- The problem
- Volkswagen is recalling 13,900 my 1996-2003 audi a8 vehicles equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The locking cable may move out of position over time. With the locking cable out of position, the shifter can be moved out of the "park" position even if the ignition key is not in the ignition lock.
- The risk
- This could allow the vehicle to roll, causing a crash without warning.
- The fix
- Dealers will modify the automatic transmission locking cable by installing an adjusting piece that will secure the locking cable in place. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Vehicle safety record
2001 Audi A8 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 17 complaints about the 2001 Audi A8 with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (6) and the wheels & tires (4). Those complaints describe 1 crash. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in August 2008 for the automatic transmission. For comparison, the 2000 has 8 and the 2002 has 8.
NHTSA data checked
DMore problems than a typical A8 year, for its age
#167 most complained-about 2001 vehicle
- Complaints
- 17
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2001 Audi A8 problems
Share of all 17 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2001 Audi A8 recalls 2
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with a fuel and vapor leak detection system. A "blind cover" at the filler neck of the fuel tank may not seal properly allowing fuel vapor to escape.
- The risk
- Should this happen, the fuel tank pressure will be reduced, which will activate the leak detection system and alert the driver of a system's fault indicated by an instrument panel light.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the fuel filler neck/expansion tank assembly. Owner notification began march 21, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact audi at 1-866-892-2834.
What owners say
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17 complaints about the 2001 Audi A8
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
A8l [quattro, all wheel drive] in early december of 2018, I ordered 4 tires from walmart online for my 2001 audi . They were 245/45/18 supermax 100v tm-1. The tire size was exactly as recommended on the b-pillar and exactly the same size as the tires that were on the car when these new tires were ordered. The online ad for the tires specifically stated "ask us to install" [the tires]. I had them shipped to the walmart on quebec and e-470 in englewood, colorado. When they arrived, "ted" the assistant tire...
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department manager, refused to mount them and refused to sell me road hazard insurance. I went to the manager "samantha" to complain, but she back up ted saying the company had a written policy not to install the tires or sell road hazard insurance for them. When I asked to see the policy she said that at the bottom of the written policy was specific language that it was not for the public to view. I had two of the tires put on by an independent tire company and the other two by another walmart who indicated they would install them but they would not provide road hazard insurance. Almost immediatly, one of the tires went flat while I was driving on a curvy road [hwy 74 between morrison and evergreen] and ruined the tire. I didn't see any nails or punctures in the tire. Pretty soon two more of the tires did the same thing when going around a corner. Finally, I was driving on i-70 at about 50 miles per hour by the chief hosa exit driving westbound. The roads were not snow packed but were icy. All of a sudden the right rear tire lost air, the car did a 360 and ended up in a slight ditch on the exit. It did $7000 plus damage to the front end. I believe either the sidewalls or the bead are faulty and when going on a curve, the bead separates from the wheel causing it to leak and then quickly deflate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 audi a8. Upon trying to shift into drive, the vehicle failed to move forward and there was no response upon pressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was able to be shifted into reverse, but not into drive. The contact stated that the independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated that the fuel filler neck needed to be replaced which was causing the failure. The contact was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 08v397000 (power train) and nhtsa campaign id number: 01v259000...
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(fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was to be further diagnosed by the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000. Ma 10/1 updated 12/06/2017*cn
Fail of the center cluster resulting in dead pixels. Consistent problem on the audi's. Should be made a recall. 01 Audi a8. *Tr
2001 Audi a8l gauge cluster problems**cc the consumer stated she had no way of knowing how much fuel was in the vehicle, the temperature or the vehicle speed, because of the faulty instrument cluster. *Jb
The pressure plate in my manual transmission failed suddenly as I was entering a freeway. The clutch and flywheel were damaged, causing the car to fail to respond normally to the accelerator. *Nm
I have an 2001 audi a8l and the automatic transmission has failed. This car was sold to me guaranteeing a maintenance free transmission. There is no way to check the transmission on this car without a computer analysis of the problem. I had my car checked as recommended by the dealer, sonnonen motors, as directed by my owners manual and for all problems. At no time was I advised of a problem with my transmission and at no time did there computer analysis reveal a problem with the transmission. The dealer has been...
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very helpful and in fact they advised me of the forgoing. That the transmission was maintenance free and that they had not found any problems during their maintenance of the car. The car is out of warranty and to replace the transmission will cost in excess of $6,000.00. I have contacted sonnen, audi of america, and audi europe regarding this problem and so far they have not responded. I have also done an exhaustive internet search and do not find this problem listed. *Nm
The consumer experienced an inconsistency with acceleration when making right hand turns. *Jb the consumer stated that when he drives the vehicle it feels like he is starting off in third gear. *Tc
While driving 40 mph vehicle stalled. Consumer was able to restart the vehicle. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *Ak
Consumer requested the aged tires be removed and replaced with new tires, the dealer refused. *Ph all four tires were older than the consumers vehicle that was manufactured in 2001. *Sc
We have an audi alroad vin [[redacted]] which we purchased new in 2001. It has approximately 40,00 miles on it. It has needed new brake rotors at aprox.25-29000 Miles and again at 39000 miles, because of brake vibrations during routine stops at those times. It not driven aggressively and I feel that the brakes for this car are not adequate due to manufactures mismatching the brakes to the vehicle. The dealer has stated that they have had to replace brake rotors frequently for other clients with the same model...
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of automobile. This is a safety issue of great concern to me as it seems that the brakes are inadequate for this car needing replacement at a frequency that is unacceptable.*Ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
Oil light comes on. Oil volume is full. 3 Dealer request have not solved problem. Engine now makes noises.*Ak
Consumer states the accelerator pedal got stuck while driving, increasing the speed to 100mph. The consumer was able to turn the ignition off to stop due to no brake response. Vehicle is a 2001 audi a8 quattro dealer was contacted. Please provide more information.*Jb
This is an intermittent problem that happens when the car is driven for at least 15 minutes and is brought to a full stop. When the gas pedal is depressed, the engine remains at idle from between 1 to 3 seconds and the car does not move. During this time frame, the foot remains depressing the gas pedal and not on the brake pedal. Once the engine rpms do increase, the car will accelerate hard (jump). Several instances have occurred were the car jumped into a busy intersection, nearly causing an accident each...
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time. My children were in the car during those times. This problem was not only experience by myself, but with my wife and a friend (who used to perform safety tests for porsche) and both have driven the car. The car has been brought in several times for this specific problem but it could not be reproduced at that time and nothing done to it other than a software patch applied to the tiptronic control module (tcm). This did not fix the problem as it still exists.*Ak
Automatic transmission shifts unpredictably particularly when accelerating from a stop or slow speed. The result is unpredictable acceleration, sometimes very slow, sometimes very fast. This makes for a very dangerous driving situation. Audi refuses to admit there is a problem even though many owners complain of the same problem.*Ak
This model car is widely recognized to exhibit unpredictable acceleration when equiped with the automatic transmission.(See allroad forum on audiworld.Com) when accelerating from a stop or from an almost stop the car sometimes pauses for up to 2 seconds and at other times accelerates quickly. In my experience this is an extremely dangerous behavior. Some of the car magazines actually do not recommend purchase of this car due to this characteristic. Audi does not acknowledge the problem.
On 4 different occasions, I have suffered tire failures. Audi claims it is goodyear's problem. Goodyear claims it is audi's use of low aspect tires in an off road vehicle although this vehicle has never been off road. The failure of 4 tires in 17,000 miles is unlikely to be coincidence and must represent a fault in either tire or vehicle design or manufacturing design failure. *Ak (tiresize: 225/55/17)
Bubble on sidewall of tire - necessitated replacement. *Ak( dot number: tire size: 2254517y )
Audi A8: every year compared
All A8 years2001 Audi A8 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Audi A8 | 17 | 2 | D | |
| 2001 Audi TT | 130 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi A4 | 130 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2001 Audi A6 | 113 | 7 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi S4 | 87 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi Allroad | 17 | 3 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi Quattro | 11 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2001 Audi 100 | 6 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2001 Audi S6 | 1 | 1 | B | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2001 Audi A8
Does the 2001 Audi A8 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2001 Audi A8: automatic transmission (August 2008); filler pipe and cap (August 2001). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Audi A8?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (6), wheels & tires (4), acceleration & cruise control (4).
How many complaints has the 2001 Audi A8 had?
17 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on September 23, 2000 and the latest on March 16, 2019. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2001 Audi A8 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 32 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical Audi A8 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Audi A8 years have the most complaints?
2013 (50), 2015 (32), 2014 (18). See every Audi A8 year compared.
What should I do if my 2001 Audi A8 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data