2012 Audi A7 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Steering (4) · Air Bags (4)
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
20 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2018-06-04 · campaign 18V370000 · 139,249 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2017-12-06 · campaign 17V781000 · 48,693 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2016-09-07 · campaign 16V646000 · 28,249 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2015-12-08 · campaign 15V823000 · 21,074 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail 2015-01-20 · campaign 15V019000 · 26,008 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (1,304)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-26 · TSB_2074436_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
Service Brakes 2026-08-21 · TSB_2069904_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for all models regarding brake sounds.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,304 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-10-12 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System“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. …”
2022-03-17 · Steering“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 caus…”
2022-02-14 · Air Bags“passenger seat airbag light is on .…”
2022-01-12 · Power Train“i have seen at least three other complaints with nhtsa 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 sole…”
2021-06-26 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“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…”
2021-06-04 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 63,000 mi“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 …”
2021-06-03 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“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, …”
2020-07-21 · Wheels“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 carv…”
2020-03-26 · Engine · 105,000 mi“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 …”
2020-03-26 · Vehicle Speed Control · 110,000 mi“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.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.