2013 Audi A7 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2013 Audi A7 has 19 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 1 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A7 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Occupant classification, Hoses and fittings, and Fuel rail.

2012 Audi A7 — Photo by Matti Blume, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (7 of 19), then Engine (5) and Steering (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports a fire.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 A7 has 30 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 11 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Audi A7. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2018-06-04 · NHTSA campaign 18V370000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2017-12-06 · NHTSA campaign 17V781000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2016-09-07 · NHTSA campaign 16V646000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2015-12-08 · NHTSA campaign 15V823000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall gasoline fuel system, fuel injection, fuel rail 2015-01-20 · NHTSA campaign 15V019000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (19 total)

Electrical system

Engine

Steering

Powertrain

Air bags

Service brakes

Adaptive and mobility equipment

Exterior lighting

Fuel and propulsion system

Seat belts

Structure

Tires

Visibility and wipers

Wheels

Show 6 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Recall completed TWICE but manufacturer cannot keep their information updated correctly and claims the recall is open and WILL NOT COMPLETE THE RECALL WORK AT ANY DEALERSHIP!"
Unknown or other · filed 2025-05-06
"Internal engine oil leak"
Engine · filed 2024-04-06
"The contact owns a 2013 Audi A7. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the…"
Steering · filed 2022-03-16
"An alert when I started my car stated that the steering system had a fault but it was ok to continue driving. Later that evening during my drive home, and about 20 miles from the start of the trip, the car then provided…"
Steering · filed 2021-06-29
"I HAVE HAD FOUR TIME WINDSHIELD CRACKS.. THERE WERE NO LARGE IMPACTS AND IT SEEMS THAT THE WINDSHIELD MATERIAL IS EXTREMELY BRITTLE AND UNSAFE. OTHER VEHICLES UNDER THE SAME DRIVING ROUTE AND SPEED HAVE NEVER HAD…"
Visibility and wipers · filed 2021-05-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Audi A7 4 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
A7 quattro	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	28	21 MPG	$3800

Specs and fitment

C7 first generation, 2012–2018

Body styles Hatchback (Sportback)

Oil 5W-40 or 5W-30 (C7 gasoline; capacity about 6.8–7.2 qt with filter)

Tire size 255/40R19 or 265/35R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 16V-646 covers certain 2012-2013 Audi A6 and A7 vehicles: an under-hood fuel hose may degrade and leak fuel. The campaign lists 28,249 vehicles; dealers replace the under-hood fuel pump and hose. Recall 17V-781 covers certain 2012-2014 A6 and A7 vehicles: a fuel line compression point can weaken and leak (48,693 vehicles); dealers replace the fuel line. Recall 18V-370 covers certain 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan vehicles (and S6/S7/RS7) with basic seats: stress or wear of the front-passenger body-sensing mat may cause the air bag to deploy incorrectly. That multi-model campaign lists 139,249 vehicles; dealers install a PODS repair kit.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Audi A7 Next year 2014 Audi A7 See every Audi A7 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Audi A7 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Audi A7?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (7 of 19), then Engine (5) and Steering (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports a fire.

Is the 2013 Audi A7 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 A7 has 30 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2014 has 11 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Audi A7 been recalled?

The 2013 Audi A7 has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Audi A7?

Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 2013 Audi A7 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Audi A7 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Audi A7 is 21 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does an Audi A7 use?

C7 gasoline models commonly list 5W-40 or 5W-30; later C8 models commonly list 0W-20 (~5.5 qt on typical fills)—confirm the manual for your engine.

What tire sizes does an Audi A7 use?

C7 packages commonly include 255/40R19 and 265/35R20; C8 packages commonly include 245/45R19, 255/40R20, and 255/35R21.