2004 Audi A3 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Audi A3, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance233.3%
- Fuel system116.7%
- Exterior lighting116.7%
- Tires & wheels116.7%
- Transmission116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN DRIVING AT A MODERATE SPEED VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. DRIVER HAD TO PUT VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND APPLY THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO GET THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN, AND EVENTUALLY TO STOP. *AK
CAR WILL TOTALLY FAIL TO ACCELERATE. PRESSING THE GAS TO THE FLOOR RESULTS IN ALMOST NO MOVEMENT. THIS HAPPENS AFTER HITTING THE BRAKES AND THEN THE GAS, USUALLY DURING ROUTING TRAFFIC OR AN AVOIDANCE MANEUVER. THIS WILL GET SOMEONE (ME) KILLED. *LA
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
READING MY E-MAIL NOTIFICATION FROM NHTSA I FOUND THAT THE RECALL NO. 17V-509 ISSUED TO VWGOA MAY AFFECT AND APPLY TO OUR CAR (AUDI A3 MY 2004 ENGINE 2.0 FSI) SINCE IT HAS THE SAME FAILED PART ON ITS STRUCTURE (1K0 906 093 F). CHECKING THE ENGINES LIST ORIGINALLY ON THE RECALL REPORT FROM AUGUST 16TH 2017 I'VE FOUND THE SAME PART NUMBER INSTALLED IN OUR CAR AND EVEN FORM THE SAME SUPPLIER (KUHNKE AUTOMOTIVE GMBH). IT'S NOT A NEW CAR BUT CONSIDERING IT'S A POTENTIAL FAILURE TO OCCUR WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING SINCE THE INSTALLED PART NUMBER IS THE SAME, THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH IS PRESENT ACCORDONG TO THE DECLARATION IN THE SAFETY RECALL REPORT. HOW SHOULD I CONTACT AUDI IN MEXICO OR USA TO ASK FOR THE NECESSARY INVESTIGATION OR ACTIONS? OF COURSE IT0'S OUT OF WARRANTY PERIOD BUT THE RISK COULD BE PRESENT IN MY CAR.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
BLINDING GLARE FROM THE HID HEADLIGHTS, COUPLED WITH USE OF "FOG LIGHTS" WHEN NO FOG PRESENT. I FIND IT HARDER EACH YEAR TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO THE SITUATION WHICH OFTEN CAUSE YOU TO LOOSE SIGHT OF THE ROAD AHEAD. THE HID LIGHTS MAYU BE WITHIN "SPEC", BUT PERHAPS THE SPEC FOR HID LIUGHTS SHOULD BE CHANGED.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
GENTLEMEN, PURCHASE A NEW 2004 AUDI A4, DROVE OFF THE LOT AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 3 BLOCKS BEFORE THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT! TURNS OUT A FLAT 3" PIECE OF METAL COMPLETELY PIERCED THROUGH THE TIRE AND WHEEL! THIS CAR WAS ORDERED WITH A 18" WHEEL AND TIRE PACKAGE CALLED THE "ULTRA SPORT PACKAGE." AUDI CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING INTO THIS UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE BEYOND TALKING TO THE DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I HAVE BEEN IN THE AUTO BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH UNUSUAL WHEEL DAMAGE. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT I AM THE SECOND PERSON WITH NEARLY IDENTICAL WHEEL FAILURE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP! I CONTACTED AUDI AGAIN AND INFORMED THEM OF MY FINDINGS. THEY STILL SHOWED NO INTEREST. I INFORMED AUDI'S REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WOULD BE CONTACTING YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ENDED THE CONVERSATION. IT IS MY BELIEVE THAT THE 18" WHEELS ON MY CAR ARE UNSAFE AND DO NOT MEET FEDERAL IMPACT STANDARDS. THE DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE WHO INFORMED ME OF THE "OTHER PERSON'S WHEEL ISSUE" WILL NOT COME FORWARD FOR FEAR OF LOOSING HIS JOB. SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT ANY TIME.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
TRANSMISSION FAILURE--LOCKED OUT OF REVERSE.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .