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2005 Audi A4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most A4 years

Owner complaints for the 2005 Audi A4 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 76.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

165 reports with mileage · 54 unknown

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.

  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports3 fire reports6 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

101 reports
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14,000 miles · Apr 29, 2010
Exterior Lighting

I OWN A 2005.5 AUDI A4 3.2 QUATTRO. WHILE DRIVING, I CONSTANTLY GET A ERROR MESSAGE "DIPPED RIGHT HEADLIGHT" AND THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS THEN SHUTS OFF. I CAN GET THE HEADLIGHT TO COME BACK ON ONLY IF I TURN OFF THEN ON THE HEADLIGHTS AGAIN WHICH I BELIEVE IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER 3X…

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I OWN A 2005.5 AUDI A4 3.2 QUATTRO. WHILE DRIVING, I CONSTANTLY GET A ERROR MESSAGE "DIPPED RIGHT HEADLIGHT" AND THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS THEN SHUTS OFF. I CAN GET THE HEADLIGHT TO COME BACK ON ONLY IF I TURN OFF THEN ON THE HEADLIGHTS AGAIN WHICH I BELIEVE IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER 3X AND PROBLEM STILL NOT FIXED. BASED ON INTERNET CHATS, IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING WHICH AUDI HAS YET TO FIND A SOLUTION TO. IT IS AN EVERYDAY SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10328007

55,000 miles · Apr 27, 2010
Exterior Lighting

THE LEFT HEADLIGHT OF MY 2006 AUDI A4 QUATTRO HAS THIS ANNOYING -- AND DANGEROUS -- PROBLEM: 1. THE LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS 2. IT THEN TURNS ITSELF OFF 3. THE MESSAGE "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARS 4. THE MESSAGE IS CHANGED TO A SIGN INDICATING THAT THE LIGHTBULB HAS FAILED. IF I TURN THE LIGHT OFF (NOTE: WE'RE T…

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THE LEFT HEADLIGHT OF MY 2006 AUDI A4 QUATTRO HAS THIS ANNOYING -- AND DANGEROUS -- PROBLEM: 1. THE LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS 2. IT THEN TURNS ITSELF OFF 3. THE MESSAGE "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARS 4. THE MESSAGE IS CHANGED TO A SIGN INDICATING THAT THE LIGHTBULB HAS FAILED. IF I TURN THE LIGHT OFF (NOTE: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRIVING AT NIGHT HERE) AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT WILL BECOME NORMAL AGAIN, FOR ABOUT A FEW MINUTES AND THEN THE CYCLE REPEATS ITSELF. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. IT HAS BEEN OCCURRING A LOT RECENTLY WITH THE COLD WEATHER. I CAN'T TELL FOR SURE WHETHER IT IS TEMPERATURE RELATED. MY AUDI DEALER SAID THAT AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT -- CHANGING THE LIGHT BULB DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10327747

50,000 miles · Apr 16, 2010
Exterior Lighting

ON 2005.5 AUDI A4 WITH HID HEADLIGHTS, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER AND THEN WILL TURN OFF. CONSOLE WILL REPORT "LEFT/RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER, AUDI HAS TAKEN NO ACTION TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10326005

63,000 miles · Apr 9, 2010
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2005.5 AUDI A4. MY HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY FLICKER, WHICH IS DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ON AUDI-TECH FORUMS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A REAL PROBLEM WITH MANY AUDI VEHICLES. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR, I USED TO GET A FLICKERING PROBLEM BUT THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT BY REPLACING THE BULBS. HOWEVER, I DO N…

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I CURRENTLY OWN A 2005.5 AUDI A4. MY HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY FLICKER, WHICH IS DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ON AUDI-TECH FORUMS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A REAL PROBLEM WITH MANY AUDI VEHICLES. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR, I USED TO GET A FLICKERING PROBLEM BUT THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT BY REPLACING THE BULBS. HOWEVER, I DO NOT THINK IT IS THE BULBS BECAUSE THE PROBLEM HAS APPARENTLY FLARED UP AGAIN. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS AS IT MAY BE REASON FOR A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10324754

Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2010
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

DIPPED HEADLIGHT WARNING AND HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING. BROUGHT TO DEALER FOR SERVICE SAID MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED $200-350 BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO TAKE ENTIRE BUMPER OFF. I AM DRIVING THIS CAR BECAUSE MY FORMER 2001 A6 CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO HEADLIGHT PANEL IN WHICH THERE WAS A RECALL FOR. CAR BURNT TO THE GROUND ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN LEAV…

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DIPPED HEADLIGHT WARNING AND HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING. BROUGHT TO DEALER FOR SERVICE SAID MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED $200-350 BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO TAKE ENTIRE BUMPER OFF. I AM DRIVING THIS CAR BECAUSE MY FORMER 2001 A6 CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO HEADLIGHT PANEL IN WHICH THERE WAS A RECALL FOR. CAR BURNT TO THE GROUND ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN LEAVENING JUST THE FRAME. AUDI COULD NOT HAVE CARED LESS, OFFER ME A $2000 INCENTIVE FOR A NEW OR USED AUDI/VOLKSWAGEN. AFTER READING ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS DUE TO LIGHT FLICKERING I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY A4. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10323749

65,000 miles · Mar 16, 2010
Exterior Lighting

AUDI A4 2.0T AVANT - 2005. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE XENON LIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF. TODAY I HAD CARS PULLING OVER IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT I WAS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE. THIS OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN AT: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=3977997 -AND- HTTP://FORUMS.AUDI…

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AUDI A4 2.0T AVANT - 2005. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE XENON LIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF. TODAY I HAD CARS PULLING OVER IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT I WAS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE. THIS OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN AT: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=3977997 -AND- HTTP://FORUMS.AUDIWORLD.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=23809262 THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10320061

40,000 miles · Mar 15, 2010
Exterior Lighting

LEFT HEAD LIGHT FLICKERS, DIPPED HEAD LIGHT WARNING COMES ON DASH, LIGHT SHUTS OFF. VERY DANGEROUS WHILE TRAVELING DARK WINDY ROADS. TURNING LIGHTS OFF THEN ON GETS THE LIGHT TO WORK AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10320005

54,000 miles · Mar 8, 2010
Exterior Lighting

MY AUDI A4 2005.5 LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10317904

400,000 miles · Feb 18, 2010
Exterior Lighting

DIPPED HEAD LIGHT MESSAGE WITH HEADLIGHT FLASHING ON AND OFF THEN GOES OUT.....IF YOU TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND PUT THEM BACK ON IT WORKS AGAIN. WAS JUST ON AN AUDI FORM WEB SITE AND I'D SAY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO FIX FROM AUDI. IT IS NOT SAFE TO HAVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT…

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DIPPED HEAD LIGHT MESSAGE WITH HEADLIGHT FLASHING ON AND OFF THEN GOES OUT.....IF YOU TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND PUT THEM BACK ON IT WORKS AGAIN. WAS JUST ON AN AUDI FORM WEB SITE AND I'D SAY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO FIX FROM AUDI. IT IS NOT SAFE TO HAVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10311830

58,400 miles · Jan 29, 2010
Exterior Lighting

"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A FOUR MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES…

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"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A FOUR MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 30 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED OR THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THEN COULD BE FINE FOR A WHILE. NOW THAT IT IS COLD OUTSIDE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH WORSE. HAVEN'T TRIED REPLACING PARTS YET SINCE INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND AFTER MUCH EXPENSE THE PROBLEM JUST COMES BACK OR IS NOT RESOLVED. STILL LOOKING FOR THE CORRECT SOLUTION. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS." *TR

NHTSA ODI #10303126

Official recalls

3

18V427000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jun 22, 2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan, 2007-2008 RS4 Sedan, 2004 RS4 Cabriolet, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2005-2011 A6 Sedan, 2006-2011 A6 Avant, and 2007-2011 S6 Sedan vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag with an alternate remedy part, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R7. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V382, 17V032 and 18V004 and includes vehicles that may have had their air bag previously replaced under one of those campaigns.

17V032000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 11, 2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Avant, A4 Sedan, A6 Sedan, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan vehicles, 2007-2008 A4 Cabriolet, RS4 Sedan, S4 Cabriolet and S6 Sedan vehicles, and 2006-2008 A6 Avant and 2008 RS4 Cabriolet vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Note: This recall has been superseded by recall number 18V427.

16V382000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jun 1, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2008 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling model year 2004 Audi A4 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.