AUDI V8 · model year

1990 AUDI V8

11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1990AUDIV8 carries 11 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. 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 1990 V8 is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (2) and equipment:electrical:radio/tape deck/cd etc. (2). 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 1990 V8. 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.

11
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 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
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS2
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES1
STEERING:LINKAGES:ARM:IDLER AND ATTACHMENT1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK1

Recent Complaints

20061025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK

REAR SPEAKERS MAKE NOISE UPON TURNING RADIO ON. NOISE INCLUDES HUM, HISSING, SQUEAL AND POOP NOISES. ACCORDING TO AUDI, THE SPEAKERS AND AMPLIFIERS IN MY CAR ARE THE ASME AS THOSE IN 1991 AND 1992 VERSIONS. 1991 AND 1992 CARS HAD A RECALL ON THESE BOSE SPEAKERS AS THE FAILURE CAN CUASE A FIRE. AUDI IS NOT EXTENDING THE SAME REPAIR TO MY CAR BECAUSE IT IS NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL, ALTHOUGH THE SYSTEMS ARE THE SAME AS ARE THE PROBLEMS

Mileage: 75,000

20040405VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE DRIVER WAS ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN ACCELERATION. THE THROTTLE WAS STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE CONSUMER SAYS THAT IT WAS DUE TO THE CRUISE CONTROL. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.

20020607EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE DOES NOT FIT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF RECALL 01V-324 DUE TO THE VIN, THE CONSUMER FEELS THE VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO THE SAME RISK OF FAILURE AND FIRE.

20020522AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

WHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK

20020117EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

NHTSA ALREADY HAS A DEFECT NOTED AS #01V324000 - THIS NOTICE IS TO ADVISE THE CONDITION EXISTS ON 1990 MODELS NOT JUST THE 1991 AS LISTED IN THE NHTSA REPORT. MY SPEAKERS HAVE FAILED JUST AS THE REPORT INDICATES CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD. PLEASE ADD 1990 AS A YEAR TO BE INCLUDED IN THE REPORT.*AK

19990325SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, IN THE PROCESS OF BRAKING, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES OUT OF CONTROL UNTIL THE SPEED REACHES 25 TO 30 MPH, THEN THE VEHICLE OPERATES CLOSE TO NORMAL. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

19970522SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

THE ROTORS HAVE TO BE REPLACED EVERY (10,000-15,000) MILES BECAUSE OF WARPING. BECAUSE OF THE WARPED ROTORS, WHEN BRAKING, THE VEHICLE GOES INTO A UNCONTROLLABLE SHAKING VIRBRATION. IN THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS (3) SETS OF ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. ROTORS NEED TO BE REPLACED A (4TH) TIME. *AK

19960808VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED, AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAED, HIT RESUME, VEHICLE WENT INTO OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, APPLIED THE BRAKES REAL HARD TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK MECHANIC DISENGAGED CRUISE CONTROL ROD AND INFORMED CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL 96V084, CONSUMER IS ANGRY THAT HE NEVER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE. *SLC

19960808VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED, AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAED, HIT RESUME, VEHICLE WENT INTO OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, APPLIED THE BRAKES REAL HARD TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK MECHANIC DISENGAGED CRUISE CONTROL ROD AND INFORMED CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL 96V084, CONSUMER IS ANGRY THAT HE NEVER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE. *SLC

19960808SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED, AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAED, HIT RESUME, VEHICLE WENT INTO OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, APPLIED THE BRAKES REAL HARD TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK MECHANIC DISENGAGED CRUISE CONTROL ROD AND INFORMED CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL 96V084, CONSUMER IS ANGRY THAT HE NEVER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE. *SLC

19960808STEERING:LINKAGES:ARM:IDLER AND ATTACHMENT

CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED, AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAED, HIT RESUME, VEHICLE WENT INTO OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND WOULD NOT RELEASE, APPLIED THE BRAKES REAL HARD TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK MECHANIC DISENGAGED CRUISE CONTROL ROD AND INFORMED CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL 96V084, CONSUMER IS ANGRY THAT HE NEVER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE. *SLC

Compare 1990AUDIV8 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 AUDI V8 have?
The 1990 AUDI V8 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 AUDI V8?
The most-complained component for the 1990 AUDI V8 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS and EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC..
Is the 1990 AUDI V8 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.