2016 Audi S7

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Excellent Reliability

Quick Summary

The 2016 Audi S7 has 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (50% of all complaints), specifically: 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 say. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

11 complaints

50%

• 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 SAY
• ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.
• 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.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“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 SAY”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

3 complaints

14%

• ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.
• The car was driving perfectly fine until last week heading to drop my kids to school and the vehicle stopped on the middle of the street. I had no previous issues or notice. I had multiple warnings on the dashboard and now the car won't crank. I have seen several post with people with this same issu
• 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

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

3 complaints

14%

• EXPERIENCED TURBOCHARGER FAILURE WHEN COMING TO A STOP AFTER GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE AFTER APPROXIMATE 2.5 HOURS OF DRIVING. ENGINE DIED AS CAR SLOWED DOWN SO SUSPECT THE TURBOS FAILED WHILE DRIVING BUT RAM AIR FROM INTERSTATE SPEEDS WAS ADEQUATE TO MAINTAIN THE ENGINE UNTIL IT SLOWED DOWN. THE E
• AT 40K MILES, I'VE BEEN NOTICING THE SYMPTOMS OF A DYING MECH UNIT (BANG/JERK TO STOP, SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE), ETC. THOSE SYMPTOMS HAPPENED WHEN I PULL UP FROM STATIONARY, PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. CAR WILL ALSO THROW TRANSMISSION ERROR CODE ON DASHBOARD AND PUT IN "LIMP MODE" FROM TIME TO
• I have a 2016 Audi S7 that uses the notorious 7-speed DSG transmission. I started to notice some random jerking when I pull the car from the red light a month before the car completely dead on me in April 2021. One time when I was driving on the highway at 70mph it throws a "transmission malfunctio

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

“EXPERIENCED TURBOCHARGER FAILURE WHEN COMING TO A STOP AFTER GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE AFTER APPROXIMATE 2.5 HOURS OF DRIVING. ENGINE DIED AS CAR SLOWED DOWN SO SUSPECT THE TURBOS FAILED WHILE DRIVING BUT RAM AIR FROM INTERSTATE SPEEDS WAS ADEQUATE TO MAINTAIN THE ENGINE UNTIL IT SLOWED DOWN. THE E”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

1 complaints

• ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.

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

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

1 complaints

• AS I WAS PULLING OFF THE INTERSTATE TO USE THE RESTROOM, MY ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. I LOST CONTROL OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WHILE IN MOTION. I WAS ABLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE STOP SIGN. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR TEMPORARILY AND ENOUGH TO PULL INTO THE GAS STATION RIGHT OFF TH

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

“AS I WAS PULLING OFF THE INTERSTATE TO USE THE RESTROOM, MY ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. I LOST CONTROL OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WHILE IN MOTION. I WAS ABLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE STOP SIGN. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR TEMPORARILY AND ENOUGH TO PULL INTO THE GAS STATION RIGHT OFF TH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 22 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: 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 SAY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: EXPERIENCED TURBOCHARGER FAILURE WHEN COMING TO A STOP AFTER GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE AFTER APPROXIMATE 2.5 HOURS OF DRIVING. ENGINE DIED AS CAR SLOWED DOWN SO SUSPECT THE TURBOS FAILED WHILE DRIVING BUT RAM AIR FROM INTERSTATE SPEEDS WAS ADEQUATE TO MAINTAIN THE ENGINE UNTIL IT SLOWED DOWN. THE E
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATED FROM A STOP TO ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN IT WENT INTO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE REVVED AND SKIPPED INTO 3RD GEAR. WARNING STATED "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. NO REVERSE GEAR. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING." REVERSE NO LONGER WORKS. ENGINE REVS TO 5000 RPM WHEN DRIVING 20-25 MPH.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)