CSR

Audi · NHTSA safety record

2012 Audi A8

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 11 safety complaints about the 2012 Audi A8 with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the engine and its cooling.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 4 complaints, 36% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 79,628 miles, the median across the 10 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2013 to June 2021 · How this is counted

What is on file

11 complaints on file

11

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 4 · 36%
AIR BAGS 2 · 18%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 18%
STEERING 2 · 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 9%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 9%
SEATS 1 · 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 9%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 11.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 3.

4 3 2 1
13 16 17 18 19 20 21

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2013 to 2021.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2012 Audi A8. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

16V619000 · August 24, 2016

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Audi A8 vehicles manufactured May 15, 2010, to May 14, 2012. The affected vehicles have a coolant valve that may leak, allowing coolant to enter the engine control module causing a loss of power or the engine to stall.
The risk
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 9,067 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

towed · 83,998 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A8. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE ELECTRONIC POWER CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER 25 MINUTES AND TOWED TO AUDI NASHVILLE (LOCATED AT 1576 MALLORY LN, BRENTWOOD, TN 37027, (855) 574-8043). THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, BUT INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT A LOOSE CONNECTION WAS FOUND ON THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED A SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER AND WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS

NHTSA complaint 11222486, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Check Engine ON. Diagnosed as cam shaft timing chain failure

NHTSA complaint 11420379. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

121,000 miles

AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON EVEN AFTER THE INITIAL STARTUP. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND HAS NOT BEEN MOVED. CODED ERROR IS DRIVER HEAD CURTAIN IGNITER SHORT CIRCUIT TO GROUND. *TR

NHTSA complaint 11330266. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

103,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A8. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V619000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY FLETCHER JONES AUDI (1523 W NORTH AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60642, (312) 628-4300). TWO YEARS AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SPORADIC ENGINE LEAKS THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA complaint 11244939. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

160,247 miles

POWER STEERING PUMP MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION/ NO POWER ASSIST CUSTOMER STATES STEERING WHEEL IS STIFF NO POWER ASSIT. POWER STEERING PUMP MALFUNCTION PUMP ASSEMBLY FAILED AND POWER STEERING PUMP

NHTSA complaint 11234264. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

109,500 miles

I'VE RECENTLY HAD TO REPLACE BOTH HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS AND CAM FOLLOWERS AT COST TO MYSELF EVEN THOUGH AUDI EXTENDED THE WARRANTY DUE TO PREMATURE FAILURES ON SEVERAL AUDIS. APPARENTLY MY VIN WASN'T IN THE LIST . I TRIED CALLING AOA FOR ANY ASSISTANCE BUT WAS TOLD BECAUSE I ONLY OWN ONE(APPARENTLY BRAND LOYALTY MEANS BUYING 2 AT A TIME) AND I BOUGHT IT FROM AN INDEPENDENT DEALER THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I GET ALL MY WORK DONE AT THE LOCAL AUDI DEALER. SINCE THEN I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE MY WINDSHIELD DUE TO THE SEALS FAILING AND LEAVING ME WITH A WATER FALL IN MY CAR(I SEEN SEVERAL PEOPLE AFFECTED IN FORUMS). NOT TO MENTION THE SHORT IN MY MMI SCREEN AND TAIL LIGHT(SOME OF THE

NHTSA complaint 11143725, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi A8

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 14 3 —
2017 8 3 —
2016 11 4 —
2015 31 5 —
2014 18 5 —
2013 49 6 —
2011 15 1 —

Other 2012 Audi models

Every Audi on this site — 155 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst