2021 Audi A8

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Excellent Reliability

Quick Summary

The 2021 Audi A8 has 7 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (29% of all complaints), specifically: delay in change gear especially from full stop, vehicle recoil, jump, jolt, sometimes with loud noise.

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

2 complaints

29%

• Delay in change gear especially from full stop, vehicle recoil, jump, jolt, sometimes with loud noise
• Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Delay in change gear especially from full stop, vehicle recoil, jump, jolt, sometimes with loud noise”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

2 complaints

29%

• Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.
• See attached document for complaint. I took my 2021 AUDI A8 to Audi Rockville located at 1125 Rockville Pike; Rockville, MD 20852 on July 18 to fix the recall. After waiting for 2 hours at the dealership, they told me they must go to BestBuy to buy a USB stick and asked if we could re-schedule whic

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BODY/STRUCTURE

1 complaints

14%

• I was driving in the morning on a November day on a rural road. The rear moon roof exploded outward. The sound was deafening and scared my passenger and I. The center glass exploded outward, scattering glass outside and inside of the car. I believe that if this happened that passengers in the car co

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I was driving in the morning on a November day on a rural road. The rear moon roof exploded outward. The sound was deafening and scared my passenger and I. The center glass exploded outward, scattering glass outside and inside of the car. I believe that if this happened that passengers in the car co”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

1 complaints

14%

• fuel pump leak, dealer claimed the seal is broken from the manufacture, gave out strong gasoline smell

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“fuel pump leak, dealer claimed the seal is broken from the manufacture, gave out strong gasoline smell”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

1 complaints

14%

• Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 7 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: Delay in change gear especially from full stop, vehicle recoil, jump, jolt, sometimes with loud noise
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: Total electrical shutdown over about 2 minutes. Stranded on road. All electrical systems failed rapidly. Strongly suspect this is part of known BSG/alternator issues with this model.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BODY/STRUCTURE: I was driving in the morning on a November day on a rural road. The rear moon roof exploded outward. The sound was deafening and scared my passenger and I. The center glass exploded outward, scattering glass outside and inside of the car. I believe that if this happened that passengers in the car co
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: fuel pump leak, dealer claimed the seal is broken from the manufacture, gave out strong gasoline smell
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)