Audi A8
Registered from 1997 to 2020.
About this model
The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and currently in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with either front- or permanent all-wheel drive and in short- and long-wheelbase variants. The first two generations employed the Volkswagen Group D platform, with the current generation deriving from the MLB platform. After the original model's 1994 release, Audi released the second generation in late 2002, the third in late 2009, and the fourth and current iteration in 2017. Noted as the first mass-market car with an aluminium chassis, all A8 models have used this construction method co-developed with Alcoa and marketed as the Audi Space Frame.
From the Wikipedia article Audi A8, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it stands out against its peers
- Engine: more complaints than 98% of 2013 cars — 73% of its 49 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 21%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- ENGINE — 26 owners reported this
- ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 2 owners reported this
- FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 2 owners reported this
- VISIBILITY/WIPER — 2 owners reported this
Crash test
| Stability control | Standard |
| Forward collision warning | No |
| Lane departure warning | No |
Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 999 hp · 11.2 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 9.0 motorway · 391 Wh/km |
| 2019 | 999 hp · 1995 kg · 3000 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 15.7 L/100km city · 10.2 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2018 | 333 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 12.4 L/100km (EPA) · 14.7 L/100km city · 9.0 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2017 | 333 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 10.7 L/100km (EPA) · 13.1 L/100km city · 8.1 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2016 | 333 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 10.7 L/100km (EPA) · 13.1 L/100km city · 8.1 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2015 | 333 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 10.7 L/100km (EPA) · 13.1 L/100km city · 8.1 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2014 | 333 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 11.2 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 8.4 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2013 | 420 hp · 2055 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 11.2 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 8.4 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2012 | 2000 kg · 2990 mm wheelbase · 11.2 L/100km (EPA) · 13.1 L/100km city · 8.4 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2011 | 1960 kg · 3120 mm wheelbase · 11.2 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 8.7 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2010 | 350 hp · 1995 kg · 3070 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 14.7 L/100km city · 10.2 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
| 2009 | 2080 kg · 3070 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 14.7 L/100km city · 10.2 motorway · Sedan, 4-door |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
28% of 2020 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.
13V448000
Should the sunroof's glass break while the vehicle is in use, the falling glass could injure the driver or passengers. It could also distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof glass panel, free of charge. The recall began on October 21, 2013. Owners may contact Audi of America at 1-800-822-2834. Volkwagen's number for this campaign is 60B6/1L.
16V619000
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the coolant valve and inspect for coolant that has leaked through the electrical connector, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 19, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
18V430000
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began July 20, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AV.
19V035000
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase risk of a fire.
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the left and right fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 24DP.
19V057000
Leaking fuel, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of fire.
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will install a fuel pressure damper, free of charge. The recall began February 21, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BM.
19V415000
A failure of the seat track rivet increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger seat tracks, free of charge. The recall began July 25, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72J3.
20V397000
If the seal contacts hot engine components, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install a retaining plate to prevent the engine compartment seal from loosening. The recall began September 4, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51G6.
21V111000
An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.
5 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.
Regulator investigations
Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.
Engine Stall - Turbo Failure
Engineering analysis, opened April 2022, closed May 2023.
Engine Stall - Turbo Failure
Preliminary evaluation, opened March 2021, closed May 2022.
What the maker told its dealers
Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.
Audi filed 1254 bulletins about the 2020 A8.
- Electrical system: 377
- Equipment: 198
- Engine and engine cooling: 78
- Engine: 62
- Structure: 60
- Steering: 45
- Suspension: 44
- Visibility: 32
- Equipment adaptive/mobility: 28
- Power train: 28
- Other: 302
- This bulletin provides a statement regarding the bottleneck of supply for VW approved oil types VW 504.00 and VW 507.00. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible. · August 2026
- This service information TSB provides warranty coverage information for vehicles with a broken sunroof panel. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides informatoinw hent here are scratches or a coating on the cover of the instrument cluster, or particles inside of the housing. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides information when there is a film/visible rings on the clear glass cover of the headlight when the dipped beam is switched on. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides informaiotn regarding squeaking noises when steering or maneuvering. · August 2026
- This bulletin provides informaiton when the engine is not running smoothly, misfiring. · July 2026
1246 more.
Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.