IllustrationREPLACEMENT OF TIMING CHAIN, TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER, TIMING CHAIN GUIDES & LOWER TIMING COVER WITH PISTON REPAIR
2012 Audi A4 Avant
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all A4 Avant years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 17 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Engine complaints
16 reportsTIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE AND ALMOST CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE LOST ALMOST ALL POWER AND DECELERATED TO A 15 MPH PACE ON MAJOR STREET WITH 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT.
I TURNED CAR OFF, WENT INTO A STORE CAME BACK, STARTED CAR AND IT SOUNDED HORRIBLE, AS IF TOTALLY FALLING APART. TURNED IT OFF, TRIED AGAIN AND WOULD NOT START AT ALL. DEALER SAID ENGINE WAS SHOT, SEIZED UP HAS TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING IT SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. OIL CHANGES ALL UP TO DATE. 30,000 MILE OUTSID…
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I TURNED CAR OFF, WENT INTO A STORE CAME BACK, STARTED CAR AND IT SOUNDED HORRIBLE, AS IF TOTALLY FALLING APART. TURNED IT OFF, TRIED AGAIN AND WOULD NOT START AT ALL. DEALER SAID ENGINE WAS SHOT, SEIZED UP HAS TO BE REPLACED. THEY HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING IT SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. OIL CHANGES ALL UP TO DATE. 30,000 MILE OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. DEALER HAS NO UNDERSTAND OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING? NO IDEA. HAS ANYONE HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING TO THEIR AUDI A4 2012?
EXTREMELY LOUD "ROARING" NOISE ON A COLD START AFTER HAVING SAT OVERNIGHT. DEALERSHIP BASICALLY REPORTED AS NORMAL "OF NO CONSEQUENCE". CONTINUOUS SINCE NEW.
I RECENTLY PURCHASED MY 2012 AUDI A4 AFTER A FEW WEEKS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED I WAS TOLD ( SYSTEM WAS TO LEAN IN BANK 1) I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW O2 SYSTEM, LIGHT NEVER WENT OFF AND I WAS TOLD NEXT THAT THEIR WAS A LEAK IN A VACUUM SEAL AND LASTLY MY COOLANT LEVEL WAS DEPLETING A…
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I RECENTLY PURCHASED MY 2012 AUDI A4 AFTER A FEW WEEKS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED I WAS TOLD ( SYSTEM WAS TO LEAN IN BANK 1) I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW O2 SYSTEM, LIGHT NEVER WENT OFF AND I WAS TOLD NEXT THAT THEIR WAS A LEAK IN A VACUUM SEAL AND LASTLY MY COOLANT LEVEL WAS DEPLETING AT A RAPID SPEED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEIR WAS A LEAK FROM THE WATER PUMP.
ONLY FIVE MINUTES AFTER STARTING CAR IN MORNING, ENGINE RAPIDLY LOST POWER AND QUIT COMPLETELY WHILE IN 60 MPH TRAFFIC ON HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSTATE 526 IN CHARLESTON, SC. COASTED CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC LANES TO SIDE, A VERY DANGEROUS LOCATION ON ELEVATED ROADWAY. HAD CAR TOWED TO AUDI DEALER, WHO SAID THEY TESTED AND FOUND FUEL …
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ONLY FIVE MINUTES AFTER STARTING CAR IN MORNING, ENGINE RAPIDLY LOST POWER AND QUIT COMPLETELY WHILE IN 60 MPH TRAFFIC ON HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSTATE 526 IN CHARLESTON, SC. COASTED CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC LANES TO SIDE, A VERY DANGEROUS LOCATION ON ELEVATED ROADWAY. HAD CAR TOWED TO AUDI DEALER, WHO SAID THEY TESTED AND FOUND FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. THEY REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND ENGINE SEEMS TO RUN NORMALLY NOW. IN FOUR DECADES OF DRIVING I'VE NEVER HAD A FUEL PUMP FAIL. THIS ONE PUT MY WIFE AND ME IN JEOPARDY DUE TO THE SUDDEN AND COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER IN MIDDLE OF FAST, HEAVY TRAFFIC. WE WERE LUCKY TO GET OUT WITHOUT BEING HIT BY ONCOMING TRUCKS & TRAFFIC. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.