Audi 2.0 TFSI (EA888): coolant leaks at the thermostat housing or the water pump, per Audi service bulletins

At a glance

Severity

Moderate a function degrades but the car still drives; planned repair.
Severity follows the worst documented outcome, not the average case.

Safety-relevant

Not flagged as safety-relevant.

In the Elgarde checklist

Ordinary entry: it does not cap the verdict by itself.

Documented in

US

Which cars this covers

Audi cars with the 2.0 TFSI (EA888) in the model and year ranges of bulletin 2061604 (A3 2007-2013, A4 2007-2016, A5 2010-2016, A6 2012-2015, A8 2013, Q3 2012-2018, Q5 2011-2017, TT 2009-2014), and Audi cars of any model with an EA888 Evo2 engine from 2013 to 2019 or EA888 Gen3 from 2015 to 2019 (bulletin 2052657). Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda cars and other engines are outside this entry.

Models in scope

Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q3, Audi Q5, Audi TT, Audi Q7

Conditions on top of the model

• At least one of these must hold:
  • All of these must hold:
    • Engine: 2.0 TFSI EA888, longitudinal (CAEA / CAEB / CDNB / CDNC), 2.0 TFSI EA888, transverse (CBFA / CCTA / CCZA / CCZB / CAWB / CESA / CAWA / CCZC / CCZD)
    • At least one of these must hold:
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi A3
        • Model year: 2006 to 2014
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi A4
        • Model year: 2006 to 2017
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi A5
        • Model year: 2009 to 2017
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi A6
        • Model year: 2011 to 2016
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi A8
        • Model year: 2012 to 2014
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi Q3
        • Model year: 2011 to 2019
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi Q5
        • Model year: 2010 to 2018
      • All of these must hold:
        • Model: Audi TT
        • Model year: 2008 to 2015
  • All of these must hold:
    • Engine: family EA888
    • Model year: 2012 to 2020

Notes on scope

The legacy entry spoke of a plastic water pump and thermostat housing on VAG cars in general; no source opened here supports that wording or any other brand, so the scope is limited to what Audi's bulletins document. The bulletins name the engine as 'Evo2' (and 'Gen3' in a 2019 bulletin) and give model years, not engine codes; the codes listed are a best-effort match from an encyclopedia list and some cars may have other codes. The latest revision of bulletin 2061604 (November 2022) lists the A4 for 2007-2013 and 2015-2016 and no longer restricts the engine version; the rule keeps the wider earlier range. The bulletins give US model years; because the year entered for a car can be its build or registration year, the rule accepts one year on either side of each range. All bulletins are US documents; no European recall or bulletin was found. The French RappelConso V2 data holds no recall for these leaks.

How to check whether a particular car is affected

Elgarde reads the conditions above and gives one of three answers for a car:

• Applies: every condition is confirmed for the car.
• Possible: at least one condition cannot be confirmed yet. The entry stays on the checklist, with a note on what to find out.
• Not applicable: a condition is clearly not met (for example a manual gearbox on a DSG entry). The entry is left off the checklist.

What to look for, and where

• Model: one of the models listed above
  The model name as on the registration document, e.g. Golf, 208, 320d.
• Engine code: 2.0 TFSI EA888, longitudinal (CAEA / CAEB / CDNB / CDNC), 2.0 TFSI EA888, transverse (CBFA / CCTA / CCZA / CCZB / CAWB / CESA / CAWA / CCZC / CCZD)
  On the engine plate or block, or from a dealer VIN query. Displacement (P.1) and power in kW (P.2) on the registration certificate help narrow it down.
• Year of manufacture: 2006 to 2014
  If unsure, the date of first registration (field B of the EU registration certificate) is a close guide.

When in doubt, treat the car as possible: asking one question too many costs less than missing a defect.

How the fault arises, as reported

Audi's bulletins describe the condition (coolant loss traced to the coolant thermostat housing or the coolant pump, or to the pump-to-heater-hose connection) and the repair, but state no cause; the 2013 bulletin says the seal ring is not the cause and that replacing it alone may not stop a repeat leak. A 2019 bulletin, for cars where an aluminium water pump is installed, notes that the pump seals have become available separately and says to replace the pump only if coolant leaks from its control (weep) hole.

Reported symptoms

Early signs

• Coolant marks or drips under the front end of the car

Later signs

• Low coolant level warning light
• Coolant temperature warning light

What to check when inspecting a car

• Documents and records. Confirm the car is an Audi with the 2.0 TFSI (or another EA888 engine from 2013) and check model, year and engine code against the bulletin ranges; ask whether the water pump or thermostat housing has been replaced and when.
• Visual check. With the engine cold, look under the front end and around the thermostat housing and the water pump for coolant residue, dried crusts or drips, and check the coolant level and the pump's control (weep) hole.Red flag: Wet or crusted residue at the housing or pump, or a coolant level that falls between checks.
• Special tool. Ask a workshop for a cooling system pressure test, as the bulletin prescribes before any part is replaced.Red flag: Pressure drop at the pump or thermostat housing.

Repair and cost

Usual remedy

Pressure-check the cooling system and replace only the component that leaks (water pump or thermostat housing), together with its seal; the two parts are not to be replaced together unless both leak. For the pump-to-heater-hose leak of the 2009-2013 bulletin: replace the water pump with thermostat, the seal ring and the heater hose.

No published repair cost is recorded in this dossier.

What the manufacturer and regulators have said

Official records and rulings

• Technical service bulletin · NHTSA (service bulletin of Audi of America) · Audi TSB 2061604/2 (19 21 14) · 2021-03-08
  Audi of America bulletin of 8 March 2021 (first published 14 December 2020) for the 2.0 TFSI marked 'Evo2': A3 2007-2013, A4 2007-2016, A5 2010-2016, A6 2012-2015, A8 2013, Q3 2012-2018, Q5 2011-2017, TT 2009-2014. Customer states the coolant temperature warning light is on and coolant marks are under the front end; the workshop reproduces the leak around the coolant thermostat housing or the coolant pump. Service: pressure-check the cooling system and replace only the component that is leaking (pump or thermostat housing); only category 3 leaks (droplets dropping off) are claimable under warranty. Production solution: not applicable. [1] static.nhtsa.gov
• Technical service bulletin · NHTSA (service bulletin of Audi of America) · Audi TSB 2061604/5 (19 22 33) · 2022-11-02
  Latest revision seen (5, 2 November 2022; revision 4 of 29 May 2021 updated the warranty policy reference, revision 5 updated the required parts) of the same Audi bulletin, with the same condition. Its model table lists the A4 for 2007-2013 and 2015-2016, the other models with the same years as revision 2, and the vehicle-specific equipment as 'Not Applicable' (no longer 'Evo2'). The coolant thermostat housing and the coolant pump are parts available separately. [2] static.nhtsa.gov
• Technical service bulletin · NHTSA (service bulletin of Audi of America) · Audi TSB 2052657/3 (19 19 99) · 2019-10-16
  Audi bulletin (revision 3, 16 October 2019; first published 24 October 2018) for EA888 Evo2 engines 2013-2019 and EA888 Gen3 engines 2015-2019: customer states the low coolant light is on and coolant leaks under the car; an aluminium water pump is fitted. The water pump seals are now sold separately. Replace the water pump only if it leaks from the control (weep) hole; do not replace the thermostat housing and the pump together; replace the seal in either case. [3] static.nhtsa.gov
• Technical service bulletin · NHTSA (service bulletin of Audi of America) · Audi TSB 2033491/1 (19 13 36) · 2013-04-15
  Audi bulletin of 15 April 2013 for the 2.0 TFSI in the A4, A5, A5 Cabriolet, Q5 and A6 2009-2013: coolant leaking from the engine area, traced to the connection between the water pump and the hose to the heater core; the seal ring is not the cause. Remedy for a category 3 leak: replace the water pump (with cooling thermostat), the seal ring and the heater-core hose; replacing only the seal ring may not stop the leak from recurring. [4] static.nhtsa.gov

A recall or campaign record describes the vehicles in its scope, not a confirmed failure in any given car.

How common is it?

Evidence and sources

Each statement above traces to the sources below. Review status is shown for every source.

Automated source check: the source was opened and its claims, dates and figures were compared with this dossier by an automated check. It is not a human sign-off.

Reuse, attribution and corrections

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Suggested citation

Elgarde, “Audi 2.0 TFSI (EA888): coolant leaks at the thermostat housing or the water pump, per Audi service bulletins”, known-defect dossier waterpump, canon release 2026.10.1, CC-BY-4.0, https://elgarde.com/defects/waterpump/

Machine-readable version

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