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: 11 of 55 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 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
55 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other
Engine light on Dealership found a rodent nest in the engine space in the car. Dealership considers that fluids used to coat Audi engine wiring attract rodents. Dealership considers this to be a health and safety issue. Dealership considers it essential to replace the Audi air filter. Dealership is checking wires to assess any…
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Engine light on Dealership found a rodent nest in the engine space in the car. Dealership considers that fluids used to coat Audi engine wiring attract rodents. Dealership considers this to be a health and safety issue. Dealership considers it essential to replace the Audi air filter. Dealership is checking wires to assess any gnawed damage. I need the engine to be power-washed and the nest area treated w/bleaching agents. I do not have the total estimate on this but it will be greater than $1,000.
NHTSA ODI #11478719
Mileage unknown · Aug 10, 2022
Steering
The power steering on my A4 went out randomly with only 52k miles on the odometer. Thankfully it went out while the car was parked, but if it went out while I was driving it could've caused an accident. I towed it to a shop to diagnose the issue and they confirmed that the power steering rack went bad. While doing research I fo…
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The power steering on my A4 went out randomly with only 52k miles on the odometer. Thankfully it went out while the car was parked, but if it went out while I was driving it could've caused an accident. I towed it to a shop to diagnose the issue and they confirmed that the power steering rack went bad. While doing research I found that Audi extended the warranty on the steering racks for 2013-2016 model year A4s. The part number for the 2016 steering rack is shared with the 2017 steering rack as well, which means audi should've included the 2017 model year with that extended warranty.
NHTSA ODI #11478654
Mileage unknown · Jun 20, 2022
Power Train
My 2017 Audi A4 transmission started to fail as it frequently was not able to shift gears unless I came to a complete stop and restarted my car. This made it difficult to drive at a higher speed when I was on a major road or highway. I took it to a mechanic specializing in transmissions and he confirmed that the transmission was…
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My 2017 Audi A4 transmission started to fail as it frequently was not able to shift gears unless I came to a complete stop and restarted my car. This made it difficult to drive at a higher speed when I was on a major road or highway. I took it to a mechanic specializing in transmissions and he confirmed that the transmission was failing. The car would give me an indicator light of a transmission malfunction. I find it ridiculous that my cars transmission would go out around 5 yrs/60,000 miles. Since the pandemic, it hasn’t been driven a whole lot as I’ve worked from home.
NHTSA ODI #11470067
Mileage unknown · May 25, 2022
Unknown Or Other
While dropping off a passenger at a store front during a rain storm and a few seconds after the passenger exited the vehicle the sunroof glass exploded upward spontaneously! Some glass chunks flew out of the car and then gravity pulled the rest back down inside onto me and scattered around the interior in tiny little shards. Fo…
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While dropping off a passenger at a store front during a rain storm and a few seconds after the passenger exited the vehicle the sunroof glass exploded upward spontaneously! Some glass chunks flew out of the car and then gravity pulled the rest back down inside onto me and scattered around the interior in tiny little shards. Fortunately I was wearing a jacket and nothing got in my hair or on my face so I was able to brush off all debris. My passenger was already outside the car so she was safe. The insurance claim adjuster inspected the damage and it they will cover the repair. My local Audi dealer will be doing the repair. There was no warning of the problem. The glass was in perfect condition prior to this so I am not sure how it could just happen all of the sudden. I am shocked that the glass does not have the plastic layer to prevent shattering when used overhead like this. I just wanted to report it so someone knows it and can try to prevent it from happening again.
NHTSA ODI #11466161
Mileage unknown · Apr 20, 2022
Air BagsSeat BeltsSeats
I have been experiencing something that might be related to safety recall 74E3, but i am not sure. I've been driving with my seatbelt on with no one at the passenger seat. But the seatbelt sign keeps showing up with the beeping sound, and the sign says Safety System Malfunction with front airbags off.... I called the Audi Fletc…
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I have been experiencing something that might be related to safety recall 74E3, but i am not sure. I've been driving with my seatbelt on with no one at the passenger seat. But the seatbelt sign keeps showing up with the beeping sound, and the sign says Safety System Malfunction with front airbags off.... I called the Audi Fletcher Jones dealership in Irvine, California, the service team told me that they don't have the part to help fix this recall and there is nothing they can do. They also would not tell me when this recall can be fixed. I called a few other dealership in Orange County, California, seems none of the dealership has the parts to fix this. I have not yet encountered an accident, but felt risky driving the car now.
NHTSA ODI #11461481
Mileage unknown · Mar 23, 2022
Engine
My 2017 Audi A4 Quattro is now five years old. There is only 26,000 miles on the vehicle. Mostly local miles. I noticed drops of red fluid on the garage floor under the engine compartment. My mechanic investigated and found the issue to be leaking coolant from the thermostat/pump housing. It is obvious that the leak has…
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My 2017 Audi A4 Quattro is now five years old. There is only 26,000 miles on the vehicle. Mostly local miles. I noticed drops of red fluid on the garage floor under the engine compartment. My mechanic investigated and found the issue to be leaking coolant from the thermostat/pump housing. It is obvious that the leak has been occurring for awhile as there is dried white residue all around this area. The engine cover under the engine compartment was all wet with coolant. The coolant reservoir was also low. The car's information system did not indicate an issue, but I am sure it would have eventually (at probably a very inconvenient time and location ! ). I've noticed several other Audi owners complain about this same issue. This will no doubt be an expensive repair which is totally unacceptable for a car like this with such low mileage.
I have been an Audi A4 owner for more than 10 years. During that time, I have had 2 incidents where I could have easily been killed as well as injured or killed passengers in oncoming vehicles. The latest was this morning on March 23, 2022. The other was nearly 10 years ago. My personal investigation has led me to a conclusion t…
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I have been an Audi A4 owner for more than 10 years. During that time, I have had 2 incidents where I could have easily been killed as well as injured or killed passengers in oncoming vehicles. The latest was this morning on March 23, 2022. The other was nearly 10 years ago. My personal investigation has led me to a conclusion that I have not yet seen anywhere else. In both cases, I am trying to get into a heavy flow of traffic. I know that I will have to "gun it" to get up to speed. For that reason, I have one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake. When traffic opens to where I think it is safe to proceed, I press the accelerator while my foot is still on the brake. In the situation this morning, I intended to execute a sharp right turn into the closest lane of a road with 2-lanes going in that direction. I pressed the accelerator hard while turning the steering wheel. Instead of turning right, the car shot across both lanes of traffic, wiped out a traffic sign and entered the lanes of oncoming traffic. I had zero control. It was only dumb luck that I avoided traffic in both directions (both of which were travelling at roughly 60 mph). Even though I knew about this risk from my earlier incident, I didn't think about it at the time. I realize that my actions send conflicting signals to the car (go/don't go), but the last thing the car should do is propel itself forward with no control on the part of the driver. I don't know if this is limited to Audi or the A4, but I wanted to make my experience public to possibly avoid a serious or fatal accident by someone else. It is very avoidable with proper knowledge and attention. I'd be interested in knowing if you have been notified of any other incidents of this type.
NHTSA ODI #11457955
Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2022
SteeringSuspensionWheelsCrash
I was driving like normal and the stability light came on and the car started to swing left to right by it self.
NHTSA ODI #11450854
Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 2022
Air BagsElectrical SystemSeats
I went to Audi Fort Worth (116 University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76107) to fix my PODS recall currently on my Audi A4. After a day of servicing my vehicle for the recall the dealership handed me back my vehicle in the condition attached in the photo. You can see the huge gap in the seat which is a safety hazard considering there is …
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I went to Audi Fort Worth (116 University Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76107) to fix my PODS recall currently on my Audi A4. After a day of servicing my vehicle for the recall the dealership handed me back my vehicle in the condition attached in the photo. You can see the huge gap in the seat which is a safety hazard considering there is high voltage wires in the seat and they just left it exposed with a considerable gap. They refused to reassemble my seat so I am unsure if my airbag sensors even work now, it has been a week of waiting and my VIN still shows that it has a recall even though the service was completed a week ago. I asked for a service ticket of he work preformed but Audi Fort Worth refused to provide me one. I went in for the recall service on 1/24/2021. Is there any way we can remove my VIN from this recall list since the service was completed? I have messaged the Audi Service manager Veronica about this issue but still no response from her. Even left her an email and voice message. I just would like to file a complaint about this service center, and get my VIN removed from the recall list since the work was performed according to Audi.
NHTSA ODI #11449676
Mileage unknown · Jan 18, 2022
Air Bags
The passenger side airbag of the car does not detect passengers in the car. The problem was confirmed by the dealer and was notified to me before putting deposit on this vehicle. The deposit was placed in November of 2021 and as of today there is still no update on the fix. I saw on your website that if the manufacturer is not a…
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The passenger side airbag of the car does not detect passengers in the car. The problem was confirmed by the dealer and was notified to me before putting deposit on this vehicle. The deposit was placed in November of 2021 and as of today there is still no update on the fix. I saw on your website that if the manufacturer is not able to fix the issue in a timely manner then to notify. My main concern is that I’ve been waiting for a repair with no update and when I request for one, all I get is “ We’re not sure when the remedy will be available “. If you could please look into this matter and let me know. Thank you so much for your help
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Seats
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
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.
2017 Audi A4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year