Audi A8 Complaints
254 consumer complaints on file.
- #11463254May 3, 2022ENGINE, SUSPENSION
Recall for turbo internals, but nothing done to remedy problem . Second issue in leaking suspension parts, which the dealership let problem continue, until warranty up.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11460496April 12, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A8. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle that stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457556March 20, 2022ENGINE
The car has only 60,000 miles and it is gently driven. In the middle of the interstate it started making a rattling noise. Immediately the car ceased to run. Luckily there was no vehicle otherwise it would have been a disaster. I managed to start the car back and bring it to my home which was nearby. I called a friend who is the mechanic and he mentioned the turbo had failed
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11454753March 1, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Turbos failed which caused the car to shut down in heavy traffic on an interstate.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11452383February 17, 2022ENGINE
On the afternoon of September 12, 2018, my 2013 Audi A8L 4.0T started with somewhat of a rough idle, but no warning lights or error codes were present on the dashboard. I owned the car for approximately 18 months at that point, and this had never happened before. As soon as I started to drive, the tachometer became steady and there were no other indications anything was wrong, even stopping at traffic lights the problem did no persist nor were there any indications anything was wrong. Once back in Spartanburg, the car stalled while slowing down for a traffic light. The engine cut off completely, the steering became very rigid, and the Check Engine light turned on. I was able to coast to a stop and turn on my hazard lights, and then tried to restart the car to no avail. The engine would turn over, but the car would not start. Another car stopped behind me, and we were able to push the car onto the grassy shoulder out of traffic, which was dangerous in itself but safer than sitting in the middle of a busy road. I had the car towed to Steve White Audi in Greenville, SC. Once there, they informed me that the error codes indicated that both turbo's failed simultaneously and the failure of those turbos caused the first set of downstream catalytic converters to fail also. See attached repair report and payment receipt = $10,975.57 for the replacement parts and labor ($12,070.85 including the 115,000 mile service). Once they told me the cost of the repair, I called Volkswagen USA corporate headquarters to ask if there were any pending recalls for the turbos. Multiple message boards and FaceBook pages go into detail about how the turbos are a known point of failure on the 4.0T cars, and the astronomical cost to replace them. I was informed by Volkswagen that there were no pending recalls, and that I would have to pay for the repairs out of pocket, which I did.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11452496February 17, 2022POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Vehicle engine would suddenly stop working, warning, "drive system malfunction: stop vehicle safely." It has happened 3 times within 3 days in the middle of the intersection. Dealers wouldn't take this issue seriously and they asked me to make an appointment online, which is scheduled to be 1 month away. The issue almost caused an accident twice. Adaptive cruise is also malfunctioning, engine random misfire, sunroof rattle, etc. This car is just so problematic it only has 20,000 miles on it and had scheduled maintenance performed just a month back.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11452589February 17, 2022ENGINE
I experienced the engine stall/turbo failure as described in NHTSA Action Number PE21009. I have all of the supporting documents regarding this turbo failure. Volkswagen auto group had previously issued a voluntary TSB regarding this known design shortcoming in the turbo system of the 4.0T engine. The oil screens that filter the turbo cooling were engineered with a mesh that was too fine. This mesh eventually clogged and severed oil flow to the turbo units, causing failure. There is discussion of this design shortcoming in every single Audi online group, so much so, that when new members join the owners Facebook group, they are nearly all immediately warned to change their oil screens. The concept that I was without a vehicle for months as well as having to pay for this repair out of pocket still shocks me - I had several heated calls with the Audi warranty headquarters and an incident at the dealership that required retraining of the service staff. Needless to say, this turbo failure on my vehicle was an absolute nightmare. I’d be more than happy to share all of my documents and story with the NHTSB. Thank you.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11451724February 13, 2022ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
With out any prior warning the car began to sputter and then lost power while I was on the highway. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and found the Turbos failed which caused the problem. This car has been well maintained and serviced by the dealership. It now has a $14000.00 repair bill.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11451619February 11, 2022ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The 2017 A8L 4.0T is equipped with a engine Start-Stop system that switches off the engine when the car is motionless, to save fuel. The system is supposed to restart the engine immediately when the brake is released. This system malfunctions routinely and refuses to restart, leaving me with an immobile car at stoplights and intersections, putting me and my family at risk. This safety hazard has caused two accidents. In the first incident, I parked in my spot and got out of the car. The Audi rolled backward and collided with the car parked behind (insurance claim filed). In the other incident, I was stopped at an intersection, at an incline. The car failed to restart when I took my foot off the brake and rolled back, colliding with the truck behind me. My rear bumper was damaged, truck was not damaged. The car was inspected multiple times, and problem was reproduced by the Audi dealer. They attempted fixes, but failed to solve the problem. No warning lights or message appeared to alert me to this start-stop system failure.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11450995February 8, 2022ENGINE, STEERING
Turbos failed. Was traveling home on a highway, when i pulled off the engine suddenly stalls out and loss of steering occurs as the engine system automatically puts you in park. Switching to neutral leads to a very 'leaden'/heavy driving feeling (Kind of like with no Power steering, but a little better). Able to get it restarted again with some effort. Car will stall out at any point in time when RPM is 1200 or less (you have about .25s to get it back out of that range or it stalls again). Power is sluggish. To avoid stalls, shifts must be rapid and neutral-shift+gas needs to be applied to prevent RPM from being below 1200. Made it home safely, but had it towed to dealership. Dealership notified me that it was a turbo failure, both impellers have become lodged in the side of turbo casing and are stalled out. Nothing preceded this; no engine lights or anything. Effect was sudden and drastic. Temperatures were fine. Attempt to drive to repair shop led to total loss of coolant. It is believed this is a seperate issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11449661February 1, 2022ENGINE
Turbo chargers failed on highway at highway speeds leading major loss of power in a passing situation nearly causing an accident then the car stalled at exit ramp
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11447239January 12, 2022SUSPENSION, ENGINE
AUDI A8 HAS BEEN USING LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT. HOWEVER, ITS NOT RUNNING OUT THE CAR. YET IM STEADY BUYING COOLANT BECAUSE ITS SAYING ITS LOW. AND WHEN I GO TO PUT THE COOLANT IN MY CAR IT IS LOW. SO WHERE IS THE COOLANT GOING? IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE MY COOLANT WAS GOING OR WHY WAS IT CALLING FOR SO MUCH I DID SOME AUDI RESEARCH ON MY VEHICLE AND SAW THAT IT HAD A PRIOR RECALL. I PURCHASED THIS CAR OVER A YEAR AGO AND THE DEALERSHIP DIDNT ALERT ME OF ANY RECALLS. I DONT THINK MY RECALL WAS FIXED. ALSO THERES BEEN A LOUND NOISE ON MY SUSPENSION IN THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE ON THE RIGHT. I SEE AUDI HAD MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. THE CAR WITH ARROWS FOR MY SUSPENSION STAYS ON. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP TO GET IT DIAGNOSED. THEY CUT THE LIGHTS OFF FROM THE DASH BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. ACCORDING TO THE FORUMS IVE READ THESE ISSUES ON MY AUDI ARE SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES. THERE WERE NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. I AM REALLY AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I DONT KNNOW WHAT OR WHEN IF IT WILL STALL OUT ON ME IN TRAFFIC OR WORSE.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11446879January 10, 2022AIR BAGS
1999 AUDI A8. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FAULTY AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE AT THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING A RECALL REPAIR, THE VEHICLE WAS FLOODED DUE TO A RAINSTORM. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE DEALERSHIP DENIED ANY RESPONSIBLITY, OTHER THAN THE INSURRANCE DEDUCTIBLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER DID NOT TAKE ANY PREVENTIVE EFFORTS TO SAVE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11445709December 31, 2021STRUCTURE:BODY
I was driving in the morning on a November day on a rural road. The rear moon roof exploded outward. The sound was deafening and scared my passenger and I. The center glass exploded outward, scattering glass outside and inside of the car. I believe that if this happened that passengers in the car could be hurt. Other drivers on the highway could be startled on their car damaged by the flying glass. An accident could be induced by the incident either by the drive of my car or by nearby drivers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11445582December 30, 2021VISIBILITY/WIPER
Vehicle windshield started leaking from top and visibly moves when pressed from outside. This is the original windshield, never in an accident.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11444597December 21, 2021ENGINE
Car is not blowing hot air. I have a transmission fault code related to this which is P2753. Coolant is leaking and has run through the control valve to the wiring and connector causing corrosion.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11442867December 6, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While traveling on Interstate 65 through Nashville, TN my 2013 Audi A8L showed an EPC light alert then <5 miles later while traveling through interstate split going 20mph the car without alert shut down and I lost power steering, brake control, accelerator control, electric control and was forced to navigate hazardously across 3 lanes of traffic to a modified left side median. I had large vehicle traffic dodging my car going 50-60mph and was forced to call 911. I stayed in the car because much too dangerous to leave the vehicle and was able for a brief minute to restart and get off an exit ramp where it abruptly died again. I had the car towed to Audi dealership where diagnosis showed dual turbocharger failure and they recommended replacement. * Catastrophic turbo charger failure - it is available for inpsection * Car catastrophically shut down going 15-30 mph on interstate in downtown nashville causing loss of power steering/brake control. This led to immediate danger and harm caused by loss of vehicle control and traffic collision risk * Yes - dealer confirmed in multiple locations (Nashville and Louisville of turbocharger failure * No * The car EPC light came on <5 miles prior to shutdown I understand that the NHTSA already has an investigation into this model and year audi regarding turbocharger failure and I would like to add that I have had a similar problem with this vehicle. It should be recalled to address these safety concerns
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11440536November 15, 2021ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FAILURE BOTH TURBOS Purchased Audi Naples Jan 2018 Maintained at Audi Ft Myers Audi While on a vacation from our home in Florida to New England our Audi A8 experienced a major turbo failure while on an Interstate highway. On 8/6/21 I was traveling in the middle lane of I495 at 65 mph, when traffic slowed, the car stalled. With cars passing me on both sides I eventually managed to get the car started and made it to exit 15 (rt44) going toward Plymouth, MA. This truly was a scary situation, waiting to be rear ended. While on rt 44 it died again in traffic. I managed to make it into the breakdown lane. At about 2:55 pm a state Trooper stopped and asked if he could help me get to a safer spot but by that time I had called AAA. At 3:30pm AAA arrived and towed us to a safe spot. At no time before, during or after this failure did I receive any message or warning that this failure was imminent. The car was taken to Audi Norwell and diagnosed with defective turbos due to failure of turbo shaft bearings . The screens were clogged preventing oil from reaching the bearings. The turbos were the original equipment. I have read in the Audi Forum this is not an uncommon problem. I understand the screens have been redesigned as a result.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11439959November 10, 2021ENGINE
My Audi Certified Preowned A8L, 4.0 TFSI suffered a complete turbocharger failure without any notice. The car went into service 9/30/2013. I purchased the car from the same dealer that originally sold the car in Stratham, New Hampshire on 12/26/2016. I purchased an extended warranty from the dealership for 8 years, 100,000 miles. Thus, the extended warranty expired on 9/30/2021. Car has always been serviced by this Audi Stratham Dealership. During a routine trip, car stalled, went into neutral upon entering a stoplight/intersection and would not re-start. Had to be towed. No modifications ever made to this vehicle. Recently had 75,000 mile service interval completed by Audi. Car now has 81,000 miles. Audi Technical Service Bulletin [21 Engine difficult to start, turbocharger damaged, V8 4.0TFSI 21 17 27 2044640/2 November 21, 2017. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 21 number 17-24 dated February 2, 2017] describes this problem. Audi refuses to cover the ~$9,000 repair.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11435705October 6, 2021ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8/23/2021-I was slowing down at a red light and getting ready to stop but the light turned green and so high pushed on the gas to go before I got to a full stop. The battery warning light came on so I turned around to go back home can you swap cars. My fiancé had to go to work that day and took the vehicle. On his way back going 60 mph on the highway, The power to the vehicle shut down and he was unable to do anything other than slow down and pull off to the side of the road. The vehicle was sent into the Audi dealership and they changed out the 48V battery in the trunk. They also ordered an alternator but did not install it because it start it back up. A couple weeks later (9/25/2021) the same thing happened at a stop sign as I was slowing down but not at a complete stop and hit the gas and the battery light came back on. That light means the battery is disconnected from the engine and once the power runs out, it will shut down again. So I took it straight to the dealership and left it there until they can take a look at it. It’s at the dealership now. There seems to be a flaw in the (stop/go)system of the vehicle when the engine wants to turn off at a stop and when to restart the engine to go. Causing a disconnect of the battery in the trunk to the engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0