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Audi A8 check engine light comes on

15 of the 255 owner complaints about the Audi A8 describe check engine light, most of them for the 2011 model year.

owner complaints
15
worst model year
2011
typical mileage
66,430
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2015
    2
  • 2014
    3
  • 2013
    3
  • 2012
    2
  • 2011
    4
  • 2008
    1

What owners say

Filed Jun 18, 2025 · Engine · MD

Driving up an inclined road at night. Car engine started to sputter and jerk and lost power. Was able to get to the side of the road out of traffic at the top of the hill? I was able to coast down the hill to a gas station. Carl would not drive without Jerking or accelerate, add check engine, light on and flashing. With the smell of burning from the engine, compartment waited two hours for a tow truck towed it home, the following day, I had to take off of work. I checked all the spark plugs to find multiple spark plugs completely soaked in oil, took an Uber to parts store to buy new spark plugs. At this point I had found out about the recall for the same problem. On the same engine. In all of audi's cars, except for the A8 line was excluded, do not know the reason why it's the same engine in multiple vehicles that were listed in the recall for the piston rings. My other Audi a 6 has over 200000 miles and does not have this issue. Get these low tension piston ring failures that have been recalled. On the issue with all of audi's in this year

Filed Oct 5, 2024 · Engine · MT

I was driving along on the highway, at normal speeds. When my engine started surging, causing me to speed up and slow down rapidly. Putting the safety of others behind and in front of me in danger. No check engine or any light of that nature turned on. then after another mile or so my engine sputtered then just died. I had to pull to the left side of the road since there way a semi truck to my right and it was rush hour here on [XXX] in Denver, CO. I don't know what the issue was but I was worried if the people behind me could easily get out from behind me as I almost caused a rear end collision. I'm taking my A8 into the mechanic this coming Monday to find out exactly what was wrong. But engines shouldn't just die out on you on the highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 12, 2022 · Engine · 110,000 miles · NY

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 failure mileage was 110,000.

Filed Feb 17, 2022 · Engine · SC

On the afternoon of September 12, 2018, my 2013 Audi A8L 4.0T started with somewhat of a rough idle, but no warning lights or error codes were present on the dashboard. I owned the car for approximately 18 months at that point, and this had never happened before. As soon as I started to drive, the tachometer became steady and there were no other indications anything was wrong, even stopping at traffic lights the problem did no persist nor were there any indications anything was wrong. Once back in Spartanburg, the car stalled while slowing down for a traffic light. The engine cut off completely, the steering became very rigid, and the Check Engine light turned on. I was able to coast to a stop and turn on my hazard lights, and then tried to restart the car to no avail. The engine would turn over, but the car would not start. Another car stopped behind me, and we were able to push the car onto the grassy shoulder out of traffic, which was dangerous in itself but safer than sitting in the middle of a busy road. I had the car towed to Steve White Audi in Greenville, SC. Once there, they informed me that the error codes indicated that both turbo's failed simultaneously and the failure of those turbos caused the first set of downstream catalytic converters to fail also. See attached repair report and payment receipt = $10,975.57 for the replacement parts and labor ($12,070.85 including the 115,000 mile service). Once they told me the cost of the repair, I called Volkswagen USA corporate headquarters to ask if there were any pending recalls for the turbos. Multiple message boards and FaceBook pages go into detail about how the turbos are a known point of failure on the 4.0T cars, and the astronomical cost to replace them. I was informed by Volkswagen that there were no pending recalls, and that I would have to pay for the repairs out of pocket, which I did.

Filed Feb 8, 2022 · Engine, Steering · IA

Turbos failed. Was traveling home on a highway, when i pulled off the engine suddenly stalls out and loss of steering occurs as the engine system automatically puts you in park. Switching to neutral leads to a very 'leaden'/heavy driving feeling (Kind of like with no Power steering, but a little better). Able to get it restarted again with some effort. Car will stall out at any point in time when RPM is 1200 or less (you have about .25s to get it back out of that range or it stalls again). Power is sluggish. To avoid stalls, shifts must be rapid and neutral-shift+gas needs to be applied to prevent RPM from being below 1200. Made it home safely, but had it towed to dealership. Dealership notified me that it was a turbo failure, both impellers have become lodged in the side of turbo casing and are stalled out. Nothing preceded this; no engine lights or anything. Effect was sudden and drastic. Temperatures were fine. Attempt to drive to repair shop led to total loss of coolant. It is believed this is a seperate issue.

Filed Jan 12, 2022 · Engine, Suspension · NC

Audi a8 has been using large amount of coolant. However, its not running out the car. Yet im steady buying coolant because its saying its low. And when I go to put the coolant in my car it is low. So where is the coolant going? In trying to figure out where my coolant was going or why was it calling for so much I did some audi research on my vehicle and saw that it had a prior recall. I purchased this car over a year ago and the dealership didnt alert me of any recalls. I dont think my recall was fixed. Also theres been a lound noise on my suspension in the front of my vehicle on the right. I see audi had many complaints on this issue. The car with arrows for my suspension stays on. Took to dealership to get it diagnosed. They cut the lights off from the dash but the check engine light is still on. According to the forums ive read these issues on my audi are serious safety issues. There were no warning prior to the failures. I am really afraid to drive my vehicle because I dont knnow what or when if it will stall out on me in traffic or worse.

Filed Jun 10, 2021 · Engine · 67,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2011 AUDI A8. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the camshaft and timing chain failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

Filed Jun 10, 2021 · Engine · PA

Check Engine ON. Diagnosed as cam shaft timing chain failure

Filed Apr 5, 2021 · Engine · 49,693 miles · IL

My car's engine started stuttering and idling very roughly while exiting the expressway. The ec and check engine lights came on. It continued to shutter, and shake, until it shut off. It wouldn't restart, and I had to have it towed to the dealership where I purchased it. The dealer confirmed the issue, and reported the turbos had excessive play and scoring on the surface of the housing, caused by the excessive play in the turbos. Turbochargers needed to be replaced.

Filed Jul 13, 2020 · Engine · 66,430 miles · TN

The check engine light came on and I drove a very short distance to return home during which odd noise came from the engine. Diagnostics show that one of two turbos failed due a failure of the lubrication system for the turbos.

Related recalls

Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/superchargerReported March 23, 2022 · 26,093 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2013-2017 A8, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, and 2014-2017 RS7 vehicles. The turbocharger oil supply strainer can become blocked, causing wear to the bearings due to lack of lubrication.
Risk
Worn bearings can cause the turbine wheel to contact the turbocharger housing or cause the shaft to break, causing an engine stall and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the oil strainer and perform an oil change, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 21H7.

Recall number 22V178000 · Recall details

Engine and engine cooling: engine: engine control module (ecu/ECM)Reported February 24, 2021 · 238 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A8 and 2020-2021 Audi S8 vehicles. A missing sealing pin may allow moisture to enter the engine control module connector, possibly causing a control module malfunction.
Risk
An engine control module malfunction may cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine control module connector for a missing sealing pin, and install it, if necessary. The connector will also be inspected for corrosion, and replaced as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 12, 20121. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97EV.

Recall number 21V111000 · Recall details

Engine and engine cooling: engineReported August 24, 2016 · 9,067 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Audi A8 vehicles manufactured May 15, 2010, to May 14, 2012. The affected vehicles have a coolant valve that may leak, allowing coolant to enter the engine control module causing a loss of power or the engine to stall.
Risk
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the coolant valve and inspect for coolant that has leaked through the electrical connector, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 19, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834.

Recall number 16V619000 · Recall details

Questions about the Audi A8 check engine light

Why does the check engine light come on in the Audi A8?

Owners who report it most often also describe engine stalls while driving, won't start and pulls to one side.

Which Audi A8 years have check engine light problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2011 (4 complaints), 2013 (3 complaints) and 2014 (3 complaints).

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