AUDI A8 · model year

2002 AUDI A8

1 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002AUDIA8 carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 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 2002 A8 is engine and engine cooling with 1 filings. 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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2002 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.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1

Recalls (1)

08V39700014/08/2008

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 13,900 MY 1996-2003 AUDI A8 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE LOCKING CABLE MAY MOVE OUT OF POSITION OVER TIME. WITH THE LOCKING CABLE OUT OF POSITION, THE SHIFTER CAN BE MOVED OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION EVEN IF THE IGNITION KEY IS NOT IN THE IGNI

Recent Complaints

20030203ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE VIBRATES. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PH

Compare 2002AUDIA8 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 AUDI A8 have?
The 2002 AUDI A8 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2002 AUDI A8?
Yes, the 2002 AUDI A8 has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 AUDI A8?
The most-complained component for the 2002 AUDI A8 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2002 AUDI A8 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.