Owners have filed 130 complaints on the Audi A7, covering 2012–2021. The system named most often is Electrical System (32 reports). Worst years by volume: 2019, 2012, 2013; cleanest: 2017, 2020, 2015. 5 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 4.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Audi A7
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 130 A7 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 32 Read
Going straight, passing thru a green light, another driver runs red light, t bones a7 (prestige trim) causing noticable damage to exterior on passenger side however airbags failed to deploy. Meanwhile a7 also had impact to driver side which the airbags did diploy with less impact then the passenger side. There is a…
While rolling to a stop at a left hand turn signal automatic gas saver feature turned vehicle off or defaulted prior to the vehicle coming to a complete halt. Automatic gas saver feature turns engine off at a stop to save idling emissions and fuel consumption. Vehicle froze, brakes were hard, steering locked and car…
The virtual cockpit (dashboard) went completely black except for an exclamation point. Speed, warning symbols, engine temp etc were not visible. Dealers has confirmed the issue and is currently trying to remedy the situation. The danger was not knowing how fast I was traveling
Steering 18 Read
I had just purchased a used 2019 A7 Prestige and the next day (April 1st) while coming back from an appointment 7 miles away I had five electrically related failures in a very short time frame. The last error message was ominous so I was glad I was in my driveway when it happened. When the spoiler failure happened it…
Starter Generator failure of the 48v Mild hybrid system. This issue is very common, and has a recall on the 2019+ audi a6 (however its because of a risk of electrical fire). Car sends errors to driver as many electrical components begin to fail and fault one by one, steering wheel dynamics shifted while in motion (as…
The alternator malfunctioned and was not available for inspection upon request My safety was put at risk as the car ceased to move while driving on high speeds on the hwy The problem has been reproduced by several other audi owners. This is a widespread issue putting multiple lives at risk The vehicle component has…
Power Train 12 Read
While attempting to parallel park, the car jumped without warning and crashed into a brand new hearse in front of a mortuary. Applied the gas pedal once with no response, applied again with a surprise surge of the car and crashed into the hearse causing extensive damage to both vehicles. I have made at least 3…
I got this brand new car. However it has major defects pertaining to drive shift, auto shut , sensors, speedometer and the virtual cockpit. I was driving on freeway 5 south bound when I shift the gear from "d" to "s" and it went into neutral and it lost power. There were cars behind me who were honking and scared for…
From the attached audi rochester service invoice: "there is a hesitation type jerking sensation felt on take off, it is pronounced so much that it makes your head jerk. On previous visit road tested similar model vehicle and found the same jerking sensation, does not happen when driving in automatic mode [where it is…
Air Bags 12 Read
The contact owns a 2016 audi a7. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V293000 (air bags). The part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer (audi albany, 737 new loudon road,…
The contact owns a 2016 audi a7. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V293000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called the dealer (audi grapevine at…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2016 audi a7. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V293000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted (flow audi…
Engine 10 Read
The contact owns a 2012 audi a7. After driving, the contact parked the vehicle and noticed an abnormal odor upon exiting the vehicle. While waiting in line at a store, a passerby informed the contact that there was smoke coming from the vehicle as flames erupted from the front of the vehicle to the interior of the…
Water pump design failure caused a leak of coolant into vacuum lines preventing coolant from cooling engine and causing immediate overheating. Known issue previous class action lawsuit
The first time, while driving at 50-55mph, the engine decelerated suddenly. After about 10-15 seconds struggles with the gas pedal and brake pedal, the car accelerated normally. I pulled safely to side of the road to shut off the engine and start again. Things seemed to work like normal. The control panels did not…
Fuel/propulsion System 9 Read
The contact owned a 2013 audi a7. While the contact was parking the vehicle in front of a neighbor's home, a "fuel take inoperable see dealer" message appeared. After leaving for work, the contact was notified by his neighbor that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A…
The contact's son owns a 2012 audi a7. The contact's son noticed a fuel and burning odor coming from the vehicle. Shortly afterwards, the vehicle caught fire. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The manufacturer was contacted and came out…
The start stop system is always active upon each driving session of the vehicle. However at times the hybrid system when it kicks in, doesn't activate the engine quickly enough so when I press the gas pedal it is not responsive and I can't propel forward. This is of concern when I'm not at a traffic light and the…
Vehicle Speed Control 9 Read
The gas pedal must have been stuck, as the car raced across parking lot, into the first parked car there. That car was pushed into the next car, fortunately a big, sturdy car. And fortunately into the wheel of that next car. Also, fortunately, no people there at that time. I contacted my Audi dealer . They sent truck…
As I reported on June 3, I drove my car onto my office parking lot, up- hill, in the afternoon, when suddenly my car raced, without my stepping on the accelerator to make it race, crushed into the first car parked there. That car was pushed into the wheel of the neighboring car, which fortunately was a big and sturdy…
The contact owns a 2021 Audi A7. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the speed control software needed to be reprogrammed. The software was updated. The manufacturer…
Tires 4 Read
Flat tire on highway 255/40 R19 100H. I thought it’s a nail or a sharp object. After further inspection, the tire was ripping from inside out. Please see attached picture. My speed was very low at higher speeds or could have been a complete tire blow out
Tire failure. No cause, no incident. Sidewall tread block split and all air lost within 5 miles of low air sensor alert in the car. 11,500 miles
Over the past 6 months 3 out of my 4 continental contiprocontac tires have developed "bubbles" in the side wall. When the 1st (or even perhaps the 2nd) tire developed this problem, it might have been attributed to pot holes. It is summer now and I have driven very little but the 3rd tire has presented this problem. I…
A7 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2020 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2019 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2017 | Service Brakes,engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electronic Stability Control (esc) | — | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags,wheels | 2 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 93 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.8 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the A7?
By complaint volume, 2019, 2012, 2013 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which A7 years are the cleanest?
2017, 2020, 2015 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Audi A7 have?
130 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2012–2021. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.