2015 Audi S8: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
6 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 6 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 0.55
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Water Pump and thermostat has a faulty design that causes coolant to leak either around the O Ring and/or the elbow. I am in my third water pump and thermostat with only 69,000 miles on the vehicle. Issue appears to be common on the EA824 (4.0 twin turbo) engine with hundreds of reports from the complete range of EA824 equipped vehicles (S8, RS7, S6, S7, A8 etc). Average mileage of those reported are 65k miles or …
Turbo failure and positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) failure. Whining noise from PCV and smoke out the tail pipes with no power. Had to pay out of pocket to remedy issues.
Only 43,750 miles and the engine is being completely rebuilt. new cam adjusters, new timing chain tensioners, new timing chain guides... this shouldn't happen on a car with such few miles.
Recalls: 4 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 20V397000 | Structure:Body:Hood | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S8 and 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 large 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 20 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,800
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.
- Engine5 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train1 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
Other Audi S8 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Audi S8?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (5 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2015 Audi S8 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 84/100, computed from 6 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2015 Audi S8's most common problem?
5 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2015 Audi S8 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 S8 cost to run per year?
About $6,020 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $30,100 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 S8 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2015 Audi S8, 2 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 larges of about the same age.
What will a 2015 Audi S8 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 — 6 complaints, 4 recalls on record
- 6 NHTSA complaints on record (0.5/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (0.5/yr)
- 4 recall campaigns, 2 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