FaultScore

FaultScore report

2017 Audi S7 problems

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2017 Audi S7 with NHTSA between 2017 and 2024. The largest single group is the engine & cooling. Across this model's run it ranks 1 of 4 worst.

C

FaultScore 60/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Audi S7.

How this is worked out

The numbers

12

Complaints

0

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

3

Injuries reported

36,000 mi

Median mileage at failure

Half of reported failures happened before this

40%

Failed under 36,000 miles

Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 33 vs 50 Severity 100 vs 50 Early failure 68 vs 50
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 33
Against the median year of the Audi S7. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
25% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — 68
40% of failures with a mileage on record happened under 36,000 miles, against a national rate of 29%.

How 2017 compares with every other Audi S7

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2017 Audi S7

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 2 16.7%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 2 16.7%

Median failure at 10,000 miles

Steering 2 16.7%

Median failure at 36,000 miles

Electrical System 2 16.7%
Engine & Cooling 2 16.7%

Median failure at 36,000 miles

Brakes 1 8.3%

Median failure at 36,000 miles

Transmission & Drivetrain 1 8.3%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Oct 2017 peak 3 Dec 2024

Recalls on the 2017 Audi S7

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 2022133 2,548 units in Canada

Engine

Issue: On certain vehicles, the oil strainer for the turbocharger oil supply could get blocked. If this happens, a turbocharger could fail. This could cause loss of engine power and/or cause the engine to stall. Note: This problem could cause different warning messages to display or the engine oil warning light to turn on. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the oil strainer for the turbocharger oil supply. The dealer will also inspect and document the performance of the boost pressure system and change the engine oil.

Recall 2018365 2,672 units in Canada

Airbag

On certain vehicles, a problem with the passenger occupant detection system can cause illumination of the airbag warning light and the airbag system may not properly classify the front passenger. In the event of a crash, the airbag system may not function properly, increasing the risk of injury to a front passenger. Correction: Dealers will install a passenger occupant detection system repair kit.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

STEERING

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

ENGINE

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Wesley Chapel, FL

POWER TRAIN

The last month I’ve been having issues with the transmission. It’s been cutting out on me, giving me warnings and causing me to stall in the middle of the road, and when I do manage to get it back on it, jerks to the point where I could crash into someone in front of me. I’ve lost power while driving three times already. I also get warnings that my lane assistance is not working and that my forward collision warning is not working. I wasn’t able to get pictures, but I can definitely get pictures next time cause I know it’s gonna happen again. I’m very positive if they did a diagnostics that the diagnostics would let them know when the engine started acting up as today (12/18/24) around 9:30 am, it happened again, on my way to a doctors appointment … but it started on November 28th, was the first time it started happening. This is SO DANGEROUS

NHTSA complaint #11631369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Wesley Chapel, FL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The last month I’ve been having issues with the transmission. It’s been cutting out on me, giving me warnings and causing me to stall in the middle of the road, and when I do manage to get it back on it, jerks to the point where I could crash into someone in front of me. I’ve lost power while driving three times already. I also get warnings that my lane assistance is not working and that my forward collision warning is not working. I wasn’t able to get pictures, but I can definitely get pictures next time cause I know it’s gonna happen again. I’m very positive if they did a diagnostics that the diagnostics would let them know when the engine started acting up as today (12/18/24) around 9:30 am, it happened again, on my way to a doctors appointment … but it started on November 28th, was the first time it started happening. This is SO DANGEROUS

NHTSA complaint #11631369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Wesley Chapel, FL

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

The last month I’ve been having issues with the transmission. It’s been cutting out on me, giving me warnings and causing me to stall in the middle of the road, and when I do manage to get it back on it, jerks to the point where I could crash into someone in front of me. I’ve lost power while driving three times already. I also get warnings that my lane assistance is not working and that my forward collision warning is not working. I wasn’t able to get pictures, but I can definitely get pictures next time cause I know it’s gonna happen again. I’m very positive if they did a diagnostics that the diagnostics would let them know when the engine started acting up as today (12/18/24) around 9:30 am, it happened again, on my way to a doctors appointment … but it started on November 28th, was the first time it started happening. This is SO DANGEROUS

NHTSA complaint #11631369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

STEERING

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ 1 injured

ENGINE

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? blown turbos with new oil strainer from dealer. They said that they replaced it but who knows if they did. My audi had all those symptoms that pull up for this recall. (EPC light, Low oil light, and no control of the steering wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car lost power and steering control out of the no where, i made a full stop on the freeway at 65mph and had to pull out the road to NOT get hit by upcoming traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took the car to the dealer about a week later, and they had the car for about a month and the only thing they said was its either the starter or a seized engine, because the car doesnt even crank no more. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected at the Audi Dealer here in Tucson AZ. The problem is that they have a horrible service and they only want to take money out of customers pocket. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? All warning lights showed up at once, one fallowed by the other. First light was low oil, i checked the MMI and it showed that it was full, Second light was i could REV more than 4k, third one EPC, Four light steering wheel malfunction. This whole thing happened in less than ONE minute until i fully stopped the car, i dont remember if the car shut off or i turned off the engine. I stepped out and i just saw white smoke from the side of the engine, it smelled like electrical burning, i went into the trunk to unplugged the battery and the negative terminal was SUPER HOT i had my fingers burned trying to disconnect the negative wire. PLEASE HELP ME OUT, 4 MONTHS SINCE THIS HAPPEND AND STILL NO ANSWER FROM ANYONE.

NHTSA complaint #11580821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Tucson, AZ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I was driving on the freeway all of the sudden the dashboard has all lights up, I stepped out of the Vehicle to see what was going on and I starter to smell like a burning electric component, I went into the battery to disconnect and the Negative terminal was SUPER HOT to the point it burned my hand. I took it to the dealer and they said it's the starter, I looked into forums and there's hundreds of people with the same issue. I looked for an open bolting or recall and it just mentions 2018 and my car 2017 has the same engine same chassis

NHTSA complaint #11566547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 36,000 miles Austin, MN

STEERING

WHEN DRIVING IN TOWN THE CAR ABRUPTLY STOPPED RUNNING, STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. CAUSED BY BOTH TURBOCHARGERS GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. 36,000 MILES A FEW MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. APPARENTLY THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE AUDI'S AND AUDI HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR ANYTHING ACCORDING TO THE AUDI DEALER. $11,000 REPAIR. VERY SCARY WHEN POWER LOST AND REMAINED OFF.

NHTSA complaint #11397877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 36,000 miles Austin, MN

ENGINE

WHEN DRIVING IN TOWN THE CAR ABRUPTLY STOPPED RUNNING, STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. CAUSED BY BOTH TURBOCHARGERS GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. 36,000 MILES A FEW MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. APPARENTLY THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE AUDI'S AND AUDI HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR ANYTHING ACCORDING TO THE AUDI DEALER. $11,000 REPAIR. VERY SCARY WHEN POWER LOST AND REMAINED OFF.

NHTSA complaint #11397877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 36,000 miles Austin, MN

SERVICE BRAKES

WHEN DRIVING IN TOWN THE CAR ABRUPTLY STOPPED RUNNING, STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. CAUSED BY BOTH TURBOCHARGERS GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. 36,000 MILES A FEW MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. APPARENTLY THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE AUDI'S AND AUDI HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR ANYTHING ACCORDING TO THE AUDI DEALER. $11,000 REPAIR. VERY SCARY WHEN POWER LOST AND REMAINED OFF.

NHTSA complaint #11397877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 10,000 miles Magnolia, TX

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 AUDI S7. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE SUN ROOF SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEWELL COLLISION CENTER OF HOUSTON (111 STAGE RUNN DR, HOUSTON, TX 77090) WHO STATED THAT THE SUN ROOF LIKELY SHATTERED DUE TO BEING STRUCK BY AN OBJECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA complaint #11031921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 10,000 miles Magnolia, TX

VISIBILITY/WIPER

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 AUDI S7. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE SUN ROOF SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEWELL COLLISION CENTER OF HOUSTON (111 STAGE RUNN DR, HOUSTON, TX 77090) WHO STATED THAT THE SUN ROOF LIKELY SHATTERED DUE TO BEING STRUCK BY AN OBJECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA complaint #11031921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.