Audi A8 Complaints (2013)

50 consumer complaints on file.

#11773411October 24, 2026
TIRES:SIDEWALL, TIRES, TIRES:TREAD/BELT
Lionhart LH-Five UHP All Season 265/40ZR20 104Y XL Passenger Tire The tire tread separated at the inside seam of the tire at the side wall. One tire had 90-180 degree of tire separation. You could see the inside of the tire and the belt. The tire was still holding pressure. This problem was identified before the tire further self destructed. But this is considered a near miss if not discovered at the time and future tire degradation continued. The first event happened in Dec 2024. I have two vehicles that use the same tire. I noticed the same problem on all four tires of my other vehicle currently (October 2026). These tires appear to have a manufacturer defect. The DOT manufacturer date on my current tires is 1124 which I believe means 11th wk of 2024. The tires that had the tread separation had about 20k of use. I have included a picture below. On my other car the tires have about 20k miles of use also, and the location where the sidewall meets the tread on the inside of the tire is very thin and stretched. It is a matter of time before these fail as well. I am seeking to get these replaced by the tire company.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732258April 19, 2026
ENGINE
Engine totaled because of oil starvation I'm guessing or maybe an oil pump failure oil starvation caused Pistons to rub inside of head cost of engine and work is more than the vehicles cost so that means car is totaled
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692779October 11, 2025
ENGINE
The pcv oil separator has failed and is making a whistling sound. From researching this issue it is widely known and an investigation shows it is caused in relation to a recall for the oil strainer that was done on this vehicle. I called audi dealership and they said this is not an open recall, however it seems this is exactly what caused it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667840June 18, 2025
ENGINE
Driving up an inclined road at night. Car engine started to sputter and jerk and lost power. Was able to get to the side of the road out of traffic at the top of the hill? I was able to coast down the hill to a gas station. Carl would not drive without Jerking or accelerate, add check engine, light on and flashing. With the smell of burning from the engine, compartment waited two hours for a tow truck towed it home, the following day, I had to take off of work. I checked all the spark plugs to find multiple spark plugs completely soaked in oil, took an Uber to parts store to buy new spark plugs. At this point I had found out about the recall for the same problem. On the same engine. In all of audi's cars, except for the A8 line was excluded, do not know the reason why it's the same engine in multiple vehicles that were listed in the recall for the piston rings. My other Audi a 6 has over 200000 miles and does not have this issue. Get these low tension piston ring failures that have been recalled. On the issue with all of audi's in this year
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625496November 15, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A8. The contact stated that while her son was driving at highway speeds, the warning lights on the instrument panel flashed as the vehicle shut off. The contact's son managed to pull over despite the failure. The vehicle was initially towed to one dealer; however, the dealer failed to service the vehicle promptly. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective ECM(Electronic Control Module) that needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession for a month before the vehicle was repaired. Despite the repair, the contact was notified that the failure persisted and was then informed that a defective engine cylinder now needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession and had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610338August 22, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STEERING
Audi, A8L 2013, also has the stuck piston. Rings end oil blow by like the other Volkswagen, defected engines of the same year yesterday while driving my car ended up stalling on a road with traffic behind me going up a hill because too much oil I'd burnt in the cylinders, causing the spark plugs to become completely coated in oil and the cars. Electronic system registered multiple misfires, multiple cylinders. Are misfired and multiple other safety epc codes, causing the vehicle to not be able to drive more than 5 miles an hour, stuttering. Which also caused the engine to almost stall, losing power steering. If this was on the highway this could have been exceptionally bad. I request the Audi AH. L and 8 series to be added to the current recall. For the A6Q5A4 A seven with the exact same problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590954May 28, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pedal is hard when starting the vehicle. Brake pedal turns soft when engine is started. The brake pedal is so hard that it requires significant force to depress sufficiently to start the engine. This indicates loss of vacuum in brake booster when engine is off. The vehicle is equipped with a start/stop system and it seems likely that the brakes would not sufficiently hold the vehicle when the start/stop system turns off the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589083May 16, 2024
ENGINE
Unknown at this moment service vist is next week. The problem is a know piston ring issues on other years of same engine with massive oil consumption 1 qt a week with minimal driving less then 100 miles. Spent 3k on pvc and coolant pump that are a known issue of totaling engine but burning oil non stop and risk or seized engine if on highway
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573971February 26, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Me and my son were traveling on a business road trip from my home in Lincoln, CA to do business at several companies and end up at a customer located in Anaheim, CA. We started on [XXX] in Roseville, CA highway Interstate [XXX] traveling towards Anaheim with stops along the way. We were coming down [XXX] on the southside of the grapevine at the speed limit of 70 MPH, when the engine began to stall, and the steering also began to lock up. We began losing control of the vehicle and engine power was failing and stalling. In addition, the stall was impacting the car battery. We had difficulty steering the car and controlling the direction of the car and getting the car to the side of the road. Once we were at the side of the road, we looked up the closest Audi dealership, fortunately we were 3.9 miles away from Audi Dealership in Van Nuys, CA. Once on the side of the road the vehicle initially would not restart the engine stalling had drained the battery. We waited on the side of the road for approx.. 40 minutes and were able to restart the car and drive with much difficulty to the Keys Audi Van Nuys dealership. We were able to barely get into the dealership parking lot when the car completely stalled, we went in and met with the service manager. We explained what had happened, and with the service teams help we pushed the vehicle into a bay to get reviewed. I have purchased eight (8) Audi’s over the past years for me and my wife. The service manager promised to review the problem. Typically, Audi service will give you a vehicle to drive but the had no vehicles available, so they told us they would take us to a rental car company and cover the cost of the vehicle except for the insurance on rental car, which we had to pickup at a rate of $ 35.00 per day. As we were on a work trip we had to hustle to our customers as we had a meeting scheduled for 2:30 PM at Manna Beverage in Anaheim, CA. We went to our meeting and then returned to the Audi Dealership in Van Nuys. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573806February 24, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
Me and my son were traveling on a business road trip from my home in Lincoln, CA to do business at several companies and end up at a customer located in Anaheim, CA. We started on [XXX] traveling towards Anaheim with stops along the way. We were coming down highway [XXX] on the southside of the grapevine at the speed limit of 70 MPH, when the engine began to stall, and the steering also began to lock up. We began losing control of the vehicle and engine power was failing and stalling. In addition, the stall was impacting the car battery. We had difficulty steering the car and controlling the direction of the car and getting the car to the side of the road. Once we were at the side of the road, we looked up the closest Audi dealership, fortunately we were 3.9 miles away from Audi Dealership in Van Nuys, CA. Once on the side of the road the vehicle initially would not restart the engine stalling had drained the battery. We waited on the side of the road for approx.. 40 minutes and were able to restart the car and drive with much difficulty to the Keys Audi Van Nuys dealership. We were able to barely get into the dealership parking lot when the car completely stalled, we went in and met with the service manager. We explained what had happened, and with the service teams help we pushed the vehicle into a bay to get reviewed. I have purchased eight (8) Audi’s over the past years for me and my wife. The service manager promised to review the problem. Typically, Audi service will give you a vehicle to drive but the had no vehicles available, so they told us they would take us to a rental car company and cover the cost of the vehicle except for the insurance on rental car, which we had to pickup at a rate of $ 35.00 per day. As we were on a work trip we had to hustle to our customers as we had a meeting scheduled for 2:30 PM at Manna Beverage in Anaheim, CA. We went to our meeting and then returned to the Audi Dealership in Van Nuys. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562242December 28, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A8. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V178000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the contact had scheduled three separate appointments with a dealer and was cancelled after each scheduled appointment. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494741November 23, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sunroof shattered while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491579October 31, 2022
ENGINE
In March of 2022, a safety recall number 21H7, was issued for my 2013 Audi A8L regarding the oil strainer which could clog and result in the turbocharger failing and subsequent consequences. I have contacted my Audi dealer numerous times since first receiving written notification with the most recent contact being today October 31. The dealer says they still don’t have the necessary parts and even though there is still supply chain issues internationally, quite enough time has passed and when I reached out to Audi USA, they said parts have been available since August! I have not had any issues yet in driving the car but still feel reluctant to do so and would like this fixed asap. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11490400October 22, 2022
SUSPENSION, SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1. OeM audi windshield started leaking water inside the vehicle. Thia is very unsafe when driving thru rain as water pours down the inside of the glass. 2. Uneven and creaky suspension. Vehivle pulls on side where suspension is not leveling thw vehicle out. 3. Followed all processes in changing brake pads, toros, sensors etc. Brake light doesnt go away after replacing all brake components and resetting brake warning light. Very uneasy feeling driving around qithtbhe light on as unsure as to brakes would spontaneously fail.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11486393September 26, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There is an open recall: 16V619000 Which applies to a set of VIN numbers. This same issue happened on my vehicle and my VIN is not part of the recall. Other VIN numbers should be included in this recall like mine. I had to get the repaired on my own for $2500 because this recall isn’t showing up for my vin number
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479809August 17, 2022
ENGINE
Manufacturer Recall Number21H7 NHTSA Recall Number22V178 This recall was issued in May 2022. I emailed Audi USA, who advised me that they do not have a repair they can implement to address this recall. This is surprising because, according to an Audi enthusiast website, repairs under this recall are being made in the United Kingdom. See pdf attached. Why is Audi telling me they cannot repair my car when they seem to be doing just that in other countries? It appears that this is not a complicated repair and seems to involve only replacing a mesh oil strainer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467247June 3, 2022
ENGINE
I was told the recall wasn't yet active, but the dealer had the parts to take care of the recall. Now I am being told I must pay for the recall repair and wait an undetermined amount of time to get reimbursed through the manufacturer. Meanwhile I can not do anything with the vehicle as if I sell it I cannot collect the monies from which they want me to pay ( over $8000 ). Please advise as this is a lot of money to tie up not knowing when it will be refunded. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464663May 14, 2022
ENGINE
My car don’t get the full power & it whistles they say it’s the oil seperator .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11457556March 20, 2022
ENGINE
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
#11452383February 17, 2022
ENGINE
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

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