There are 29 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 Audi A8in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Engine totaled because of oil starvation I'm guessing or maybe an oil pump failure oil starvation caused Pistons to rub inside of head cost of engine and work is more than the vehicles cost so that means car is totaled
The pcv oil separator has failed and is making a whistling sound. From researching this issue it is widely known and an investigation shows it is caused in relation to a recall for the oil strainer that was done on this vehicle. I called audi dealership and they said this is not an open recall, however it seems this is exactly what caused it.
Driving up an inclined road at night. Car engine started to sputter and jerk and lost power. Was able to get to the side of the road out of traffic at the top of the hill? I was able to coast down the hill to a gas station. Carl would not drive without Jerking or accelerate, add check engine, light on and flashing. With the smell of burning from the engine, compartment waited two hours for a tow truck towed it home, the following day, I had to take off of work. I checked all the spark plugs to find multiple spark plugs completely soaked in oil, took an Uber to parts store to buy new spark plugs. At this point I had found out about the recall for the same problem. On the same engine. In all of audi's cars, except for the A8 line was excluded, do not know the reason why it's the same engine in multiple vehicles that were listed in the recall for the piston rings. My other Audi a 6 has over 200000 miles and does not have this issue. Get these low tension piston ring failures that have been recalled. On the issue with all of audi's in this year
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A8. The contact stated that while her son was driving at highway speeds, the warning lights on the instrument panel flashed as the vehicle shut off. The contact's son managed to pull over despite the failure. The vehicle was initially towed to one dealer; however, the dealer failed to service the vehicle promptly. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective ECM(Electronic Control Module) that needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession for a month before the vehicle was repaired. Despite the repair, the contact was notified that the failure persisted and was then informed that a defective engine cylinder now needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession and had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Unknown at this moment service vist is next week. The problem is a know piston ring issues on other years of same engine with massive oil consumption 1 qt a week with minimal driving less then 100 miles. Spent 3k on pvc and coolant pump that are a known issue of totaling engine but burning oil non stop and risk or seized engine if on highway
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A8. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V178000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the contact had scheduled three separate appointments with a dealer and was cancelled after each scheduled appointment. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I was told the recall wasn't yet active, but the dealer had the parts to take care of the recall. Now I am being told I must pay for the recall repair and wait an undetermined amount of time to get reimbursed through the manufacturer. Meanwhile I can not do anything with the vehicle as if I sell it I cannot collect the monies from which they want me to pay ( over $8000 ). Please advise as this is a lot of money to tie up not knowing when it will be refunded. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My car don’t get the full power & it whistles they say it’s the oil seperator .
Manufacturer Recall Number21H7 NHTSA Recall Number22V178 This recall was issued in May 2022. I emailed Audi USA, who advised me that they do not have a repair they can implement to address this recall. This is surprising because, according to an Audi enthusiast website, repairs under this recall are being made in the United Kingdom. See pdf attached. Why is Audi telling me they cannot repair my car when they seem to be doing just that in other countries? It appears that this is not a complicated repair and seems to involve only replacing a mesh oil strainer.
In March of 2022, a safety recall number 21H7, was issued for my 2013 Audi A8L regarding the oil strainer which could clog and result in the turbocharger failing and subsequent consequences. I have contacted my Audi dealer numerous times since first receiving written notification with the most recent contact being today October 31. The dealer says they still don’t have the necessary parts and even though there is still supply chain issues internationally, quite enough time has passed and when I reached out to Audi USA, they said parts have been available since August! I have not had any issues yet in driving the car but still feel reluctant to do so and would like this fixed asap. Thank you.
The car has only 60,000 miles and it is gently driven. In the middle of the interstate it started making a rattling noise. Immediately the car ceased to run. Luckily there was no vehicle otherwise it would have been a disaster. I managed to start the car back and bring it to my home which was nearby. I called a friend who is the mechanic and he mentioned the turbo had failed
Car is not blowing hot air. I have a transmission fault code related to this which is P2753. Coolant is leaking and has run through the control valve to the wiring and connector causing corrosion.
FAILURE BOTH TURBOS Purchased Audi Naples Jan 2018 Maintained at Audi Ft Myers Audi While on a vacation from our home in Florida to New England our Audi A8 experienced a major turbo failure while on an Interstate highway. On 8/6/21 I was traveling in the middle lane of I495 at 65 mph, when traffic slowed, the car stalled. With cars passing me on both sides I eventually managed to get the car started and made it to exit 15 (rt44) going toward Plymouth, MA. This truly was a scary situation, waiting to be rear ended. While on rt 44 it died again in traffic. I managed to make it into the breakdown lane. At about 2:55 pm a state Trooper stopped and asked if he could help me get to a safer spot but by that time I had called AAA. At 3:30pm AAA arrived and towed us to a safe spot. At no time before, during or after this failure did I receive any message or warning that this failure was imminent. The car was taken to Audi Norwell and diagnosed with defective turbos due to failure of turbo shaft bearings . The screens were clogged preventing oil from reaching the bearings. The turbos were the original equipment. I have read in the Audi Forum this is not an uncommon problem. I understand the screens have been redesigned as a result.
The car start chugging and lost power while driving. My safety and the safety of other drivers were at risk, because the vehicle stalled immediately. This issue happened while exiting off the highway. The vehicle was inspected by an Audi dealer and the issue reported was Turbo Charger issue. There were no warnings prior to the failure.
After exiting the highway the car just stopped running. There was no warning and all power was lost. Engine would not start up and vehicle had to be towed from the road. It was at night and the car stopped dead at an intersection (safety). We are grateful that the problem did not happen on the Ohio Turnpike we just exited. There was a clunk sound before it stopped. I suspect the turbo let loose. This has not been confirmed yet by the dealer. There was no warning. Consumer stated vehicle has been repaired.
AS A SLOWED TO MAKE A TURN IN AN INTERSECTION (DOWNTOWN IN A MAJOR CITY) THE CAR STARTED JUMPING AND THEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR INTERSECTION AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP. I TURNED ON MY HAZARDS AND LUCKILY NO ONE HIT ME, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START UP. HOWEVER, ONE I GAVE IT SOME GAS WHILE STARTING THE IGNITION IT TURNED OVER, BUT THE CAR DIED TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE I COULD SAFELY PARK IT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME MY TURBOS WERE BLOWN. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 60K MILES, WELL MAINTAINED, AND IT'S ONLY BEEN USED AS A COMMUTER VEHICLE.
DRIVING CAR FROM PROVO, UT TO CALIFORNIA, APPROX 250 MILES INTO THE TRIP NOTICED THE EPC LIGHT ON, I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY TO CHECK THE ENGINE AND IT STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE AND DRIVE IT TO LAS VEGAS IT RAN FINE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. WHEN I GOT OFF THE EXIT THE CAR STALLED AND ENGINE QUIT WHILE I WAS ROLLING DOWN THE OFFRAMP. I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE CENTER LANE OF A THREE LANE EXIT, COULD NOT GET PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE HAD CARS IN BOTH LANES BESIDE ME. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I GOT THE STARTED (USING 3/4 THROTTLE)BUT NOT UNTIL THE LIGHT HAD CYCLED TO YELLOW, CAR HORNS HONKING PEOPLE YELLING, I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, SHOT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION AND ROLLED INTO AN EMPTY EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT BEHIND THE RIO. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS GO NO GO I MADE IT TO AN OVERFULL PARKING AREA AND THE NEXT MORNING HAD THE CAR TOWED TO LAS VEGAS AUDI. I CONTINUED MY TRIP TO CA. AFTER RENTING A VEHICLE IN LV. THE NEXT DAY THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT ONE OF MY TURBOS HAD FAILED AND THAT IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE BOTH. QUOTED 13,800 TO FIX THE CAR.I FELT TRAPPED BECAUSE MY CAR WAS 400 MILES FROM HOME AND I NEEDED IT FIXED. AFTER TALKING TO SOME INDEPENDENT SHOPS I REALIZED THAT PRICE WAS IN THE NORMAL PRICE RANGE. WHAT I AM MOST DISAPPOINTED WITH IS THAT AUDI HAD ISSUED A TSB ON THIS ENGINE EXPLAINING THAT THE CHECK VALVE AND OIL SCREEN COULD GET CLOGGED AND STARVE THE TURBOS OF LUBRICATION. I WAS ALSO SCARED WHEN I BROKE DOWNWHEN I EXITED THE FREEWAY. I COULD HAVE VERY EASILY GOT IN A WRECK BECAUSE I HAD TO KEEP THE THROTTLE SO HIGH SO THE ENGINE WOULDN'T DIE. IT WAS A DANGEROUS SEVERAL MINUTES FOR ME AND LUCKILY I WAS IN A AREA THAT I COULD GET TO A VACANT PARKING LOT WITH CROSSING TOO MUCH TRAFFIC. MY CAR HAD 67065 MILES ON IT WHEN I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP.
AFTER TRAVELING 4 HOURS FROM SAVANNAH, GA TO ATLANTA, GA; I PROCEEDED TO GET OFF THE INTERSTATE ON EXIT 228. UPON GETTING OFF THE EXIT, THE CAR SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE COMPUTER ADVISED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, HOWEVER THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER START. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, I CALLED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AS I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY EXIT AND COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR, WHICH WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AT THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS ADVISED THAT BOTH TURBOS ON THE ENGINE HAD GONE BAD. HOW COULD THIS BE, THE CAR ONLY HAS 38,542 MILES ON IT. THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE THAN IT WAS HAD THE CAR DECIDED TO STALL & SHUT OFF WHILE STILL TRAVELING ON A BUSY TRAFFIC ON I75.
I WAS DRIVING AND NOTICED THE CAR WAS IDLING RUFF. SO I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND IT STALLED THEN I RESTARTED IT THEN NOTICED MASSIVE POWER LOSS. SO I DROVE HOME AND CALLED FOR A TOW TO THE NEAREST DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THE CAR HAD TWO BLOWN TURBOS AND ITS GOING TO COST ME $10.000.00. AND MY WARRANTY WON'T COVER IT BECAUSE ITS ON THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BOARD AND AUDI SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THERE OWN PROBLEMS KNOWING ITS AN ISSUE. AND I ABSOLUTELY FEEL THE SAME ESPECIALLY FOR HOW MUCH YOU SPEND ON THIS CAR AND AUDI'S REPUTATION. IF THEY DON'T EVER RECALL THIS ISSUE I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER AUDI AGAIN, AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET MY MOTHER TO BUY ONE.
MY VEHLICE WAS IN MOTION APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND I LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER AND BRAKE PRESSUE WAS LOST. FORTUNATELY, I WAS GOING SLOW ENOUGH TO ENGAGE THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE TO BRING THE CAR TO THE STOP. THE CAR THEN WOULD NOT RESTART WITHOUT GIVING IT HARD GAS. IT WOULD DIE WITHIN A MINUTE OR TWO. AFTER TOWING TO THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD BOTH MY TURBOS HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR ONLY HAS 52,000 MILES. THIS IS A MAJOR FAILURE FOR A VEHICLE WITH SO FEW MILES. IN ADDITION, AUDI HAS ISSUED A TSB ACKNLOWLEDGING THE ISSUE. I AM JUST FORTUNATE IT HAPPENED FOR ME AT SUCH LOW SPEEDS. I CAN'T IMAGINE BEING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
Showing 1–20 of 29 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026