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ProblemsByVin Index / 2011-AUDI-A8 / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2011 Audi A8 owner complaints

15 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle . Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

engine 5 complaints shown

6 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
09/21/2025 ODI #11688719.0

The coolant is leaking out and onto engine. My safety was at Risk due to the car overheating and smoking. This is a on going problem that many AUDI’s had a recall for except mines. Yes the vehicle was inspected and the warning that came up was “coolant level low turn off engine”

09/07/2016 75,000 mi ODI #10904439.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Audi a8. While driving the vehicle at various speeds, the engine warning indicator and the "do not exceed 4,000 rpms" warning indicator illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that the engine coolant was leaking through the coolant valve connection. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000.

07/31/2018 66,000 mi ODI #11114786.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Audi a8. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to move the vehicle safely to the shoulder of the road. Several attempts were made to restart the engine, but the vehicle did not start. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Audi of fairfield (435 commerce dr, fairfield, ct 06825, (203) 951-6570) where it was diagnosed that the oil plug was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was 66,000.

06/10/2021 67,000 mi ODI #11420382.0

The contact owns a 2011 AUDI A8. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the camshaft and timing chain failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

03/11/2016 82,000 mi ODI #10846101.0

I was accelerating onto the freeway on ramp when the engine cut off. I managed to pull over to the shoulder but the check engine light and the epc light came on. I had to be towed into the dealer. There was a "coolant valve leak. The coolant migrated through a harness to the ECM and to multiple connectors thoughout the engine harness". The worst part of this situation is the extremely dangerous position I could have been in. What if the car stopped while in the fast lane, or express lanes of the freeway? This is not the first complaint of this nature on this model of Audi. Please check into this as I am sure it will cause a fatality someday.

suspension 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $900 · see suspension cluster analysis →
11/30/2017 85,000 mi ODI #11051392.0

I was hearing a thumping noise coming from the front of my car every time I braked and came to a stop. I also noticed that the car leaned forward heavily when I braked and knew this was not normal. I also noticed a vibration on my steering when when traveling at around 40-50 MPH. I took the car (2011 Audi 8l) to my local Audi who first said the car was fine and nothing was wrong with it. The issue continued. I took the car back to my local Audi dealer and asked to take the mechanic on a ride with me so I could point out what I was hearing and noticing. The Audi mechanic then said that he too noticed it and it seems to him like it was the control arms and bushings but had to fully diagnose the vehicle back at the shop, which he did. My local Audi then came back and said that my lower

10/26/2016 87,000 mi ODI #10919234.0

Control arm bushings subject to premature failure requiring frequent replacement. This results in extreme vibration and erratic handing during braking. Upper control arms were replace while under warranty but others soon failed once vehicle was out of warranty.

01/12/2022 ODI #11447239.0

Audi a8 has been using large amount of coolant. However, its not running out the car. Yet im steady buying coolant because its saying its low. And when I go to put the coolant in my car it is low. So where is the coolant going? In trying to figure out where my coolant was going or why was it calling for so much I did some Audi research on my vehicle and saw that it had a prior recall. I purchased this car over a year ago and the dealership didnt alert me of any recalls. I dont think my recall was fixed. Also theres been a lound noise on my suspension in the front of my vehicle on the right. I see Audi had many complaints on this issue. The car with arrows for my suspension stays on. Took to dealership to get it diagnosed. They cut the lights off from the dash but the check engine light

electrical 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
09/29/2016 76,000 mi ODI #10910462.0

While driving on a city street my car suddenly stopped (4 lane street -- 2 going, to coming). There was very heavy traffic and I could not move the car as it would not come back on, nor could I shift the car into neutral to push it out of the way. As a result, the car remained in the middle of the road, in heavy traffic, for about 2 hours until the tow truck arrived. The car was towed to the local dealer where it the dealter took 4 days to diagnose it with having coolant leaked into the engine wire harness and into the PCM where it shorted the pins. As a result the car was completely inoperable. This caused a very unsafe condition as the behind me suddenly had to break and just missed hitting my car. The car just shut down and would not restart or engage the neutral gear in order for me to

05/21/2016 85,000 mi ODI #10870187.0

While driving on a city street my car suddenly stopped (4 lane street -- 2 going, to coming). There was very heavy traffic and I could not move the car as it would not come back on, nor could I shift the car into neutral to push it out of the way. As a result, the car remained in the middle of the road, in heavy traffic, for about three hours until the tow truck arrived. The car was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed as having coolant leaked into the engine wire harness and into the PCM where it shorted the pins. As a result the car was completely inoperable. This caused a very unsafe condition as there were no warning signs, the car just shut down and would not restart or engage the neutral gear in order for me to get out of the middle of the road. This seems to

02/29/2016 81,000 mi ODI #10838985.0

The transmission coolant valve leaked coolant on to the engine control module causing it to malfunction. The card stopped while in motion in the middle of the busy street and I was almost hit buy a semi truck. It started back up, I got it to a parking lot and it stopped again. I have found no less than 50 online complaints about this problem. Most of the complaints state that the manufacturer was "aware" of the problem.

powertrain 1 complaint shown

12/04/2023 ODI #11558252.0

ECU starting to malfunction as a coolant leak valve is leaking into it. There is a recall for these models but not for my specific car but I do believe my car is affected because my car has a coolant leak that I personally can’t find and my car was just worked on by Audi Indianapolis and they did not see any coolant leaks either. It was mentioned to me by another Audi A8 owner and it’s making sense to me as the way everything began to fail on my car until I detached the battery and attached it back it worked fine but sometimes the ECU will begin to fail for Adaptive Cruise Control randomly, then it will work again. These are symptoms of coolant leaking and affecting the ECU, and I can’t afford to pay for that to be fixed because it would cost more than what the car is worth but I would lik

other 1 complaint shown

11/30/2017 75,000 mi ODI #11051393.0

The navigation system continuously displays a location where I am not located. This has occurred many, many times. It can occur randomly or at startup. This has been an issue for which I have taken the vehicle to my local Audi but they have been unable to identify the issue, although they have said other customers have came in complaining about the same issue. This issue is also widely documented on Audi forums. On several occasions, while driving, the GPS map lost signal. On other occasions the GPS map would not pick up my location. This happens the most. It has happened on several occasions where I was at locations where I was unfamiliar with and was reliant on my vehicle's GPS. The GPS issues being experienced have created major safety issues because I have been heavily distr

body 1 complaint shown

03/07/2020 96,000 mi ODI #11316805.0

Rust, corrosion that may detach from body or frame components or other structual components that may present a safety hazard.

Showing 300 of 15 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/Audi/A8#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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