AI Damage2016 Audi A7: common problems
Owners of the 2016 Audi A7 filed 15 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and steering. The maker issued 772 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 15
- involving a crash
- 1
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 772
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 47% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel/propulsion system 13% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 7% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- Air bags: 7 complaints (47% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 6.
- Steering: 2 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 34.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 2 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 7.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 203.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (7% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 52.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · turbo · 6 cyl
- 3 L · diesel · turbo · 6 cyl
- automatic, 8-speed
Drive: AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 15 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 34 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 203 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 52 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 45 |
| Structure | 1 | 1 | 41 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 245 |
| Service brakes | 0 | 0 | 39 |
| Suspension | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 23 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Going straight, passing thru a green light, another driver runs red light, t bones a7 (prestige trim) causing noticable damage to exterior on passenger side however airbags failed to deploy. Meanwhile a7 also had impact to driver side which the airbags did diploy with less impact then the passenger side.
When I have a passenger riding with me the passenger airbag cuts on and off the whole time while Iâm driving. This is a major safety concern especially when I have passengers all the time. Iâm concerned the airbag will not deploy during an accident.
Detailed Timeline of Incidents: â¢[XXX]: First incident; the engine shut off on a local road. Paid $1,500 for repairs, but the issue persisted. â¢[XXX]: Engine shut off again, preventing going to office due to lack of loaner vehicles. â¢[XXX]: Engine shut off on the highway, causing extreme fear and distress.
The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an electrical power steering failure. The vehicle was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 130,036.
In five years I have had my windshield chip or crack four times. Replacement is a pain and expensive. It seems the design is far too susceptible to breakage and is unsafe.
Gas smell while AC/HEATER is on and car is sitting idle. My car is not included in the 2019 safety recall 24DP although it should be.
My speed was very low at higher speeds or could have been a complete tire blow out.
Around 36k miles the vehicle had some dried coolant residue and required coolant topups every 2-3k miles. Two different dealerships performed comprehensive inspections between then and now and did not notify me of any problems.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,286 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).
On average one model year of the A7 has 8 complaints (17 years in the data). This year has 15, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has…
This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations
- This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer
- This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the…
This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.
- This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped
- This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning
- This bulletin provides information when there is a paint issue on alloy wheels
- This bulletin provides information about leather care and seat repair
- This bulletin provides information about the general approach for brake vibration concerns
- This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor
- This bulletin provides information on the GFF test plan required for AC compressor replacements regardless…
NHTSA lists 772 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Audi A7?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, steering, fuel/propulsion system. Total complaints: 15. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (7%), A/C or heater (7%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2016 Audi A7?
NHTSA lists 772 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2016 Audi A7 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2016 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.