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Your vehicleHome›Audi›R8 Spyder› 2017
Audi · Coupe

2017 Audi R8 Spyder

Gas
Two Seaters
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26
C
Safety Signal
78 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical 2
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA 0
Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —
Fuel economybest combined, EPA 17 mpg
2017

The 2017 Audi R8 Spyder is sold in the U.S. as a gas coupe. The most efficient version, the R8 Spyder, is EPA-rated at 17 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C.

2017 Audi R8 Spyder

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
R8 SpyderGasAWD5.2L 10-cyl142217$4,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37300.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates
ConfigurationSmog ratingEmission standardWhere it can be sold newSmartWay
R8 Spyder5 / 10LEV-II LEV / Federal Tier 3 Bin 160All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Gas-guzzler tax applies to R8 Spyder — a federal excise the manufacturer pays and prices in.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada
Length174.4 in
Width (body, without mirrors)76.8 in
Height48.0 in
Wheelbase104.3 in
Track, front64.2 in
Track, rear63.0 in
Curb weight3,743 lb

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 2-door. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Factory warranty running out?

The 2017 Audi R8 Spyder is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.

What to check before you buy →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Air Bags

69S8/69Y5
119,394 vehicles 82% reported repaired built Nov 10, 2016 – Feb 3, 2017
Problem Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Passat, 2015-2016 Eos, 2015-2017 CC, 2016-2017 TT Roadster, TT Coupe, 2017 Audi R8 Coupe, and R8 Spyder vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode. Risk In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Fix Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298; Audi owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69S8 (Audi) and 69Y5 (Volkswagen).
Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDFRemedy instructions PDF
NHTSA campaign 19V014000 reported Jan 11, 2019 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →
▲high

Power Train

34J1
1,916 vehicles 94% reported repaired built Dec 7, 2015 – Nov 17, 2017
Problem Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Audi R8 Spyder and R8 Coupe vehicles. Transmission fluid may leak from the gearbox ventilation hose after certain high speed and maneuvering situations. Risk If leaked transmission fluid contacts hot engine parts, it can increase the risk of a fire. Fix Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the single gearbox ventilation hose with a double ventilation hose, free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 34J1.
Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF
NHTSA campaign 18V639000 reported Sep 17, 2018 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific R8 Spyder

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2017 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Audi publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Audi’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

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Parts & accessories for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder

Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.

Find parts for this R8 Spyder →

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

No owner complaints on file with NHTSA for this model year.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

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

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications
Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 399
Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-25
Kindsas classified by NHTSA 395 service bulletins, 4 others

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Engine, Structure.

  • TSB_2083409_1 Service bulletin
    2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
  • This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
  • TSB_2052680_2 Service bulletin
    2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
  • This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
  • TSB_2020552_15 Service bulletin
    2026-09-22 · Visibility/Wiper
  • This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
  • TSB_2078648_4 Service bulletin
    2026-09-18 · Structure — Body
  • This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
  • TSB_2030471_9 Service bulletin
    2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
  • This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
  • TSB_2074436_3 Service bulletin
    2026-08-26 · Unknown Or Other
  • This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
  • TSB_2069331_8 Service bulletin
    2026-08-26 · Electrical System
  • This bulletin provides informaitn when there is a warning messsage; "Instrument cluster: fault. Limited warning messages. Please contact workshop"; DTC B200096.
  • TSB_2069078_4 Service bulletin
    2026-08-21 · Service Brakes
  • This bulletin provides information on the zirconium insercts in the brake piston (ceramic brakes only).

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Common questions about the 2017 R8 Spyder

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 2 recall campaigns for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 19V014000, covering Air Bags. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it C (78/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder?

For the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder, the best EPA combined figure is 17 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder?

Transport Canada measured it at 174.4 in long, 76.8 in wide (body, without mirrors), 48.0 in tall, on a 104.3 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,743 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

How clean is the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder?

The EPA smog rating for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Federal Tier 3 Bin 160, LEV-II LEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder?

The manufacturer has filed 399 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder, most often covering equipment, electrical system, unknown or other. The most recent is dated 2026-09-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

DataHeldSourceWhat it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations1 configurationsEPA certification recordsEvery configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates1 configurationsEPA emission certificatesSmog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls2NHTSA recall campaignsA complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaintsnoneNHTSA complaint databaseNo owner has filed one. On a car that sold in small numbers this says very little either way.
Crash ratingsnoneNHTSA NCAPNHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins399NHTSA manufacturer communicationsEverything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
InvestigationsnoneNHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationNo defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reportsnoneNHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSAnoneNHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patternsWe had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable.
Measured dimensions7 fieldsTransport Canada, Canadian Vehicle SpecificationsLength, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipmentnoneManufacturer press kitWe have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Where to go next

pages beside this one
Recalls Every Audi recall on file All campaigns filed against Audi vehicles, newest first, with the manufacturer's own number.Recall Watch Watch this R8 Spyder by VIN Give it the VIN and you hear the night a campaign is filed — from $29 a month for a lot, free for ten.

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). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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