2015 Audi A8: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
31 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 31 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 2.82
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Yet another beautiful Audi 3.0tfsi with the rocker arm failure … how is there not a class action lawsuit already ? I have a knock in my valve train and I just bought this car two days ago …. Audi should be liable to fix this because I didn’t know nothing about this and with a quick search it’s alike a epidemic of the same problem..
Water leaking from passenger side top right corner from windshield. Glass isn’t damaged. Just started leaking for no reason
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A8. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle that stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failur…
Recalls: 5 campaigns (3 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 20V397000 | Structure:Body:Hood | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S8 and A8 vehicles. |
| 19V035000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System:Fuel Rail | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Q7, A6 and A7 vehicles, and 2015-2018 Audi A8 vehicles. |
| 22V178000 | 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. |
| 18V430000 | 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. |
| 19V057000 | 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. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,450
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine17 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Service Brakes4 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Electrical System3 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Wheels3 complaints · typical job: Wheel bearing or hub replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$460–$920
- Forward Collision Avoidance2 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Visibility/Wiper2 complaints · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$490–$1,200
Other Audi A8 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Audi A8?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (17 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2015 Audi A8 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 68/100, computed from 31 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2015 Audi A8's most common problem?
17 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2015 Audi A8 sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2015 Audi A8 cost to run per year?
About $5,713 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $28,565 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2015 Audi A8 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2015 Audi A8, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 07/07/2020. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2015 Audi A8 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 31 complaints, 5 recalls on record
- 31 NHTSA complaints on record (2.8/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (1.5/yr)
- 5 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality