What breaks most · 2007 to 2021 model years
Audi A7 problems by year
Owners have filed 138 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi A7 across model years 2007 to 2021. Three years stand out: 2019 for electrical system complaints, 2012 for air bags complaints and 2013 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2017 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2017, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 1382007 to 2021, all trims
- Worst year
- 201943 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 53 fires · 6 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 40kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 49Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 30 | 2 | 5 | Air bags (7) | |
| 19 | 2 | 5 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 11 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (2) | |
| 15 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (7) | |
| 1 | 0 | 4 | Engine (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 43 | 0 | 6 | Electrical system (24) | |
| 2 | 0 | 8 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 11 | Engine (3) |
What fails on the 2019 Audi A7
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 56% |
24 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 21% |
9 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 19% |
8 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 16% |
7 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 12% |
5 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
4 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
3 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
3 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Dashboard stated “Electrical Malfunction†and yellow battery icon was illuminated. Eventually, the battery icon flashed red and message was to pull over immediately. The A7 was towed to an Audi dealership and the issue diagnosed as a “catastrophic generator failureâ€.
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Car comes equipped with automatic cruise control and auto-braking. Systems recently were disabled, and are throwing error. "0161 - video cable for image processing " unable to use cruise control, and assume that auto-braking is disabled until this is rectified.
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I have had four time windshield cracks.. There were no large impacts and it seems that the windshield material is extremely brittle and unsafe. Other vehicles under the same driving route and speed have never had windshield cracks, but my audi has encountered four. This seems like a design/material defect.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Audi A7 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2019, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Audi A7. The 2019 alone has 43 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Audi A7 problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 24 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi A7 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi A7 complaints that include mileage is about 40,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.