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Audi A8Model year report

2011 Audi A8 Problems

Complaints
15filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
81,500miles, 12 complaints with mileage
Recalls
1campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
21 mpgcombined, 4.2L 8-cyl AWD · 17 city / 27 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2011 Audi A8 (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 15 consumer complaints for the 2011 Audi A8. The part named most often is engine, with 10 complaints (67% of the total), followed by electrical system (4) and other or unknown (3). 12 of the complaints include a mileage, and 0% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 81,500 miles. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign and 991 technical service bulletins for this model year. Engine complaints overlap with 58 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Electrical system complaints overlap with 265 technical service bulletins filed under the same part.

This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

Engine: “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. …”

NHTSA complaint #10910462, filed 2016-09, 76,000 miles

Electrical system: “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.”

NHTSA complaint #10838985, filed 2016-02, 81,000 miles

Other or unknown: “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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11051393, filed 2017-11, 75,000 miles

Suspension: “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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11051392, filed 2017-11, 85,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

0% of the 12 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 75,000 and 85,000 miles.

0%0–100%10–250%25–5017%50–7583%75–1000%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (12 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 81,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

2016620172018201920202021202220232025
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2011 Audi A8 version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
A8 AWD4.2L 8-cyl8-speed automatic172721$3,900
A8 L AWD4.2L 8-cyl8-speed automatic172721$3,900

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2011 Audi A8 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 991 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 991 bulletins →

Other model years of the Audi A8

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20215—10—21—Not enough data
20191424,5263—22—Not enough data
2017851,0003—22—Not enough data
20161143,5004—22—Not enough data
20153148,0005—22Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Falling
20141857,5345—21—Falling
20135062,5006—21Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Falling
20121179,6281—21—Not enough data
20111581,5001—21—Falling
200957,2121—18—Not enough data
2008855,1181—18—Not enough data
2006644,0002—18—Not enough data
2005612,0001—18—Not enough data
20042028,0001—18—Stable
2001686,0002—18—Not enough data
1999961,4044—18—Not enough data
19971069,0002—18—Not enough data

All Audi A8 model years

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2011 Audi A8 have?

NHTSA recorded 15 consumer complaints for the 2011 Audi A8 as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2011 Audi A8 is reported most often?

Engine is named most often, in 10 complaints (67% of the total), followed by electrical system with 4.

Has the 2011 Audi A8 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2011 Audi A8 get?

The EPA rates the 2011 Audi A8 (A8, 4.2L 8-cyl) at 21 mpg combined, 17 city and 27 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,900 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2011 Audi A8 reported?

Among the 12 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 81,500 miles and the middle half falls between 75,000 and 85,000 miles; 0% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.