What breaks most · 1996 to 2016 model years
Audi A8 problems by year
Owners have filed 115 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi A8 across model years 1996 to 2016. Three years stand out: 2004 for visibility complaints, 1997 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2011 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2002 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 1997, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2002, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 1151996 to 2016, all trims
- Worst year
- 200420 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 64 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 62kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 48Across 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) | |
| 7 | 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) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (1) | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Stability control (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Visibility (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | Engine (6) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 8 | 0 | 6 | Engine (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | Engine (1) | |
| 9 | 0 | 5 | Brakes (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2004 Audi A8
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 30% |
6 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 25% |
5 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 20% |
4 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Traction Control System | 5% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 5% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) 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.
-
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
-
While driving there was a terrible noise coming from vehicle. Consumer took vehicle to the dealer and dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. Consumer feels transmission has a defect.*jb
-
Control arm bushings subject to premature failure requiring frequent replacement. This results in extreme vibration and erratic handing during braking. Upper control arms were replace while under warranty but others soon failed once vehicle was out of warranty.
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 30, 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, 2004, 1997, 2011 carry the most filings on the Audi A8. The 2004 alone has 20 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Audi A8 problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 6 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 62,000 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.