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2016 Audi A8

Gas Diesel Large car

202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
47 / 100
FSafety Signal · 47 / 100
4Recalls · 3 critical
11Complaints · owner reports
—Crash rating · NHTSA overall
28 mpgFuel economy · best combined

The 2016 Audi A8 is sold in the U.S. as a gas and diesel large car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A8 L, is EPA-rated at 28 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, 3 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 11 complaints, most often about engine.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
A8 LGasAWD4.0L 8-cyl turbo182922$3,500
A8 LGasAWD3.0L 6-cyl192922$3,500
A8 LGasAWD6.3L 12-cyl132216$4,850
A8 LDieselAWD3.0L 6-cyl turbo243628$3,200

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

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Recalls (4)

Engine And Engine Cooling

high
26,093 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2013-2017 A8, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, and 2014-2017 RS7 vehicles. The turbocharger oil supply strainer can become blocked, causing wear to the bearings due to lack of lubrication.

Risk: Worn bearings can cause the turbine wheel to contact the turbocharger housing or cause the shaft to break, causing an engine stall and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the oil strainer and perform an oil change, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 21H7.

NHTSA campaign 22V178000 · reported Mar 23, 2022 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Structure

critical
12,964 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S8 and A8 vehicles. The seal around the engine compartment may come loose and contact hot engine components.

Risk: If the seal contacts hot engine components, there could be an increased risk of a fire.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install a retaining plate to prevent the engine compartment seal from loosening. The recall began September 4, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51G6.

NHTSA campaign 20V397000 · reported Jul 7, 2020 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Fuel System, Gasoline

critical
8,985 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles. The fuel supply line for the high pressure fuel pump may become porous and leak fuel.

Risk: Leaking fuel, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of fire.

Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will install a fuel pressure damper, free of charge. The recall began February 21, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BM.

NHTSA campaign 19V057000 · reported Jan 28, 2019 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Fuel System, Gasoline

critical
74,881 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Q7, A6 and A7 vehicles, and 2015-2018 Audi A8 vehicles. The left and right fuel rails may leak fuel.

Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase risk of a fire.

Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the left and right fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 24DP.

NHTSA campaign 19V035000 · reported Jan 16, 2019 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

NHTSA investigations

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Oil/Lubrication:Filter/Screen — Engine Stall - Turbo Failure (closed)

On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE 21-009) after the agency received 58 reports alleging engine stalling in 2013-2016MY Audi vehicle models A8, S6, S7, S8 & RS7 equipped with the 4.0L, twin-turbocharged engine. Complainants reported the vehicles would stall with no warning while driving at highway or city traffic speeds. Several of the complainants alleged an inability to restart. The complaints alleged the major contributing factor to the engine stalling was the failure of the turbochargers. The complaints cited the turbocharger failure was a result of oil starvation due to a clogged oil strainer in the turbocharger oil supply li

Opened Apr 4, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · action EA22001

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Oil/Lubrication:Filter/Screen — Engine Stall - Turbo Failure (closed)

On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 21-009 after the agency received 58 reports alleging engine stalling in 2013-2016MY Audi vehicle models A8, S6, S7, S8 & RS7. The subject vehicles are equipped with 4.0L, twin-turbocharged engine. Complainants reported that the vehicles stall suddenly with no warning while driving on the highway or in city traffic. Several of the complainants alleged an inability to restart. The complaints allege the major contributing factor to the engine stalling is the failure of the turbochargers. The complaints further allege the turbocharger failure is a result of oil starvation due to a clogged oil strainer

Opened Mar 29, 2021 · closed May 27, 2022 · action PE21009

Owner complaints

11 complaints filed

0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2016: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2025: 1

Most-cited components

  • Engine — 5
  • Tires — 2
  • Unknown Or Other — 2
  • Lane Departure — 2
  • Power Train — 1
“Part #: 4h0907217fx which is a windshield camera has stopped working and Audi has no solution to repair it. I have been without Cruise control, ABS error codes for 2 years. Please help.”Oct 9, 2025 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report
“My car was schedule for the 21H7 recall. I received 2 letters this year to have the recall work done. Audi of Pittsburgh's only available date was 12/08/22. I took the car in and later that day I got a call stating the recall was done back in March of this year. I told them it was not. Later I got a call saying it was …”Dec 12, 2022 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A8. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated. Additionally, after starting the vehicle in the morning, the vehicle was shaking until the engine warmed up. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local deale…”Aug 23, 2022 · Engine And Engine Cooling · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other A8 model years

A

2027 A8

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2026 A8

1 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2025 A8

1 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2024 A8

2 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2023 A8

2 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2022 A8

3 recalls · 0 complaints

F

2021 A8

10 recalls · 5 complaints

F

2020 A8

5 recalls · 3 complaints

B

2019 A8

3 recalls · 14 complaints

C

2018 A8

2 recalls · 0 complaints

D

2017 A8

3 recalls · 8 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36346, 36408, 36585, 36409). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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