Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 131 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2001 Audi A4. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 131 · page 1 of 6
I just purchased this vehicle from a private owner. I am already aware of the driver side airbag recall. Went to turn key to auxiliary to close sun roof and the steering wheel airbag deployed in my face. The vehicle had been parked and not driven for over 12 hours. Vehicle is available for inspection any time.
The contact owns a 2001 Audi A4. The contact stated that upon closing the driver's side door, her husband heard a loud gun-like sound and he noticed that the passenger-side curtain air bags had deployed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's husband cut the curtain air bags and drove the vehicle to his residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The VIN was not available.
2001 AUDI A4 QUATTRO 2.8L. AS DRIVING SMOKE WAS COMING FROM HOOD.. PARK AND REALIZE THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. IT LOOK LIKE IT STARTED BY THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT AND SPREAD. I READ THAT AUDI HAD A RECALL ON HEAD LIGHT SWITCH BUT DID NOT REC, A RECALL LETTER. NOT EXACTLY SURE WHERE THE FIRE STARTED MY AUDI CAUGHT ON FIRE. I DONT'T HAVE PICTURES TO UPLOAD BUT I WILL SOON. I AM VERY HURT TO KNOW THAT THE CAR I ENJOYED DRIVING CAUGHT ON FIRE/DISAPPOINTED WITH AUDI
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON A HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT AT ~65MPH THE PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN AND SEAT AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. VEHICLE MANUFACTURER CITED A "CRASH" SIGNAL FROM SIDE IMPACT SENSOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FALSE DEPLOYMENT. NO PHYSICAL CAUSE COULD BE FOUND, NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON VEHICLE AND ALL AIRBAG SYSTEM WIRING WAS FOUND TO BE INTACT AND ORIGINAL. MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT OWN FAILURE AND CITED THE VEHICLE BEING LOWERED AS THE CAUSE. MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY EVIDENCE FOR THIS CONCLUSION AND VEHICLE IS WELL WITHIN LOCAL LAWS/REGULATIONS FOR LOWERED VEHICLES.
BRAKES WERE WORKING FINE, COMING OFF FREEWAY, WAS COASTING THRU LIGHT, TRAFFIC STOPPED, BRAKES NO LONGER WORKED, BRAKE PEDAL WAS SUDDENLY FLUSH WITH FLOOR. REARENDED A CAR, CAR STARTED JUMPING FORWARD. HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. CAR WAS TOWED AFTER ACCIDENT, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE, IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE DUE TO BRAKE PROBLEM. REPAIR SHOP SAID BRAKES FAILED TO VACUUM HOSE BREAKING, NO WARNING PRIOR TO LOSING BRAKES. *TR
THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (MIL) HAS HAD SEVERAL RECURRENCES. THE MASS AIR FLOW METER AND SENSOR HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE. ( 65,060 AND 107,894). THE INITIAL FAILURE WAS AT 36,512 MILES. 47,819 MILES, 65,060 MILES, 107,894 MILES,118,628 MILES AND IN JULY, 2014 AT 159,421 MILES, THERE WAS A WARRANTY EXTENSION LETTER IN NOVEMBER, 2003 THAT INCLUDED 2001 AUDI A-4 1.8T VEHICLES AND A VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE ACTION 28F2/J1 IGNITION COIL INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT IN OCTOBER, 2009. SECONDARY ISSUE. UNABLE TO READ DASHBOARD DISPLAY. PIXELED. UNABLE TO READ SAFETY/VEHICLE NOTIFICATIONS. *TR
WHILE USING MY HEATER ON MY SEATS AND A PILLOW FOR ADDITIONAL BACK SUPPORT, I NOTICED SMOKE AND BURNING SMELL WHEN PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. WHEN GETTING OUT OF MY CAR I NOTICED THAT MY PILLOW WAS LEAKING...AND UPON PULLING THE PILLOW OFF THE DRIVERS SEAT, IT WAS DAMAGED/BURNED THROUGH. I ALSO NOTICED THAT A BURNED HOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER IS NOW QUITE VISIBLE. WORRIED THAT THIS MAY CAUSE A CAR FIRE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE ECU MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000.
THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER 99% CANNOT BE READ DUE TO THE LCD DISPLAY FADING. HAVE DONE MULTIPLE SEARCHES AND 9 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE HAVE THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE. AUDI NEEDS TO STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE PAIN FOR ME BECAUSE SOMETIMES MY CAR WILL BEEP AND DISPLAY SOMETHING ON THE LCD SCREEN BUT BECAUSE IT'S FADING I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT'S TELLING ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE DRIVING AND SOMETHING LIFE THREATENING HAPPEN BECAUSE OF A MISSED MESSAGE BECAUSE THE LCD SCREEN IS BROKEN. FIX THIS BEFORE PEOPLE GET HURT AND START FILING LAWSUITS. *TR
IN 2007 XENON HEADLIGHTS DROPPED/DIPPED HEADLIGHT LEVEL SENSOR REPLACED AND LIGHTS APPEARED TO WORK CORRECTLY. IN 2011 THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN. HEADLIGHT LEVELING SENSOR AND WIRING HARNESS REPLACED. APPEARS TO BE WORKING OK. DRIVING WITH THE HEADLIGHTS AIMED INCORRECTLY IS A DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A COMMON DESIGN FLAW WITH THE XENON HEADLIGHTS. *TR
WE HAVE EXPERIENCED AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE HID HEAD LIGHTS FLICKERING AND SHUTTING OFF DURING OPERATION AT NIGHT. THE LEFT LOW BEAM BEGAN TO FLICKER AND THEN SHUT OFF. THE HEAD LIGHT WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER INSPECTION THE NEXT DAY, LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND WERE WORKING NORMALLY NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR AND IN MY OPINION A VERY DANGEROUS ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY AUDI IN A RECALL FOR THE OBVIOUS BALLAST, BULB, WIRING, PROBLEM THAT EXISTS ON THIS CAR. *TR
ABS MODULE FAILURE. *TR
2001 AUDI A4 WITH TIMING BELT FAILURE AND REPAIR. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TIMING BELT REPAIR DID NOT LAST AND HIS VEHICLE COMPLETELY FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY. CONSUMER WAS THEN INFORMED OF AN OIL SLUDGE ISSUE. *KB UPDATED 10/19/11.
ALL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY IN A DRIVER'S SIDE "T-BONE" COLLISION. A-4 IS EQUIPPED WITH SIDE AIRBAGS. A-4 WAS STATIONARY AND OCCUPIED, MINIVAN CRASHED INTO DRIVER'S DOOR AND PART OF FRONT QUARTER PANEL. VAN'S RATE OF TRAVEL WAS 20 TO 30 MPH IN REVERSE! MY WIFE SUFFERED NECK AND SHOULDER INJURIES. LOCAL AUDI DEALER REPLACED THE SIDE AIRBAG # 8D0 880 241 AA AND THE AIRBAG CONTROLLER MODULE # 8D0 959 655 G. ONLY AT MY INSISTENCE, WAS THIS WORK PERFORMED WHEN I CONTINUED TO QUESTION WHY NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. MY DIRECT QUESTIONS WERE MET WITH, "YOU KNOW, MORE INJURIES OCCUR WHEN AN AIRBAG GOES OFF, SO, YOUR WIFE IS PROBABLY LUCKIER THAT THEY DIDN'T WORK". WTF?! HEY BUDDY, LET'S PUT YOU IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND RAM MINIVAN INTO IT WITH THE SAME SPEED AND MASS! ALSO, REST YOUR ARM ON THE OPEN WINDOW AND SEE IF YOU DON'T LOSE AN ARM LIKE MY WIFE ALMOST DID. WHAT ARE THESE GUY'S TRYING TO COVER UP FOR AUDI?! HAS THERE BEEN A CORPORATE DECREE OF TOTAL LIABILITY AVOIDANCE WITH DECEIT BEING PUSHED DOWN TO THE DEALER LEVEL, OR ARE THEY JUST IDIOTS? I'M ALSO IN THE CLASS ACTION REGARDING THE OIL SLUDGE LAWSUIT. NOW THEY ARE DENYING 1/2 OF MY CLAIM BECAUSE THEY SAY I'M MISSING PROOF OF A SINGLE OIL CHANGE THAT SHOULD BE IN THE RECORDS OF THE DEALERSHIP THAT PERFORMED THE WORK, WHICH FOR SOME REASON ALL THE RECORDS PERTAINING TO THAT CRITICAL TIMELINE HAVE BEEN WIPED OFF AUDI'S CORPORATE COMUPTER SYSTEM. WHEN WILL IT ALL END? I'M ABOUT TO DRIVE THIS [XXX] CAROVER A CLIFF! ANY AUDI EXECS WANT TO GO FOR A RIDE? I FEEL I HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR A LONG ENOUGH RIDE AFTER SOME $15,000 TO $20,000 IN REPAIRS OVER THE LAST 6 YEARS. LET'S HOPE OUR AIRBAGS WILL BE FREE FROM FAILURE IN THE EVENT OF A FUTURE ACCIDENT. SOMEONE ELSE'S EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT SWITCHING OUT THE MODULE WITH THE SAME MODEL MODULE HAS NOT ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY AND IT HAS RE-OCCURRED, I.E., RED LIGHT IN DASH COMING ON AGAIN AND FAILURE TO DEPLOY AIRBAGS IN CRASH. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6
2001 AUDI A4 WITH ABOUT 105K MILES ON. ABS SENSOR IS FAULTY AND THIS PROBLEM IS VERY WIDESPREAD AMONGST AUDI A4S BUILT AROUND THIS TIME. IT IS A $1500 - $2000 REPAIR FOR A PART THAT REALLY DOESN'T SEEM TO GO BAD WITH THIS FREQUENCY IN OTHER CARS. FOR AN EXAMPLE OF THE SCORE, SEE THIS SITE. THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY SITES WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AROUND THIS ISSUE: HTTP://AUDI-VW-ABS-RECALL.BLOGSPOT.COM/2005/07/AUDI-AND-VW-PLEASE-RECALL-CARS-BETWEEN.HTML. *TR
2001 AUDI A4 AIR BAG LIGHT ON DASH. DEALER CHECKED AND STATED AIR BAG MODULE BAD. ORDER ONE AND WAS INSTALLED APRIL 27, 2010. PART # 8D0-959-655-G MODULE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ITEM. CAN CAUSE AIR BAGS TO NOT DEPLOY. SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN IT DID. *TR
THE DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY ON MY 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T. YOU CAN ONLY SEE HALF THE SCREEN ON THE CENTER DISPLAY THAT NOTIFIES YOU WHEN THE CAR NEEDS TO BE SERVICED AND IF ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND AUDI SHOULD RECALL AND REPAIR ANY CARS WITH THIS MALFUNCTION BECAUSE I HAVE READ SEVERAL REVIEWS OF THE SAME PROBLEM SO OBVIOUSLY IT IS SOMETHING THEY SHOULD LOOK INTO. *TR
2001 AUDI A4 2.8 ABS BRAKE SYSTEM CONTROLLER FAILURE. *TR
EXCESSIVE GAS FUMES FROM CAR. DEALER AND OTHER SERVICE CENTER LOOKED FOR PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER CAR WAS UNFIT TO DRIVE - SMELLED SO BAD FROM GASOLINE FUMES - A SERVICE GARAGE REMOVED THE FUEL TANK. THE FUEL WAS SEEPING THROUGH MOLDED IN PLASTIC CONNECTION FITTINGS ON TOP OF THE TANK AT THEIR MOLDED INTERFACE TO THE TANK - THE TANK IS A POLY TYPE TANK. THE TANK WAS REPLACED. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT. HAD THE FUMES BEEN NEAR AN IGNITION SOURCE A POSSIBLE FIRE OR WORSE COULD HAVE RESULTED. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE DISSIMILAR MATERIALS USED FOR THE TANK AND FITTINGS LOST THEIR SEAL OVER TIME. AUDI OF AMERICA HAS SHOWN NO INTEREST IN DEALING WITH THIS. SINCE THERE WERE 4 FUEL TANKS AVAILABLE ON A FRIDAY AND ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, THERE WERE NONE, SO I HAD TO WAIT UP TO 2 ADDITIONAL WEEKS TO GET A TANK - I SUSPECT THEY ARE KEENLY AWARE OF THIS DEFECT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT, I AM ORIGINAL OWNER, AND IT HAS NO ACCIDENTS. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL FAILED FUEL TANK AT THIS TIME. DATE OF REPAIR 6/29/09 TO 7/21/09. *TR
ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILED. MODULES ARE DEFECTIVE AND AUDI SHOULD RECALL THEM. ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWS THOUSANDS OF AUDI/VW CAR OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. COST TO REPLACE MODULE IS $1500-2000 DOLLARS. VW HAS ISSUED RECALL OF THIS ABS MODULE, BUT AUDI HAS NOT (EVEN THOUGH SAME EXACT PART). NHTSA NEEDS TO PUT PRESSURE ON AUDI TO RECALL THIS COMPONENT, THEY ARE DEFECTIVE, UNSAFE, AND COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 AUDI A4. HE STATED THAT THE ANTILOCK BREAKS SENSOR ILLUMINATES CONSTANTLY. HE HAD THE GARAGE REPLACED THE BREAK SENSOR TWICE. THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS DONE ON JANUARY 10, 2010 AND THE SECOND BREAK SENSOR REPLACEMENT WAS FEBRUARY 16, 2010 AND THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,034. HE HAS NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER.
MY 2001 AUDI A4 HAS CENTRAL LCD DISPLAY TO DISPLAY ALL SORT OF INFORMATION, BUT THIS DISPLAY FAILS IN MOST OF A4S JUST AFTER A FEW YEARS. THIS IS CRITICAL FOR VEHICLE SAFETY, BECAUSE THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE ANY OTHER INDICATORS TO SIGNAL ABNORMAL CONDITIONS OF THE CAR SUCH AS LOW COOLANT, CHECK ENGINE, ETC. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN KNOWN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE LOOK AT HTTP://AUDIFORUMS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=46512 FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR
FAILURE OF ABS BRAKE CONTROL UNIT IN AN AUDI 2001 A4 WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WITH SNOW. IT OCCURRED IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ABS BRAKES WEREN'T WORKING DRIVING ON SNOW AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. $710.00 WAS THE COST OF THE REPAIR FOR A FAULTY UNIT AND A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT AUDI KNOWS ABOUT IT. GOOD THING THAT I WAS GOING REALLY SLOW AND I WAS EXITING THE SLIPPERY FREEWAY AT THE TIME AND I DIDN'T SLIDE. THANK YOU! *TR
1. ONE DAY SUDDENLY MY AUDI 2001 A4 STARTS TO SHOW ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT TO BE FAILING. 2. THE FAILURE WHEN DIAGNOSED SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH AUDI'S ABS CONTROL UNIT, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. 3. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED IT YET, BECAUSE DEALERS QUOTED A HUGE PRICE OF MORE THAN 1500$ TO FIX THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. *TR
AIRBAG CONTROLLER FAILS WITH NO APPARENT REASON. UNIT GENERATES AN UNCLEAR FAULT CODE (65535) WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 32 DEGREES. THIS WILL NOT ALLOW THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED, AND THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN LESS THAN A YEAR LATER. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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