Total Complaints
17 filings
AUDI S8 · model year
17 NHTSA complaints, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2013AUDIS8 carries 17 consumer safety complaints 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. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 S8 is engine with 11 filings, followed by unknown or other (2) and wheels (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. This model year has 5 active recall campaigns, 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 2013 S8. 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
17 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 11 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles. The fuel supply line for the high pressure fuel pump may become porous and leak fuel.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Audi S8 and A8 vehicles. The fuel supply line for the high pressure fuel pump may become porous over time, resulting in a fuel leak.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles equipped with a standard sunroof, manufactured March 12, 2013, through July 15, 2013. These vehicles are equipped with a standard sunroof glass panel that may shatter.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2013-2017 A8, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, and 2014-2017 RS7 vehicles. The turbocharger oil supply strainer can become blocked, causing wear to the bearings due to lack of lubrication.
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S8 and A8 vehicles. The seal around the engine compartment may come loose and contact hot engine components.
The windshield top gasket is not working and the glass can be easily pushed out an 1/8â. Wind can be heard while driving and when itâs raining water runs through steady stream. I was under the impression that the windshield is an integral part of the cars structure.
The dealer doesnât want to perform the recall due to branded title. They should though. Please look into it
Engine turbocharger experience catastrophic damage, engine stalled, power steering was disrupted.
The car was running rough for a couple weeks; hesitant to accelerate, failed to start multiple times and idled rough. One day I was coming home from my hour long commute, I put the car in reverse in my driveway and the car started bucking so badly that it became un-drivable. At this point we had to get the car towed on a flatbed an hour away to the nearest dealership and this is when we discovered that the turbos had gone bad. There was no check engine light or any indication before it just failed. I am active duty in the United States Coast Guard and being without a car is not an option. Because of the shipping delay and waiting for the turbos to come from Germany, I was without my car for two weeks. I was loaned a vehicle but I had to rent a car for one day in between. We have been told by Audi dealerships for years that this was a known problem and to expect this $10,000 repair.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY, MY CAR ENGINE SHUT OFF. I HAD DYSFUNCTIONAL BRAKE AND STEERING FAILURE. BRAKE WAS HARDLY WORKING AND I HAD TO USE ALL MY STRENGTH TO CONTROL STEERING. BASICALLY, WHILE DRIVING AT 50MPH, CAR ENGINE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND I LOST STEERING AND BRAKING. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD INTO A VACANT PARKING LOT AND CAR CAME TO A STOP. FORTUNATELY, NO CARS WERE AROUND AT THE TIME. OTHERWISE, I ALONG WITH MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A POTENTIALLY FATAL ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED BY AUDI SINCE PURCHASE. IT WAS JUST SERVICED WITHIN THE PAST MONTH. CAR WAS TOWED TO AN AUDI DEALER--THE TURBO CHARGER HAD FAILED. BASED ON THE DEALER DESCRIPTION, FAILER OF TURBO CAUSED THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF BOTH THE STEERING AND THE BRAKES. THERE SHOULD BE A BACKUP SAFETY MECHANISM IN CASE OF TURBO FAILURE WITH AUDI 4L ENGINE--APPARENTLY, THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO EXIST. I CONTACTED AUDI AND THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION. IT WAS JUST BY GOD'S GRACE THAT H
TURBOS FAILED, CAR STALLED AND WILL NOT START UNLESS GIVING IT GAS. DOWN ON POWER AND PERFORMANCE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON
sUN ROOF EXPLODED ON MT AUDIS8 2013. 6/03/2021.
TURBOCHARGERS FAILURE DUE TO CLOGGED OIL SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH TURBOCHARGER WITH NEW UNITS AND REPLACED OIL SCREEN WITH UPDATED VERSION
Mileage: 58,000
TURBOCHARGERS FAILURE DUE TO CLOGGED OIL SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH TURBOCHARGER WITH NEW UNITS AND REPLACED OIL SCREEN WITH UPDATED VERSION
Mileage: 58,000
TURBOCHARGERS FAILURE DUE TO CLOGGED OIL SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH TURBOCHARGER WITH NEW UNITS AND REPLACED OIL SCREEN WITH UPDATED VERSION
Mileage: 58,000
WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT PICKING UP APPROPRIATE SPEED WHEN ACCELERATING. THERE WAS NO PRIOR NOTICE OR ENGINE LIGHTS OR ANY ABNORMALITIES WITH THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THIS. I DECIDED TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AT A REST AREA AND AS THE CAR WAS SLOWED DOWN AROUND 15-20 MPH, I LOST TOTAL POWER OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO STEER OR USE THE BRAKES. LUCKILY THE CAR WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP WITHOUT INJURY BUT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING WITH MY FAMILY IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER TOW TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE TURBOS IN THE ENGINE. I DID EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND FIND OUT THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND BOILS DOWN TO A DESIGN FLAW WHERE A SMALL OIL SCREEN ESSENTIALLY STARVES THE TURBOS OF OIL. SOMETIME THESE SCREENS HAVE CLOGGED BUT IN MANY CASES ARE JUST FINE BUT IN ALL CASES HAVE LEAD TO TURBO FAILURE. THIS IS NOT A MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND ALL VEHICLES I HAVE REVIEWED HAVE BEEN FACTORY MAINTAINED WITH
Mileage: 80,000
WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT PICKING UP APPROPRIATE SPEED WHEN ACCELERATING. THERE WAS NO PRIOR NOTICE OR ENGINE LIGHTS OR ANY ABNORMALITIES WITH THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THIS. I DECIDED TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AT A REST AREA AND AS THE CAR WAS SLOWED DOWN AROUND 15-20 MPH, I LOST TOTAL POWER OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO STEER OR USE THE BRAKES. LUCKILY THE CAR WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP WITHOUT INJURY BUT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING WITH MY FAMILY IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER TOW TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE TURBOS IN THE ENGINE. I DID EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND FIND OUT THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND BOILS DOWN TO A DESIGN FLAW WHERE A SMALL OIL SCREEN ESSENTIALLY STARVES THE TURBOS OF OIL. SOMETIME THESE SCREENS HAVE CLOGGED BUT IN MANY CASES ARE JUST FINE BUT IN ALL CASES HAVE LEAD TO TURBO FAILURE. THIS IS NOT A MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND ALL VEHICLES I HAVE REVIEWED HAVE BEEN FACTORY MAINTAINED WITH
Mileage: 80,000
BOTH TURBOS ON THE ENGINE WERE DAMAGED TO THE POINT OF REPLACEMENT, CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL OUT AT IDLE AT A BUSY INTERSECTION PUTTING ME IN DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
Mileage: 48,700
WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR STARTED TO RUN ROUGH AND WOULDN'T IDLE WHEN I CAME TO A STOP. IT BECAME VERY HARD TO START, ESPECIALLY WHEN HOT. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN FOR RECALL WORK IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BAD TURBOCHARGERS. QUOTED OVER $10K IN REPAIRS.
Mileage: 84,600
IT IF VERY WELL KNOWN ISSUE FOR 4.0TT V8 AUDI ENGINE, THERE IS POUR OIL SUPPLY TO TURBOS WHICH CAUSING THEM TO FAIL. AFTER AN HOUR OF CRUISING ON HIGHWAY CAR WOULD CHOKE ON IDLE, DIFFICULT TO EVEN START. AUDI DEALER DIAGNOSED TURBO FAILURE WITHOUT UNDERLINE CAUSE. 10K DOLLARS REPAIR EVERY 20-50K MILES IS UNREASONABLE DUE TO FACT THAT OIL SEPARATOR, OIL STRAINER, SEALS AND COOLANT LINES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO BE DEFECTIVE AND UPDATED BY MANUFACTURER (AUDI)
Mileage: 112,000
CAR HAS 3 BENT RIMS AND A BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT CARMAX WILL TRY TO SAY THEY FIXED RIMS AND THE MOTOR MOUNT IS FINE
Mileage: 61,000
CAR HAS 3 BENT RIMS AND A BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT CARMAX WILL TRY TO SAY THEY FIXED RIMS AND THE MOTOR MOUNT IS FINE
Mileage: 61,000
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.