🚗 AutoDefect IQ

2021 Audi A7 problems, complaints & recalls

Most-reported problem areas: Engine (3) · Electrical System (2) · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control (1)

6
Complaints
11
Recalls
1,313
Service bulletins
0
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Deaths

Safety recalls (11)

Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2025-12-19 · campaign 25V900000 · 356,894 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.

Electrical System:software 2025-03-31 · campaign 25V201000 · 44,387 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 SQ8, A6 SEDAN, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S6 SEDAN, S7, S8, A6 Allroad, and SQ7 vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail.

Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 24, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90VC.

Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:cable/Cord:onboard 2023-12-13 · campaign 23V842000 · 93,196 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022-2024 RS e-tron GT, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron Sportback, Q4 e-tron, 2020-2021 Audi A8, 2019-2024 e-tron Quattro, 2020-2024 e-tron Sportback Quattro, Q5, and 2021-2022 A7 vehicles. When using the industrial 220V/240V plug at the 100% charge setting, some home power outlets may be incapable of handling the electrical current required to utilize the compact charging system, causing the outlet or charging cable to overheat.

Risk: An overheated outlet or charging cable can increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: Owners are advised not to use the 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable and only use the 110V home charging cable or public charging stations. Dealers will supply a new 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable with an incorporated temperature sensor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2024. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's numbers for this recall are 93U6 and 93U8.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid 2023-08-25 · campaign 23V601000 · 7,499 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi S7, S6 Sedan, RS7, RS6 Avant, A6 Allroad, 2019-2021 A7, and A6 Sedan vehicles. An incorrectly labeled brake fluid cap may have been installed, which can result in the use of the wrong type of brake fluid.

Risk: Incorrect brake fluid can reduce braking ability and increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the brake fluid reservoir cap and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 17, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47T9.

Electrical System 2022-11-21 · campaign 22V861000 · 50,883 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Audi S7, S6 Sedan, A6 Allroad, 2021-2022 RS7, RS6 Avant, 2019-2022 A7, and A6 Sedan vehicles. Liquid spilled in the rear seat may penetrate and cause the gateway control module to shut down.

Risk: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will install a protective cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 20, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90V2.

Back Over Prevention:display Function 2022-10-05 · campaign 22V742000 · 170,296 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rear

Risk: A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.

Electrical System:instrument Panel:fuel Gauge:fuel Level Float/Sensor/Sending Unit 2022-03-14 · campaign 22V155000 · 47,238 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RS6 Avant and RS7, 2020-2022 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, and S7, and 2019-2022 A6 Sedan and A7 vehicles. The fuel level sender may stick, causing an inaccurate fuel level reading to be displayed on the instrument cluster.

Risk: An inaccurate fuel reading may cause an engine stall due to lack of fuel, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will install a new sensor in the tank, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2023. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 20DN.

Tires 2022-01-26 · campaign 22V034000 · 31,058 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.

Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.

Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-08-05 · campaign 21V606000 · 45,496 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate ear

Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

Suspension:rear:axle:non-Powered Axle Assembly 2021-04-26 · campaign 21V295000 · 40,993 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.

Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.

Air Bags 2021-03-10 · campaign 21V159000 · 3,421 vehicles

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS6 Avant, RS7, 2020-2021 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, S7, 2019-2021 A6 Sedan, and A7 vehicles. The score line on the passenger air bag may not have been manufactured correctly.

Risk: An incorrectly manufactured air bag may not deploy properly, and could also eject plastic debris into the passenger compartment, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the passenger air bag score line, and repair it as necessary, free of charge. The recall begin March 26, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 70i2.

Service bulletins (1,313)

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.

Electrical System 2026-09-23 · TSB_2083385_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

this bulletin provides information when there is a warning message in the instrument cluster about external sound.

Electrical System 2026-09-23 · TSB_2076396_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

this bulletin provides information regarding driver assist systems; audi adaptive light, audi pre sense system fault, adaptive cruise assist inop (dtc c12d5fa).

Electrical System 2026-09-23 · TSB_2063336_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

this bulletin provides information when dtc c12bff0 is stored in the lane change modeul or the radar sensor; intersection assist/lane change assist are inoperable.

Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions

this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.

Showing the 6 most recent of 1,313 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.

What owners report

2026-08-03 · Engine

“while driving on the freeway at approximately 65–70 mph, the engine suddenly stopped responding to all accelerator pedal inputs. the vehicle experienced an immediate, dangerous loss of motive power in active traffic. the dashboard displayed an amber check engine light alongside the central master warning light (an amber triangle with an exclamation…”

2026-04-05 · Engine

“the first time, while driving at 50-55mph, the engine decelerated suddenly. after about 10-15 seconds struggles with the gas pedal and brake pedal, the car accelerated normally. i pulled safely to side of the road to shut off the engine and start again. things seemed to work like normal. the control panels did not show any warning signs. the seco…”

2025-12-14 · Engine

“water pump design failure caused a leak of coolant into vacuum lines preventing coolant from cooling engine and causing immediate overheating. known issue previous class action lawsuit. …”

2023-10-28 · Electrical System

“at first, the yellow electrical system malfunction warning light came on. after a short time of driving, the light turned red, and very shortly after than (within five minutes as i was trying to drive the vehicle to the dealership for repair), all of the electrical systems in the vehicle failed. it created a very dangerous driving situation. i b…”

2023-04-17 · Electrical System

“the virtual cockpit (dashboard) went completely black except for an exclamation point. speed, warning symbols, engine temp etc were not visible. dealers has confirmed the issue and is currently trying to remedy the situation. the danger was not knowing how fast i was traveling.…”

2022-02-23 · Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control · 1,000 mi

“the contact owns a 2021 audi a7. the contact stated while driving 70 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer informed the contact that the speed control software needed to be reprogrammed. the software was updated. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but…”

Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.

Other Audi A7 years