Owners have filed 57 complaints on the Audi S7, covering 2013–2021. The system named most often is Engine (25 reports). Worst years by volume: 2013, 2016, 2014; cleanest: 2015, 2020, 2021. 0 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 5.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Audi S7
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 57 S7 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 25 Read
Biturbo failure caused engine to turn off without warning at highway speeds. No power. I had to merge through two lanes to the shoulder without power. Car would not restart. I was told by the dealer that this is a known problem and that some have been on fire. Need to replace the turbo. Internet says at least…
Both turbochargers failed due to oil starvation at just over 45000 miles. This happened while driving and required the vehicle to be transported directly to the dealer as a major failure
At 74000 miles, the turbochargers failed. I was in traffic on a busy thoroughfare and engine quit working. Could not drive, or turn car. I was stopped.. Thankfully police came quickly. This a known problem with this model car that audi is aware of
Electrical System 8 Read
Carvana sold me a 2016 Audi S7 (VIN [XXX] ) with what was later discovered to be an odometer discrepancy. I submitted a formal complaint to the Ohio Attorney General, and Carvana subsequently issued a refund. However, after refunding me, I learned that Carvana resold the vehicle at auction without disclosing the…
Electrical warning issue, totally stopped and showed all the faults on the dash. Seems like starter/alternator problem. Located in Spain, car is from US. Will tow the car to the dealer
The contact owns a 2021 Audi S7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V155000 (Electrical System) and was later informed that the vehicle was also included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V861000 (Electrical System) however, parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was…
Power Train 8 Read
Received the following faults while driving on the freeway and car when into limp mode:“Electrical system: malfunction! Safely stop vehicle” “Electrical system: malfunction! Please contact Service” “Parking aid: malfunction!” “Transmission: malfunction!” “Rear spoiler: malfunction!” “Drive system: malfunction! Stop…
On 10/9/2023, the starter generator failed causing the vehicle to stop and shut down while driving and completely break down. I was not able to move the vehicle or shift it into park. Stall occurred on a freeway entrance (acceleration lane) in the traffic lane without warning. Approximately 20 minutes before this…
The last month I’ve been having issues with the transmission. It’s been cutting out on me, giving me warnings and causing me to stall in the middle of the road, and when I do manage to get it back on it, jerks to the point where I could crash into someone in front of me. I’ve lost power while driving three times…
Steering 4 Read
TODAY, I was driving my vehicle when I got multiple warnings including a “electrical failure, ABS failure, start stop failure.” I was on a stretch of road where I could not safely remove myself from traffic and was forced to proceed. Within 5 minutes of receiving the error messages my car shutdown and I was unable to…
When driving in town the car abruptly stopped running, steering and brakes failed. Caused by both turbochargers going out at the same time. 36,000 miles a few months out of warranty. Apparently this is known issue with the audi's and audi has not issued a recall or anything according to the audi dealer. $11,000…
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the…
Fuel/propulsion System 3 Read
I have been trying to get this recall remedied since 4/1/22 to no avail. I have been stranded on the side of a busy highway due to the fuel indicator reading 1/3 full but the fuel tank was actually empty. This put me in a significant safety situation where the car slows to unsafe speeds and stops due to lack of fuel.…
We leased an audi s7 which we were not made aware of having a fuel line issue at any time during the transaction. The dealership mentioned they were detailing the car and getting it ready for us. When we went into the garage to see the car, it was not being detailed, but the back seats were removed and gas was being…
Turbo failure due to oil screen getting clogged up
Engine And Engine Cooling 3 Read
The contact owns a 2014 Audi S7. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stopped. Additionally, the vehicle was leaking an excessive amount of oil. There was an EPC warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to…
The contact owns a 2013 Audi S7. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to be serviced for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V178000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) where the turbochargers needed to be replaced from wear and tear from the consequences mentioned in the recall. The dealer diagnosed that the turbocharger…
The contact owns a 2017 Audi S7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the turbocharger; however, the failure recurred with the engine seizing. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic,…
Forward Collision Avoidance 3 Read
The adaptive cruise control and Brake asist features are only working occasionally. Some times it switches on and off DURING traffic while the car is moving. This is a severe saftey issue IMO and needs to be taken care of by Audi
Acc audi breaking guard fault lane assistance malfunction
System malfunction acc and breaking guard
Visibility 1 Read
The contact owns a 2017 audi s7. While driving 60 mph, the sun roof shattered without warning. The vehicle was taken to sewell collision center of houston (111 stage runn dr, houston, tx 77090) who stated that the sun roof likely shattered due to being struck by an object. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
S7 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 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2017 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System,engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | 1 | |
| 2015 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System,engine | — | — | |
| 2013 | Electrical System | — | — |
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 | 40 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.6 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 4. 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
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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 S7?
By complaint volume, 2013, 2016, 2014 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 S7 years are the cleanest?
2015, 2020, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Audi S7 have?
57 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2013–2021. Of those, 0 describe a crash and 1 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.