 · API

Engine torques

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper BoltsDiagonally tighting 11 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts6.6 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts7.4 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug22.1 ft-lbs
Oil Pump to Cylinder BLock Bolts/Studs17 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts6.67 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts89 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug20.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug20.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug15.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug15.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-4-3-6-2-5
Cylinder Firing Order1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2
Spark Plug ManufacturerAudi/VW
Spark Plug Torque22 ft-lbs
Spark Plug Torque22.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Oil GroupPAG
Standard BCI Group Number48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance760 cca
Standard BCI Group Number49
Standard BCI Cranking Performance760 cca
Standard BCI Group Number49
Standard BCI Cranking Performance850 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test14.5 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief20-23 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188 °F
Pressure Test14.5 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief20-23 psi
Engine Compression159-203 PSI @ RPM. 44 maximum variation PSI.
Engine Compression159-203 PSI @ RPM. 44 maximum variation PSI.
Engine Compression145-203 PSI @ RPM. 44 maximum variation PSI.

Brakes

Brake ApplicationWITH 1K 2EH / WITH 1KE / WITH 1LA/1LB, 1LJ
Torque Caliper to Bracket26 USE NEW BOLTS ONLY ft-lbs / 22 ft-lbs
Brake ApplicationWITH 1K 2EH / WITH 1KE / WITH 1LA/1LB, 1LJ
Torque Caliper to Bracket26 USE NEW BOLTS ONLY ft-lbs / 22 ft-lbs
Brake ApplicationWITH 1K 2EH / WITH 1KE / WITH 1LA/1LB, 1LJ
Torque Caliper to Bracket26 USE NEW BOLTS ONLY ft-lbs / 22 ft-lbs
Brake ApplicationWITH 1LT
Torque Caliper to Bracket22 ft-lbs

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Torque to Knuckle — tightening sequence 1 stages
174, STEP 290 DEGREES
Torque to Knuckle — tightening sequence 1 stages
174, STEP 290 DEGREES
Torque to Knuckle — tightening sequence 1 stages
174, STEP 290 DEGREES
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 1 stages
16 ft. lbs., Step 2: 906 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
133 ft. lbs., Step 2: 9033 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
17 ft. lbs., step 2: 907 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
115 ft. lbs., step 2: 20 ft. lbs., step 3: replace bolt and shim15 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
115 ft. lbs., step 2: 9015 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 5 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil.

130.0 ft. lbs.30 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
390 degrees90 degrees
4front bolts only 6.0 ft. lbs.6 ft. lbs
590 degrees90 degrees
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil. · Tighten bolts at first to hand tight then continue on with the following procedure.

130.0 ft. lbs.30 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
390 degrees90 degrees
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Use new bolts coated with clean engine oil. Tighten all bolts to finger tight then continue on with the following procedure.

130.0 ft. lbs.30 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
390 degrees90 degrees
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
144 ft. lbs., Step 2: 9044 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
144 ft. lbs., Step 2: 4544 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 8.9 ft. lbs., step 3: 11.8 ft. lbs., step 4: step 18.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1install by hand, step 211 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1hand tighten, step 215 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter at 5,000 mi; spark plugs at 55,000 mi.

At 5,000 miBrake System (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Headlamp Washer Nozzle (inspect) · Headlamp Washer System (inspect fluid level) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 10,000 miBrake System (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Headlamp Washer Nozzle (inspect) · Headlamp Washer System (inspect fluid level) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (inspect)
At 15,000 miAir Conditioning Evaporator Case Drain (inspect) · Air Intake Hose Debris Screen (clean) · Battery (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (replace) · Engine Assembly (leak inspection)
Every 20,000 miAir Conditioning Evaporator Case Drain (inspect) · Air Intake Hose Debris Screen (clean) · Battery (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (replace) · Engine Assembly (leak inspection)
At 35,000 miBody Lock Cylinders (lubricate) · Brake Rotor (inspect) · Door Hinge (lubricate) · Hood Latch (lubricate) · Power Steering System (inspect fluid level) · Transmission Fluid & Filter (replace)
Every 40,000 miBody Lock Cylinders (lubricate) · Brake Rotor (inspect) · Door Hinge (lubricate) · Hood Latch (lubricate) · Power Steering System (inspect fluid level) · Transmission Fluid & Filter (replace)
At 55,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Air Filter Housing (clean) · Spark Plugs (replace)
Every 60,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Air Filter Housing (clean) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 75,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Drive Belt (replace)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2012 Audi A5 / S5 dominate in one area — the air bags, 11 of 22 reports (50%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 1 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the air bags pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1050
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
22
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 1 a fire

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 22 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Air Bags11
Engine5
Electrical System,Unknown Or Other,Engine1
Engine & Engine Cooling1
Electrical System,Engine1
Fuel System, Gasoline1
Fuel/Propulsion System1
Unknown Or Other1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1050 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
TSB_2074729_32026-06-23Electrical SystemThis bulletin provides informationwhen noises/vibration are detected from front of…
TSB_2028902_52026-06-23Power TrainThis bulletin provides informaiton when the transmission warning message appears in the…
TSB_2059335_72026-06-23Electrical SystemThis bulletin provides information when there are noises from the area around the…
TSB_2082323_12026-06-10EngineThis bulletin provides informaiton when the engine is not running smoothly, misfiring.
TSB_2052680_62026-06-04Unknown Or OtherThis Reporting Obligation requires technicains to contact the Technical Assistance Center…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific A5 / S5. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 48 batteryVehicles taking 4.9 qtEngine oil filter 06J115403QEngine air filter 8R0133843DFuel filter 8K0201511ASpark plug 06H905601A

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBsOBD-II trouble codesTorque specificationsMaintenance schedulesFluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2012 A5 / S5 take?

4.9 qt of 5W-30 OR 5W-40 API MEETING VW SPECIFICATION VW50200, per the factory manual.

Does the 2012 A5 / S5 have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the A5 / S5 get?

EPA figures are 22 city / 30 highway / 25 combined mpg.