Total Complaints
12 filings
AUDI A8 · model year
12 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997AUDIA8 carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 A8 is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (2) and power train (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 1997 A8. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
12 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT | 1 |
MY 1997 AUDI A8 IS EQUIPPED WITH A VEHICLE JACK THAT IS GROSSLY INADEQUATE FOR CHANGING A TIRE AND IS HAZARDOUS TO ANYONE USING IT-- IT IS PRONE TO COLLAPSE. MANY USERS OF THIS JACK HAVE EXPERIENCED COLLAPSE, AND AUDI DOES NOT CARE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *JB
Mileage: 95,000
MY 1997 AUDI A8 HAS AIR BAG LIGHT DISPLAY IN THE CENTER OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ON A RECENT VISIT TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THEY HAVE RESET THE FAULT CODE. WHEREVER, SOON AFTER THAT THE WARNING LIGHT CAME UP AGAIN AND STAY ON NOW. I SEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND OUT THERE WERE MANY OWNERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE ON THE 1997-2000 MODEL YEAR OF THE A8. I READ THE OWNER'S MANUEL, AND IT SAYS IF THE AIR BAG WARNING IS ON, WHEN COLLISION OCCURS, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIR BAG WILL BECOME DEACTIVATED (I.E. FRONTAL AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF A FRONTAL CRASH.) SINCE THE AIR BAG IS A VITAL SAFETY SYSTEM, I'D STRONGLY SUGGEST TO YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS FAILURE. *NM
Mileage: 135,700
WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER'S 1997 AUDI A8 QUATTRO ACCELERATED SUDDENLY. *NM *NM
Mileage: 69,000
VEHICLE WAS PULLING OUT IN REVERSE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BUMPER GOT CAUGHT ON SOMETHING AND RIPPED OUT COMPLETELY. CONSUMER ANTICIPATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED TOO LOW, AND HAD INFORMED THE MANUFACTURER.*AK
THE IGNITION SWITCH IN MY 1997 AUDI A8 FAILED INTERNALLY AND WAS DISABLED IN IT'S ABILITY TO SPRING BACK FROM THE START POSITION. WITH THE SWITCH CONTACTS IN A POSITION BETWEEN START AND RUN, NONE OF THE ELECTRICAL AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT WILL OPERATE. THIS INCLUDES THE HEADLIGHTS / TAILLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS , WIPERS AND OTHER SYSTEMS. THIS CONDITION CAN ALSO ALLOW THE STARTER TO REMAIN ENGAGED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. IN THIS INSTANCE, THIS OCCURRED THE FIRST TIME AT NIGHT WITH MY WIFE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS FAILURE REPRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET REVILED THAT THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED ON OTHER AUDI MODELS. THE NHTSA HAS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED RECALLS ON THE 1997 A6 (00V317000) AND 1996 A4 (96V017000) MODELS DUE TO FAILURE OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. I CONTACTED AUDI USA CUSTOMER SERVICE (REPS. NAME- MEGAN) AND ENTERED A COMPLAINT - CASE#30325223 THE DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED BY AUDI USA THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY THE AUDI DEALER AT A COST OF $5
Mileage: 63,700
WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A TERRIBLE NOISE COMING FROM VEHICLE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER FEELS TRANSMISSION HAS A DEFECT.*JB
Mileage: 57,000
TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE CAUSING LOUD HUMMING NOISE FROM ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. NLM
REAR BRAKE LIGHT BULB OUT. NLM
BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP VEHICLE AT A RED LIGHT. CONSUMER HAS TO KEEP PUSHING BRAKES. TOOK TO DEALER 4 TIMES, AND EVERYTIME DEALER SAID ROTORS WERE DAMAGED. CONSUMER STATED THAT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 10000 MILES. *AK THE VEHICLE MAKER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE A8 ROTORS WEAR QUICKLY. *YH
BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP VEHICLE AT A RED LIGHT. CONSUMER HAS TO KEEP PUSHING BRAKES. TOOK TO DEALER 4 TIMES, AND EVERYTIME DEALER SAID ROTORS WERE DAMAGED. CONSUMER STATED THAT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 10000 MILES. *AK THE VEHICLE MAKER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE A8 ROTORS WEAR QUICKLY. *YH
WE WANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE ODOMETER "ROLLBACK" (CHANGING FROM KILOMETERS TO MILES). DOES THIS CONSTITUTE ODOMETER FRAUD IF STICKER WAS NOT ON THE DOOR WHEN WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE? WE WANT TO KNOW IF ALL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS WERE MET FOR IMPORTATION TO THE U. S. FROM MEXICO IN 1999. AND WERE ALL TAXES AND/OR PENALTIES PAID IN FULL? ALSO WERE ALL DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS COMPLIED WITH? VEHICLE ID NUMBER IS NOT ON THE DASH ON LEFT-HAND SIDE, VISIBLE FROM OUTSIDE.*AK
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES TO PARK THIS VEHICLE IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AFTER BEING WEDGED IN BETWEEN TWO PARKED VEHICLES. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.