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2006 Audi S4

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

20 reports with mileage · 10 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 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

30 reports
64,500 miles · Aug 21, 2014
Exterior Lighting

BOTH HEADLIGHTS SHUTOFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. BULBS ARE STILL IN GOOD CONDITION. ERROR CODE 'DIPPING HEADLIGHT' THIS IS A KNOWN SAFETY PROBLEM WITH AUDI AND IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE FOR THE DRIVER AND OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10627329

78,000 miles · Feb 27, 2014
Exterior Lighting

FRONT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER THEN GO OUT. BULBS ARE NOT BURNED OUT THIS SEEMS TO BE A ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER ISSUE. THROWS A CODE OF DIPPED FRONT HEAD LIGHT ALTERNATES BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ON ANY GIVEN DAY. SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE FOR AUDI BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008 HOWEVER NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. THIS IS A SAFE…

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FRONT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER THEN GO OUT. BULBS ARE NOT BURNED OUT THIS SEEMS TO BE A ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER ISSUE. THROWS A CODE OF DIPPED FRONT HEAD LIGHT ALTERNATES BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ON ANY GIVEN DAY. SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE FOR AUDI BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008 HOWEVER NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE WARRANTED DO TO THE FACT IT CANT BE FIXED BY CHANGING THE BULBS.

NHTSA ODI #10567192

36,000 miles · Feb 14, 2014
Exterior Lighting

THE 2006 AUDI S4 HAS A KNOWN HEADLIGHT ISSUE WHICH CAUSES THE HEADLIGHTS TO FAIL. THE BULBS ARE NOT BAD AND AUDI IS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE ISSUE. AUDI DEALERS TELL CONSUMERS THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AT $2500 PER LIGHT AND IT MAY SOLVE THE ISSUE, BUT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN IT WILL. AUDI HAS BEEN NAM…

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THE 2006 AUDI S4 HAS A KNOWN HEADLIGHT ISSUE WHICH CAUSES THE HEADLIGHTS TO FAIL. THE BULBS ARE NOT BAD AND AUDI IS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE ISSUE. AUDI DEALERS TELL CONSUMERS THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AT $2500 PER LIGHT AND IT MAY SOLVE THE ISSUE, BUT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN IT WILL. AUDI HAS BEEN NAMED IN A LAWSUIT ABOUT THE HEADLIGHTS AND HAS AGREED TO REPAIR SOME IF THEY ARE WITHIN WARRANTY CONSTRAINTS BUT CARS THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THE WARRANTY CONSTRAINTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE REPAIRED AT THE COST OF THE OWNER. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED SINCE THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED BUT AUDI HAS ONLY AGREED TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR 5 YEARS OR 50,000 MILES FROM THE ORIGINAL CAR PURCHASE, HOWEVER THE SETTLEMENT WAS ISSUED IN 10/2013, A 2006 CAR WOULD BE OVER THE 5 YEARS IN 2011. IF THE AUDI OWNER CAN PROVE THEY HAD THE ISSUE PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE WARRANTY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE REPAIRED AT NO COST, HOWEVER WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO GET MY FIXED, WITH PROOF ALL I GOT WAS A RUNAROUND FROM THE DEALER. I CALLED AUDI USA AND AFTER THREE WEEKS OF "RESEARCHING" THE ISSUE THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED SO THEY OFFERED NO COVERAGE DESPITE PROOF THAT THE ISSUE PREDATES WARRANTY EXPIRATION. THE HEADLIGHTS GIVE OFF A "DIPPED HEADLIGHT" WARNING AND THEN THE HEADLIGHT EITHER SEVERELY DIMS OR TURNS OFF ENTIRELY. IF YOU COMPLETELY TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND TURN THEM BACK ON AGAIN THEN SOMETIMES THE ERROR WILL RESOLVE. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY TYPICALLY WHEN THE CAR HITS A BUMP. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE BUT RATHER THAN DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A COMPLETE RECALL AUDI HAS OPTED TO GIVE OWNERS THE RUN AROUND WHICH EVENTUALLY ENDS UP WITH THEM PAYING FOR EXPENSIVE HEADLIGHT REPAIRS WHICH DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MAKE AUDI ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE HEADLIGHTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10564378

54,100 miles · Nov 13, 2013
Exterior Lighting

RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND FAILS. VEHICLE MUST BE SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED IN ORDER TO GET HEADLIGHT WORKING AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10552081

60,000 miles · Sep 22, 2012
Exterior Lighting

RIGHT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND GOES OUT REPEATEDLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10476765

63,800 miles · Aug 13, 2012
Exterior Lighting

THIS ISSUE AFFECTS AUDI A4 AND S4 VEHICLES WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS REPEATEDLY FAILS WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT BULB. IF THE OPERATOR TURNS OFF THE IGNITION AFTER ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS FAILS, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY RESTARTS THE CAR, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL OPERATE PROPE…

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THIS ISSUE AFFECTS AUDI A4 AND S4 VEHICLES WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS REPEATEDLY FAILS WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT BULB. IF THE OPERATOR TURNS OFF THE IGNITION AFTER ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS FAILS, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY RESTARTS THE CAR, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY. THE ISSUE OCCURS PRIMARILY WITHIN THE FIRST 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER STARTING THE CAR. ONCE THE CAR HAS BEEN "WARMED UP", OPERATING FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES, THE ISSUE DOES NOT REOCCUR. THE SPECIFIC SCENARIO: I WILL START MY CAR. BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS INITIALLY SEEM TO BE OPERATING PROPERLY. WITHIN A MINUTE, ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS WILL BEGIN TO FLICKER, AND ONE OR BOTH OF THEM WILL FAIL, CAUSING A "HEADLIGHT DIPPED" WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD. THE ISSUE OFTEN OCCURS DURING BRAKING, ACCELERATION OR WHEN THE CAR GOES OVER A BUMP. THE ISSUE MAY OCCUR WITH EITHER THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT OR BOTH LIGHTS, RESULTING IN A SEVERELY UNSAFE CONDITION. RESTARTING THE CAR WILL CURE THE PROBLEM BUT IT OFTEN REOCCURS UNTIL THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES. THIS ISSUE OCCURS ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON, USUALLY EVERY DAY, OR AT LEAST SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK. MOISTURE (RAIN/CAR WASH) DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE THE ISSUE WORSE. AUDI OF AMERICA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAS ISSUED SEVERAL TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ABOUT THE ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT PAY FOR REPAIRS UNLESS THE VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY. AUDI HAS NOT IDENTIFIED A SPECIFIC REPAIR TECHNIQUE THAT WILL DEFINITELY FIX THE ISSUE. THE REPAIR ATTEMPTS INCLUDE REPLACING THE LIGHT BULBS, REPLACING THE HID BALLASTS AND/OR CONTROL MODULES, AND INSTALLING SHIMS AROUND THE LIGHT HOUSINGS TO QUELL THE VIBRATION THAT MAY BE A CAUSE OF THE ISSUE. IT IS A TRIAL-AND-ERROR REPAIR PROCESS AND IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10470502

5,000 miles · Mar 14, 2012
Electrical SystemExterior LightingVisibility

HID XENON HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY FLICKER AND SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING. IT'S GETTING WORSE. DEALERS "NEVER FOUND" PROBLEM WHICH RECURS CONTINUALLY SO THEY NEVER FIXED THIS ISSUE UNDER WARRANTY AFTER BEING ASKED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. 100'S OF OTHER STORIES ABOUT THIS ONLINE. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE WHEN HEADLIGHTS JUST QU…

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HID XENON HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY FLICKER AND SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING. IT'S GETTING WORSE. DEALERS "NEVER FOUND" PROBLEM WHICH RECURS CONTINUALLY SO THEY NEVER FIXED THIS ISSUE UNDER WARRANTY AFTER BEING ASKED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW. 100'S OF OTHER STORIES ABOUT THIS ONLINE. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE WHEN HEADLIGHTS JUST QUIT AT RANDOM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10451576

101,000 miles · Dec 27, 2011
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

WHILE DRIVING, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT FLICKERED AND WENT OFF (HID LIGHTS). THE INFORMATION SYSTEM REGISTERED AN ERROR "DIPPED RIGHT HEADLIGHT" HEAD LIGHT COMES ON WHEN EVER THE CAR IS STARTED, AND GOES OUT WITH THE SAME ERROR AGAIN AT A LATER TIME. SO FAR THIS ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE LAST 3 TIMES I HAVE DRIVEN (ALL THREE TIMES SI…

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WHILE DRIVING, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT FLICKERED AND WENT OFF (HID LIGHTS). THE INFORMATION SYSTEM REGISTERED AN ERROR "DIPPED RIGHT HEADLIGHT" HEAD LIGHT COMES ON WHEN EVER THE CAR IS STARTED, AND GOES OUT WITH THE SAME ERROR AGAIN AT A LATER TIME. SO FAR THIS ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE LAST 3 TIMES I HAVE DRIVEN (ALL THREE TIMES SINCE FIRST OCCURRENCE). THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE NIGHT ILLUMINATION IS INVOLVED. I HAVE READ ON INTERNET AUDI WEBSITES THAT THIS IS AN ALL TOO COMMON PROBLEM, THAT AUDI OF AMERICA IS NOT TAKING SERIOUSLY AS FAR AS OFFERING A CLEAR SOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10441283

120,900 miles · Dec 14, 2011
Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER, THEN THE DASH SAYS THEY ARE DIPPING, THEN THEY GO OUT. IF YOU STOP THE CAR TURN IT OFF THEN BACK ON THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON, ONLY TO DO IT AGAIN. THERE SEEMS TO BE WIDE SPREAD REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING WITH THESE AUDI'S AND THE HID LIGHTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10439985

49,650 miles · Mar 27, 2011
Exterior Lighting

DIPPED HEADLIGHT ISSUE. THE EVENT IS HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY NIGHT AND MULTIPLE TIMES. MY HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2006 AUDI S4 CONTINUE TO GO OUT AS I DRIVE OFTEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WHICH AUDI HAS CHOSEN NOT TO FIX. THEIR MULTIPLE SERVICE BULLETINS NEVER FIXED THE ISSUE AND NOW THAT MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY …

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DIPPED HEADLIGHT ISSUE. THE EVENT IS HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY NIGHT AND MULTIPLE TIMES. MY HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2006 AUDI S4 CONTINUE TO GO OUT AS I DRIVE OFTEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WHICH AUDI HAS CHOSEN NOT TO FIX. THEIR MULTIPLE SERVICE BULLETINS NEVER FIXED THE ISSUE AND NOW THAT MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY CHOSE TO REPLACE CARS HEADLIGHTS WITH THIS ISSUE. I ONLY HAVE UNDER 50,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS CONCERN AND ONE THAT COULD LEAD TO A ACCIDENT AND DEATH. THIS IS MY 9TH AUDI AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10393018

Official recalls

2

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.

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.