Audi S8 reliability by year
16 recall campaigns and 42 owner complaints across 16 model years. Year-by-year sample sizes are too thin to call a best/worst yet — but the per-year breakdown still surfaces what to watch for.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 16 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 43, more than the 16 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the S8 aggregated across 16 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Audi S8?
Sample sizes across years are too thin to make a confident best-year call for this model right now. Check the year-by-year list below — recalls and complaint counts per year are still useful even when the rollup verdict isn't.
Which Audi S8 year should I avoid?
Not enough year-by-year data to call out a worst year confidently. Review the year-by-year breakdown for recall counts and complaint volumes.
Which years of the Audi S8 should I avoid?
No Audi S8 model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Audi S8 are tracked?
16 model years (2007 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 16 distinct recall campaigns and 42 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 43 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Audi S8?
engine is the most-reported category — 18 complaints across 3 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.