2016 Audi S7 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (7) · Power Train (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
Safety recalls (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/Supercharger 2022-03-23 · campaign 22V178000 · 26,093 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
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.
Service bulletins (670)
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
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.
Structure:body 2026-09-08 · TSB_2068999_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this tsb describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.
Showing the 6 most recent of 670 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-07-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“carvana sold me a 2016 audi s7 (vin [xxx] ) with what was later discovered to be an odometer discrepancy. i submitted a formal complaint to the ohio attorney general, and carvana subsequently issued a refund. however, after refunding me, i learned that carvana resold the vehicle at auction without disclosing the odometer issue or branding the titl…”
2024-03-08 · Service Brakes“the car was driving perfectly fine until last week heading to drop my kids to school and the vehicle stopped on the middle of the street. i had no previous issues or notice. i had multiple warnings on the dashboard and now the car won't crank. i have seen several post with people with this same issue and can't find a clear answer. i had to push the…”
2022-06-21 · Unknown Or Other“submitting an official complaint since there has been a lack of status update or repair resolution. i am concerned that i will have a failure resulting in injury or death since i cannot get this fixed.…”
2022-04-12 · Power Train“i have a 2016 audi s7 that uses the notorious 7-speed dsg transmission. i started to notice some random jerking when i pull the car from the red light a month before the car completely dead on me in april 2021. one time when i was driving on the highway at 70mph it throws a "transmission malfunction" code on my dash and put my car in limp mode (on…”
2022-02-17 · Engine“the engine died on the new jersey turnpike going 70 mph. had to coast to shoulder. sat on the side of the highway with children in back seat for 45 mins waiting for tow which is extremely dangerous. no warning lights before or after the issue. had to be towed to dealer. dealer confirmed turbo system failed. …”
2021-08-19 · Engine“the car drove normally at highway speed for approximately 4 hours. upon leaving the highway and attempting to accelerate onto a secondary road into oncoming traffic, the engine shuttered. the car drove erratically for about a mile with hesitation and shuttering. after stopping at a stop sign at a very busy intersection, the engine failed comple…”
2021-06-04 · Engine“car only has 29,489 miles and has been serviced at audi for every 1yr and now has turbo failure at a cost of 12k. …”
2021-04-30 · Power Train · 40,000 mi“at 40k miles, i've been noticing the symptoms of a dying mech unit (bang/jerk to stop, shifting from drive to reverse), etc. those symptoms happened when i pull up from stationary, put the car in reverse. car will also throw transmission error code on dashboard and put in "limp mode" from time to time. since it was out of warranty, audi quoted …”
2021-04-07 · Power Train · 58 mi“experienced turbocharger failure when coming to a stop after getting off the interstate after approximate 2.5 hours of driving. engine died as car slowed down so suspect the turbos failed while driving but ram air from interstate speeds was adequate to maintain the engine until it slowed down. the extended run time with failed turbos resulted in me…”
2021-04-03 · Engine · 50,223 mi“turbo failure. first start up of the day, vehicle would cut off and die. took it to the audi dealer and it was diagnose with turbo failure.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.