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2019 Audi A8

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 2 of 14 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

14 reports
Mileage unknown · May 27, 2026
Unknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

COMPLAINT: Authorized dealer non-compliance with NHTSA Compliance Recall 25V900 (Rearview Camera Software, FMVSS No. 111). Vehicle is a 2019 Audi A8 subject to Recall 25V900, issued by the manufacturer in January 2026. The recall work was scheduled with an authorized Audi dealer in Southern California by telephone. The dealers…

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COMPLAINT: Authorized dealer non-compliance with NHTSA Compliance Recall 25V900 (Rearview Camera Software, FMVSS No. 111). Vehicle is a 2019 Audi A8 subject to Recall 25V900, issued by the manufacturer in January 2026. The recall work was scheduled with an authorized Audi dealer in Southern California by telephone. The dealership representative confirmed an appointment for April 17, 2026 at 2:30 PM and represented that the service would take approximately two hours. The appointment was then confirmed in writing three separate times by SMS from the dealership: twice from its scheduling line on April 15 and April 16, 2026, and once on April 16 at 12:38 PM by a Business Development Manager from the dealership main line, who expressly acknowledged the scheduled service and used it to solicit a vehicle appraisal. On April 17, 2026 the vehicle was presented at the dealership at the scheduled time. The service advisor on duty stated that the vehicle would have to be left until the following Monday and could not be serviced that day. He refused to provide any reason for the change. He refused to identify who had scheduled the appointment. He refused to contact the service director on the owner's behalf. A direct call to the service director at the number on his business card was not answered. The vehicle was returned without service. The recall remains uncompleted. The dealer's conduct effectively imposes an unreasonable burden contrary to the obligations of 49 U.S.C. § 30120 and 49 CFR Part 577. GENERAL GUIDELINES: - Component: rearview camera software (subject of Recall 25V900). - Safety risk: per the recall notice, the software issue may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying, decreasing visibility when reversing. - Confirmation: the recall was identified by the manufacturer; the dealer accepted and confirmed the appointment four times (1 verbal, 3 in writing) before refusing. - No physical inspection has occurred; the recall has not been performed. -

NHTSA ODI #11740455

Mileage unknown · Oct 16, 2025
Engine

Complete Engine Failure - Audible Engine Knock Noise. Bank 2 Knock Sensor Faults stored & recorded at Audi of Hoffman Estates. Worked with Audi Of Amercia where they denied any wrongdoing or know issues. Bore socped engine at an independent shop & confirmed the cyclinder 6 bore was scored due to picton failure. Paid for a US…

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Complete Engine Failure - Audible Engine Knock Noise. Bank 2 Knock Sensor Faults stored & recorded at Audi of Hoffman Estates. Worked with Audi Of Amercia where they denied any wrongdoing or know issues. Bore socped engine at an independent shop & confirmed the cyclinder 6 bore was scored due to picton failure. Paid for a USED engine replacement & install out of my pocket on 8/5/2025 $4,655.57 Install Charge $6,760.49 Used Engine Cost On 9/8/2025 I recieved a letter in the mail from Auid Of America Outling a Piston Skirt Limited Warranty Extension. I reached out to Audi of Amercia the following day, outlined my experiece and was unaware how at no time during my phone calls & emails with Audi of America was a piston skirt issue never discussed. I had the bear the cost of engine replacement out of pocket as during the time frame of failure and per Audi - The repalcement engine was on "intergalactic backorder". When I reached out to Audi of America to discuss reimbursement my claim was denied due to "incompitible or aftermarket parts", which they then changed there response and said it was due to "used" parts being installed. The contact at Audi Of America was Rebecca Gray - To this date she is no longer returning phone calls or emails, also had my email address blocked from the Audi Server at one point. When I reached out to a high up executive via text message, I didn't recieve a response but my email was unblocked in short order. Audi has tried to hide the extent of the piston skirt issue from its consumers & NHTSA. This needs to be stopped.

NHTSA ODI #11693878

Mileage unknown · Jun 21, 2024
Electrical System

My grandson and I got in the car after being in a Lego store for 20 minutes. We tried to start the car to leave but the car started the electronic starting procedure but stoped. All kinds of malfunction and failure lights came on and EVERYTHING LOCKED UP. WE WERE TRAPPED IN THE CAR AND COULD NOT ESCAPE

NHTSA ODI #11595729

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2023
Electrical System

Electrical system malfunction. Faulty generator shut dow. All electrical systems and eventually shut the car down.

NHTSA ODI #11547511

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2023
Electrical System

Electrical Malfunction light came on and it says to pull over and cut your car off and also contact your dealer. This is very scary because you may be in am area that is very isolated or dangerous to stop. This is very disturbing. This is a known problem by Audi. The vehicle is currently at the Audi dealership. There were no war…

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Electrical Malfunction light came on and it says to pull over and cut your car off and also contact your dealer. This is very scary because you may be in am area that is very isolated or dangerous to stop. This is very disturbing. This is a known problem by Audi. The vehicle is currently at the Audi dealership. There were no warnings prior to this.

NHTSA ODI #11518587

Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

While driving on highway my car experienced massive electrical malfunction. All systems shut down (including dashboard) and engine cut off. I think it was a miracle that I was able to pull over to the roadside parking lot without any accident. The issue was caused by faulty design of the starter-alternator combo that may render …

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While driving on highway my car experienced massive electrical malfunction. All systems shut down (including dashboard) and engine cut off. I think it was a miracle that I was able to pull over to the roadside parking lot without any accident. The issue was caused by faulty design of the starter-alternator combo that may render the car undriveable (single point of failure). I had to use a tow track to get my car to nearest dealership where it is right. I think it is extremely dangerous to have cars on the road with possibility of total breakdown without any warnings. My car has only 43000 miles on it so this was totally unexpected and created safety hazard for any all drivers nearby. I just checked some internet boards for Audi and apparently there are many other cars that experienced that issue.

NHTSA ODI #11518498

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The sunroof on my 2019 Audi A8 spontaneously exploded around 445 pm on Friday, April 7, 2023. The car was traveling around 55 MPH and the sunroof just exploded out. The sunscreen was closed at the time. It was not hit by a rock or a tree limb or any other item. It just exploded. Sounded like a gunshot when the car was brought…

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The sunroof on my 2019 Audi A8 spontaneously exploded around 445 pm on Friday, April 7, 2023. The car was traveling around 55 MPH and the sunroof just exploded out. The sunscreen was closed at the time. It was not hit by a rock or a tree limb or any other item. It just exploded. Sounded like a gunshot when the car was brought to a stop, there was a large hole in the sunroof and glass scattered all around the hole.

NHTSA ODI #11516179

Mileage unknown · Apr 7, 2023
Electrical SystemSteering

Hello, On April 6th, 2023, at 12 pm, my car experienced a electrical malfunction within the Start/Stop system, which didn’t posed an immediate threat to my life. Later that day, the car stalled on me while driving, causing a highly dangerous situation on a busy street during peak traffic hours. Multiple error codes appeared, a…

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Hello, On April 6th, 2023, at 12 pm, my car experienced a electrical malfunction within the Start/Stop system, which didn’t posed an immediate threat to my life. Later that day, the car stalled on me while driving, causing a highly dangerous situation on a busy street during peak traffic hours. Multiple error codes appeared, and the transmission failed, leaving me in a perilous position. It is alarming that AUDI is aware of this life-threatening issue, yet no recall has been issued thus far. I urge NHTSA to take swift action and hold AUDI accountable for this critical failure, which endangers not only my life but the lives of others on the road. Please refer to the link below for evidence supporting my claim. The issue is widespread, affecting various models of Audi, including the 2019 A6, A7, and A8. https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a7-224/2019-a6-a7-a8-electrical-failures-3037487/

NHTSA ODI #11515953

Mileage unknown · Jan 26, 2023
Electrical System

Alternator/Start stop generator is bad. Car stopped dead in the intersection.

NHTSA ODI #11503884

45,000 miles · Jan 25, 2023
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2019 Audi 8. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the message "Electrical Malfunction" was suddenly displayed before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the alternator was faulty and needed to b…

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The contact owns a 2019 Audi 8. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the message "Electrical Malfunction" was suddenly displayed before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the alternator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were not available. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ODI #11503613

Official recalls

3

25V900000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Dec 19, 2025

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.

21V111000 · Engine; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)

Feb 24, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A8 and 2020-2021 Audi S8 vehicles. A missing sealing pin may allow moisture to enter the engine control module connector, possibly causing a control module malfunction.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A8 and 2020-2021 Audi S8 vehicles. A missing sealing pin may allow moisture to enter the engine control module connector, possibly causing a control module malfunction.

Consequence: An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.

Engine

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A8 and 2020-2021 Audi S8 vehicles. A missing sealing pin may allow moisture to enter the engine control module connector, possibly causing a control module malfunction.

Consequence: An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.

19V415000 · Seats

Jun 5, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019 Audi A8 vehicles equipped with rear relaxation seats. The front passenger seat track rivet may fail and cause the spindle bracket to separate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A failure of the seat track rivet increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger seat tracks, free of charge. The recall began July 25, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72J3.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.