Oil system. A quart of oil has to be added every day. Dealership says its crank case breather. Which the supercharge cause the oil to burn more. Also the antifreeze is burning more because the engine is so hot from the oil burning rapidly. Audi is aware and fails to do anything about this known issue.
The worst 2012 Audi A7 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags7
- Electrical6
- Steering6
- Acceleration5
- Engine5
- Transmission4
- Fuel system3
- Driver assistance2
- Tires2
- Wheels2
- Brakes1
- Seats1
- Suspension1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Audi A7
Recalls 5
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.
- Risk
- If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.
Recall number 18V370000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Audi A6 and A7 vehicles. The fuel line has a compression point that can weaken, potentially resulting in a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑888‑237‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AR.
Recall number 17V781000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 and Audi A7 vehicles. The affected vehicles have a fuel hose in the engine compartment that may degrade and leak fuel.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the under hood fuel pump and fuel hose, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BZ.
Recall number 16V646000 · Recall details
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 vehicles manufactured March 28, 2011, to March 25, 2013, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles manufactured January 25, 2011, to March 19, 2013. In vehicles with heated and cooled seats, the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS), used to enable the front passenger air bags, may malfunction and prevent the passenger-side air bags from deploying in a crash.
- Risk
- An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of occupant injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D1.
Recall number 15V823000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑822‑2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.
Recall number 15V019000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Audi A7 1,308
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Diagnosed and confirmed malfunction of the vehicle’s AEB system that resulted from failure or malfunction...
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides information to aid in diagnosing the vehicle locking system.
- This bulletin provides information when the engine is not runing smoothly; all gas engines.
- This bulletin provides information on VIN plates, Safety Certification labels, and ordering procedures.
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
- This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has...
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
- This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
- This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
2012 Audi A7 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 18 | 28 | 22 |
What 2012 Audi A7 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
As I was driving with my 4 year old daughter in the vehicle, while making a left turn my vehicle steering wheel locked or seemed to lock on me with no warning, and then the "DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE" indicator appeared. Thank God I was able to safety steer into a driveway. Inspection is available upon request. The defect of the vehicle could have cause major bodily injuries to me and my daughter and anyone within a few feet of my vehicle. No warning signs appeared at all prior to this incident happening, this malfunction came without notice. Im very concerned with the manufacturing defect and issue on this and many Audi's vehicle that have this same issue and could possible be life threating not only for the driver but anyone. I still get anxiety when thinking of this incident and the panic that happen.
Passenger seat airbag light is on .
I have seen at least three other complaints with the federal safety agency on this same item all with different headings. Check engine light comes on at high speeds while highway driving. Pull Engine code and comes back as P2753 - Valve for transmission fluid cooler circuit open. Had to replace coolant control valve for transmission as coolant was leaking into solenoid. Many other reports of this same problem on the federal safety agency already and mechanic says it is known issue with Audi.
As I reported on June 3, I drove my car onto my office parking lot, up- hill, in the afternoon, when suddenly my car raced, without my stepping on the accelerator to make it race, crushed into the first car parked there. That car was pushed into the wheel of the neighboring car, which fortunately was a big and sturdy car. I managed to drive my car into an empty parking space. The owners of the 2 cars that had been hit came out of the office building and we exchanged information. The car that my Audi had hit was not drivable. My Audi was drivable, despite severe damage. It was towed away by CALIBER COLLISION. Never in my life of driving had I experienced a car racing, without my causing to make it race.
The contact owns a 2012 Audi A7. The contact stated that after driving from a stop sign into a four-way intersection at approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. Upon inspection, it was discovered that fuel had leaked from the engine compartment and was caused by a detached fuel line due to a failed fuel line coupling. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number 17V781000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
The gas pedal must have been stuck, as the car raced across parking lot, into the first parked car there. that car was pushed into the next car, fortunately a big, sturdy car. and fortunately into the wheel of that next car. Also, fortunately, no people there at that time. I contacted my Audi dealer . they sent truck for pick-up by GUY TOWING LLC, tel.( 737) 333-7334. There were no warning signs before. Also, I had my car at Audi service earlier this year and paid ca. $6000.- for yearly overhaul and several repairs. To my knowledge, so far no inspection by anyone , but by the repair replace that the truck took my car to. Also, the 2 car owners of the cars hit by my car would have reported the incident to my car insurance company.
I bought a 2012 audi a7 prestige from carvana online in december 2019, few days before christmas. At the end of january, I'd an issue with my car, which needed it to go to the shop for repairs. At the shop, I found out that my wheels were staggered and that the vehicle was lowered than its original specification and recommendation. I contacted carvana and silverrock, and a claim was initiated on 02/09/2020 at 1:58pm. I was told to take my vehicle to a shop and have them contact customer service. Few months later, I needed to do oil change and periodic servicing at audi concord, and I was told that the wheels of my vehicle is a hazard and needs to be switched back to manufacturer's specification. Mind you, when I bought my car from carvana, there was never a disclosure of the wheels been changed. Carvana claims they have mechanics who inspect every car they sell and I'm sure if that is true, they knew about this and just decided not to disclose it to me, so I could go on with the vehicle purchase. Audi has stated that my wheels could fall off, among other risks of driving a staggered wheel. My a7 is a quatro and everything is a set of 4, that needs to match. I've a 3-year old son I drive around in the back seat. I'm sure if I wasn't black, they would disclose the danger of driving around with my family in a car the wheels could fall off and kill us all. I've alerted the dealership and the warranty company, and they are not trying to do anything. They claim I needed a diagnosis from when I first reported the issue, even though I've sent them and uploaded a file from my service advisor at audi, and the pdf clearly states my claim. This is not a new problem. This is something that started even before I got the car. Why can't it be simply corrected back to manufacturer's specification?
While driving my 2012 audi a7 on the highway, received numerous error messages without warning on the dashboard. The car began to lurch, stall, and drive erratically with limited driving and braking control. Situation was very unsafe and potentially life threatening. Audi dealership stated that a coolant migration defect occurred. The coolant pump valve failed internally and leaked coolant onto the wiring harness. The coolant traveled along the harness and damaged or destroyed multiple electrical components including the ECM, transmission control unit, and the harness / electrical connections. Audi has a history of coolant pump defects and has active recalls for this exact issue for other models. This model, the 2012 a7 should be added to that list as it is a known issue and technical service bulletins were sent to the dealers.
Car comes equipped with automatic cruise control and auto-braking. Systems recently were disabled, and are throwing error. "0161 - video cable for image processing " unable to use cruise control, and assume that auto-braking is disabled until this is rectified.
Compare the 2012 Audi A7
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Questions about the 2012 Audi A7
Is the 2012 Audi A7 reliable?
Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2012 Audi A7, 5.0 times a typical A7 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Audi A7?
Airbags, with 7 complaints, typically around 44,000 miles. Next is electrical (6).
How many recalls does the 2012 Audi A7 have?
5 recalls, covering air bags and fuel system, gasoline.
What gas mileage does the 2012 Audi A7 get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Audi A7 range from 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, AWD) gets 18 city and 28 highway.
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