RoadVitals

2003 Audi Quattro

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest Jun 10, 2010
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Audi Quattro, most frequently naming the engine, transmission and visibility categories. 5 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine250.0%
  • Transmission125.0%
  • Visibility125.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Visibility
Filed Jun 10, 2010

FAILED WINDSHIELD WIPER BEARINGS. REPLACE WITH NEW. MY WIFE'S 2005 QUATRO IS DOING THE SAME THING [XXX]! THEY JUST KEEP SLOWING DOWN AND FINALLY SEIZE -- WIPER DON'T GO. THE BEARING CAN NOT BE LUBRICATED OR SERVICED -- $400 TO PUT IN NEW. AUDI SAYS HAPPENS IN COLD CLIMATES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
10335665
Incident
Jun 6, 2008
Mileage
35,000 mi
EngineTransmission
Filed Feb 16, 2010

I HAD TWO 2003 AUDI A-6 QUATTROS. BOTH NEEDED CATALYTIC CONVERTERS AND TORQUE CONVERTERS..ONE CAT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BUT NEITHER TORQUES WERE UNDER WARRANTY..I THINK YOU SHOULD CHECK INTO VW PROBLEMS WITH CAT CONV AND TORQUE CONVERTERS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10310891
Incident
Sep 10, 2009
Mileage
65,000 mi
Engine
Filed Jul 8, 2009

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI QUATTRO. THE CONTACT NOTICED A LEAK COMING FROM HIS VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT AND HEAD GASKET; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR HIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 42,530.

NHTSA ID
10276108
Incident
Jun 6, 2009
Mileage
42,530 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SA-28F2 J1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

AUDI: (REVISED) VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS ACTION MAY HAVE IGNITION COILS THAT COULD MALFUNCTION UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) WILL ILLUMINATE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE VEHICLE MAY EXPERIENCE SOME DETERIORATION IN PERFORMANCE. IN SOME CASES, A MALFUNCTIONING IGNITION COIL MAY CAUSE A VEHICLE TO EXCEED FEDERAL AND/OR CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS STANDARDS. *PE UPDATED 8/9/10. *PE UPDATED 8/11/10. *PE UPDATED 11/8/10. *PE UPDATED 11/10/10. *PE UPDATED 1/10/11. *PE

TSB-00-10-02

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

AUDI: SOFTWARE VERSION MANAGEMENT (SVM) OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. DETAILING THE GENERAL PROCESS FOR CARRYING OUT A SOFTWARE VERSION MANAGEMENT (SVM) SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR ANY TSB OR REQUIRED VEHICLE UPDATE (RVU). TROUBLESHOOTING INFORMATION IS INCLUDED. *PE

TSB-01-09-06

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

AUDI: SOFTWARE VERSION MANAGEMENT (SVM), OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. SVM IS A PROCESS TO UPDATE THE PROGRAMMING IN FLASHABLE (RE-PROGRAMMABLE) CONTROL MODULES AND/OR TO DOCUMENT CHANGES IN SOFTWARE LEVELS IN AUDI VEHICLES. THIS SYSTEM USES THE VAS 5051B OR VAS 5052 DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS TO SEND VEHICLE SPECIFIC DATA TO THE SVM DATABASE, TO DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SVM DATABASE, AND TO FLASH CONTROL UNITS FOR IDENTIFIED SOFTWARE UPDATES. *PE

TSB-01-08-33

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

AUDI: SOFTWARE VERSION MANAGEMENT(SVM) OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. ITS A PROCESS TO UPDATE THE PROGRAMMING IN FLASHABLE (REPROGRAMMABLE) CONTROL MODULES AND/OR TO DOCUMENT CHANGES IN SOFTWARE LEVELS IN ALL AUDI VEHICLES. *PE

TSB-44-08-14

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

AUDI: WHEEL BOLTS REQUIRE TORQUE ADJUSTMENT. TORQUE STICKS AND TORQUE EXTENSION BARS ARE NOT APPROVED BY AUDI OF AMERICA, INC. AND SHOULD NOT BE USED TO APPLY TORQUE TO WHEEL BOLTS. ALL AUDI MODELS INCLUDED. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Audi Quattro by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2009100
2003Viewing300
2002120137.6
2001110138.4
2000700
1999210038.0
1998900
1997110033.8
1996600
1995100
1994100
1993300
1991600
1990520
1989010
1988010
1987112
1986012
1985012
1984010

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.