What breaks most · 1996 to 2021 model years
Audi A8 problems by year
Owners have filed 252 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi A8 across model years 1996 to 2021. Three years stand out: 2013 for engine complaints, 2015 for engine complaints and 2004 for visibility complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2002 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 2015, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2002, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 2521996 to 2021, all trims
- Worst year
- 201349 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 96 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 63kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 69Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 10 | 1 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 4 | Suspension (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Suspension (1) | |
| 20 | 0 | 1 | Visibility (6) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (1) | |
| 8 | 2 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | Visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Visibility (1) | |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | Engine (10) | |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | Engine (4) | |
| 49 | 0 | 6 | Engine (36) | |
| 18 | 0 | 5 | Engine (12) | |
| 31 | 1 | 5 | Engine (17) | |
| 11 | 0 | 4 | Engine (5) | |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 14 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 3 | 0 | 5 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 10 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 2013 Audi A8
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 73% |
36 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
5 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
3 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 4% |
2 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 4% |
2 | 0 | Shop all body and structure 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.
-
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
-
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.
-
While driving the sunroof exploded. There were no cracks of any nature in the sun roof. The explosion left a hole the size of a football. *ak
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 A8 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 2015, 2004 carry the most filings on the Audi A8. The 2013 alone has 49 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Audi A8 problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 36 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi A8 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi A8 complaints that include mileage is about 63,000 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.