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Audi · NHTSA safety record

2019 Audi A8

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

Owners have filed 14 safety complaints about the 2019 Audi A8 with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 8 complaints, 57% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2020 to May 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

14 complaints on file

14

Complaints

1

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 57%
ENGINE 4 · 29%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 · 29%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 14%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 7%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 7%
STEERING 1 · 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 7%
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 14.

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 2023 at 8.

12 9 6 3
20 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2019 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

3 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

25V900000 · December 19, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 356,894 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)

21V111000 · February 24, 2021

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A8 and 2020-2021 Audi S8 vehicles. A missing sealing pin may allow moisture to enter the engine control module connector, possibly causing a control module malfunction.
The risk
An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 238 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

19V415000 · June 5, 2019

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019 Audi A8 vehicles equipped with rear relaxation seats. The front passenger seat track rivet may fail and cause the spindle bracket to separate.
The risk
A failure of the seat track rivet increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger seat tracks, free of charge. The recall began July 25, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72J3.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 66 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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · 4,052 miles

INADVERTENT ACCELERATION. CAR A AGAINST WALL AT LOW SPEED (EST. 3 MPH). WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH BEHAVIOR OF STOP-START FEATURE. ENGINE WAS STOPPED, BUT VEHICLE IGNITION WAS NOT TURNED OFF. DRIVER DID NOT ANTICIPATE RESTART OF VEHICLE WHEN LIFTING FOOT OFF OF BRAKE. MINOR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE FRONT END.

NHTSA complaint 11382693. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 45,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Audi 8. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the message "Electrical Malfunction" was suddenly displayed before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the alternator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were not available. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA complaint 11503613. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
COMPLAINT: Authorized dealer non-compliance with NHTSA Compliance Recall 25V900 (Rearview Camera Software, FMVSS No. 111). Vehicle is a 2019 Audi A8 subject to Recall 25V900, issued by the manufacturer in January 2026. The recall work was scheduled with an authorized Audi dealer in Southern California by telephone. The dealership representative confirmed an appointment for April 17, 2026 at 2:30 PM and represented that the service would take approximately two hours. The appointment was then confirmed in writing three separate times by SMS from the dealership: twice from its scheduling line on April 15 and April 16, 2026, and once on April 16 at 12:38 PM by a Business Development Manager

NHTSA complaint 11740455, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My grandson and I got in the car after being in a Lego store for 20 minutes. We tried to start the car to leave but the car started the electronic starting procedure but stoped. All kinds of malfunction and failure lights came on and EVERYTHING LOCKED UP. WE WERE TRAPPED IN THE CAR AND COULD NOT ESCAPE

NHTSA complaint 11595729. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical system malfunction. Faulty generator shut dow. All electrical systems and eventually shut the car down.

NHTSA complaint 11547511. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical Malfunction light came on and it says to pull over and cut your car off and also contact your dealer. This is very scary because you may be in am area that is very isolated or dangerous to stop. This is very disturbing. This is a known problem by Audi. The vehicle is currently at the Audi dealership. There were no warnings prior to this.

NHTSA complaint 11518587. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on highway my car experienced massive electrical malfunction. All systems shut down (including dashboard) and engine cut off. I think it was a miracle that I was able to pull over to the roadside parking lot without any accident. The issue was caused by faulty design of the starter-alternator combo that may render the car undriveable (single point of failure). I had to use a tow track to get my car to nearest dealership where it is right. I think it is extremely dangerous to have cars on the road with possibility of total breakdown without any warnings. My car has only 43000 miles on it so this was totally unexpected and created safety hazard for any all drivers nearby. I just

NHTSA complaint 11518498, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sunroof on my 2019 Audi A8 spontaneously exploded around 445 pm on Friday, April 7, 2023. The car was traveling around 55 MPH and the sunroof just exploded out. The sunscreen was closed at the time. It was not hit by a rock or a tree limb or any other item. It just exploded. Sounded like a gunshot when the car was brought to a stop, there was a large hole in the sunroof and glass scattered all around the hole.

NHTSA complaint 11516179. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi A8

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2017 8 3 —
2016 11 4 —
2015 31 5 —
2014 18 5 —
2013 49 6 —
2012 11 1 —
2011 15 1 —

Other 2019 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