2015 Audi A7: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2015 Audi A7
Only 5 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Audi A7, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported timing chain, belt or tensioner failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 90k | — | 0.2 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | — | 0.2 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 19k | — | 0.2 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 60k | — | 0.2 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure
Low oil light in between service performed by dealership requiring 1-2 quarts of oil. Loses power/acceleration when needed 'stalls'. These where all symptoms leading up to the engine knocking due to timing chain tensioner defect. There is a class action currently on 2.0 audis and they are on their 5th version of the defectiuve tensioner. Supposedly corrected the issue with latest version. Clearly thats not the case. Spoke with dealer service manager and audi owne care and got the run around. Planning on opting out if need and file seperatly for 3.0 owners.
Other brake problem
Brake rotors warp easily causing vibration. The dealer tells me they are aware of this. They agreed to pay half of the $1200 cost to repair them. Audi forums have numerous posts on this yet audi doesn't take 100% responsibility for repairs. My car had only 19000 miles when I purchased it so it occurred sometime before that. According to the forums warping has occurred as early as 12000 miles.
Recalls on the 2015 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2015 Audi A7, affecting an estimated 10,670 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover electrical system:wiring, air bags:sensor:occupant classification and air bags:side/window. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
845 vehicles 2018-12-05- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi A6 Sedans and 2015 Audi A7 vehicles. The auxiliary heater electrical connector on these vehicles may have been incorrectly inserted into the auxiliary heater, possibly resulting in increased electrical resistance.
- Consequence
- The extra resistance can cause the connector to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the auxiliary heater connector, replacing the auxiliary heater and connector, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 82C1.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
139,249 vehicles 2018-06-04- 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.
- Consequence
- 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.
- 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.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
17,694 vehicles 2017-05-01- Defect
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Audi A7 vehicles. The affected vehicles have head curtain air bags that may not deploy properly in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
- Consequence
- If the head curtain airbag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, an unbelted passenger has an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected head curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin June 29, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for the recall is 69R2.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Audi A7
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2012-2018 generation, 2014 Audi A7 scores best at 65 and 2016 Audi A7 worst at 73.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2015 Audi A7 are timing chain, belt or tensioner failure (1 report, around 90k miles), airbag inflator rupture (1 report, around 10 miles), other brake problem (1 report, around 19k miles) and other body or interior problem (1 report). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed