Audi A4 2009–2016 problems by year and mileage
4th generation (B8, Typ 8K)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026540 complaints, 361 with mileageMethod
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
- 200965kmedian
- 201084kmedian
- 201170kmedian
- 2012—too few
- 201355kmedian
- 201452kmedian
- 2015—too few
- 2016—too few
The 2009 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- 65,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 122
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2009
- Engine44 reports · median 84,000 mi
- Airbag system34 reports
- Steering15 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2009: Air bags — frontal. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2010 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- 84,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 64
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2010
- Engine37 reports · median 100,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system9 reports
- Transmission and driveline9 reports
The 2011 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- 70,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 43
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2011
- Engine24 reports
- Transmission and driveline7 reports
- Fuel and propulsion system6 reports
The 2012 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 45
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2012
- Engine29 reports
- Electrical system5 reports
- Fuel and propulsion system5 reports
The 2013 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- 55,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 123
- Recalls naming this year
- 4
Most reported on the 2013
- Steering64 reports · median 52,000 mi
- Engine23 reports
- Electrical system12 reports
4 recall campaigns name the 2013: Engine and engine cooling — cooling system; Electrical system — wiring; Air bags. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2014 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- 52,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 84
- Recalls naming this year
- 4
Most reported on the 2014
- Engine28 reports
- Steering24 reports
- Electrical system7 reports
4 recall campaigns name the 2014: Engine and engine cooling — cooling system; Electrical system — wiring; Air bags. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2015 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 48
- Recalls naming this year
- 4
Most reported on the 2015
- Engine16 reports
- Electrical system7 reports
- Transmission and driveline6 reports
4 recall campaigns name the 2015: Engine and engine cooling — cooling system; Electrical system — wiring; Air bags. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2016 Audi A4
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 11
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2016
- Engine7 reports
- Electrical system3 reports
- Steering3 reports
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. The 2010 reports latest and the 2014 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 2010 has had 4 more years on the road to accumulate mileage. 3 of these years carry fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and show no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.
The short answer
“Is the 2009–2016 Audi A4 reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 59,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 112,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 361
- Recalls
- 6
Most reported
- Engine38.5% of complaints · median 84,000 mi
- Steering22.6% of complaints · median 52,000 mi
- Airbag system9.6% of complaints · median 46,000 mi
Documented problems
Owners filed 540 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009–2016 Audi A4; the engine leads with 38.5% of them, and half of the 361 that record an odometer reading came by 59,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 29,000 and 89,000 miles.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2009–2016 Audi A4 last?
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2009–2016 Audi A4, half of the 361 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 59,000 miles and 90% by 112,000 miles.
4 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 1 past 200,000 — each one proof that an A4 reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Audi A4 2009–2016 · 361 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 57 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 1 complaints (0.3%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 3,400
- 25%
- 29,000
- Median
- 59,000
- 75%
- 89,000
- 90%
- 112,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 57 | 15.8% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 16 | 4.4% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 18 | 5.0% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 24 | 6.6% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 32 | 8.9% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 34 | 9.4% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 33 | 9.1% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 29 | 8.0% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 30 | 8.3% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 25 | 6.9% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 22 | 6.1% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 15 | 4.2% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 9 | 2.5% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 7 | 1.9% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 6 | 1.7% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 1 | 0.3% |
| 200,000+ | 1 | 0.3% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common A4 problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Audi A4 2009–2016
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Transmission and driveline47 reports44,00011,000–75,000Transmission and driveline: 47 reports, median 44,000 miles, middle half 11,000 to 75,000 miles.
- Airbag system52 reports46,00026,000–65,000Airbag system: 52 reports, median 46,000 miles, middle half 26,000 to 65,000 miles.
- Steering122 reports52,00010,000–72,000Steering: 122 reports, median 52,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 72,000 miles.
- Fuel and propulsion system37 reports57,00040,000–100,000Fuel and propulsion system: 37 reports, median 57,000 miles, middle half 40,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise35 reports60,00042,000–84,000Problems owners could not categorise: 35 reports, median 60,000 miles, middle half 42,000 to 84,000 miles.
- Electrical system42 reports67,00045,000–108,000Electrical system: 42 reports, median 67,000 miles, middle half 45,000 to 108,000 miles.
- Engine208 reports84,00056,000–100,000Engine: 208 reports, median 84,000 miles, middle half 56,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 208 | 38.5% | 84,000 | 56,000–100,000 |
| Steering | 122 | 22.6% | 52,000 | 10,000–72,000 |
| Airbag system | 52 | 9.6% | 46,000 | 26,000–65,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 47 | 8.7% | 44,000 | 11,000–75,000 |
| Electrical system | 42 | 7.8% | 67,000 | 45,000–108,000 |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 37 | 6.9% | 57,000 | 40,000–100,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 35 | 6.5% | 60,000 | 42,000–84,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 27 | 5.0% | 24,000 | 5,000–72,000 |
| Suspension | 16 | 3.0% | — | — |
| Exterior lighting | 12 | 2.2% | — | — |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 59,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 38.5% of complaints (208 reports, 133 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 84,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 56,000 and 100,000 miles.
A single system taking 38.5% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The steering accounts for 22.6% of complaints (122 reports, 100 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 52,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 72,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 9.6% of complaints (52 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 46,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 26,000 and 65,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 8.7% of complaints (47 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 44,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 11,000 and 75,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 7.8% of complaints (42 reports, 20 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 67,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 45,000 and 108,000 miles.
The fuel and propulsion system accounts for 6.9% of complaints (37 reports, 29 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 57,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2009–2016 A4
Engine — Excessive Oil Consumption (piston Rings) 2009–2012
The early EA888 2.0T uses a piston design with 21 mm wrist pins and a ring pack that fails to control oil, producing consumption reported at over one quart per 1,000 miles. Audi initially replaced pistons and rings under warranty, later offering a revised crankcase breather element plus software. Subject of a class action settlement; the revised piston/ring kit is the durable fix.
Engine — Timing Chain Tensioner 2009–2013
The hydraulic timing chain tensioner is poorly designed and commonly fails shortly after the warranty period, allowing the chain to go slack and jump a tooth on the camshaft, causing valve-to-piston contact and engine failure. Subject of a US class action filed by plaintiffs across 17 states; Audi revised the tensioner design.
Cooling — Water Pump / Thermostat Housing 2009–2016
The plastic water pump and integrated thermostat housing crack and leak coolant, a routine failure on this engine family.
Engine — Intake Valve Carbon Deposits 2009–2016
Carbon accumulation on the intake valves of the direct-injected 2.0T causing misfires, rough idle and lost power.
Before you buy a 2009–2016 A4: the 3-minute check
Generated from 361 mileage-tagged complaints, 6 recall campaigns, 4 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 6 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine — excessive oil consumption (piston rings) on 2009–2012 (2.0T); corrected on the Gen3 engine from 2013 cars. The early EA888 2.0T uses a piston design with 21 mm wrist pins and a ring pack that fails to control oil, producing consumption reported at over one quart per 1,000 miles. Audi initially replaced pistons and rings…
- Check engine — timing chain tensioner on 2009–2013 (2.0T) cars. The hydraulic timing chain tensioner is poorly designed and commonly fails shortly after the warranty period, allowing the chain to go slack and jump a tooth on the camshaft, causing valve-to-piston contact and engine…
- Check cooling — water pump / thermostat housing on 2009–2016 cars. The plastic water pump and integrated thermostat housing crack and leak coolant, a routine failure on this engine family.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 29,000 and 89,000 miles, with a median of 59,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and the steering are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The steering in particular shows a median failure mileage of 52,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
A4 problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi50% below | At 90k mi76% below | At 120k mi93% below | At 150k mi99% below | At 200k mi100% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 56,000–100,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Steering | 10,000–72,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Airbag system | 26,000–65,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Transmission and driveline | 11,000–75,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Electrical system | 45,000–108,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 40,000–100,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 42,000–84,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Audi A4 2009–2016 · 361 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 50% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 76% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 93% of reports below
- 150,000 mi — 99% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 100% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 100%: the remaining 0.3% of reports (1) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2009–2016 Audi A4 recalls (6)
NHTSA records 6 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
The campaigns cluster around the airbag system (3), the engine and its cooling system (2), the electrical system (1). Several campaigns against one area can mean a remedy that did not hold, or separate defects in parts filed under the same heading; the summaries below name each defect.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Apr 2018 · 2013–2015 · Engine and Engine CoolingA blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.
The defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI…
What can happen. A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.
The free fix. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this…
Oct 2017 · 2013–2015 · Electrical SystemThe melted wires can increase the risk of a fire.
The defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat…
What can happen. The melted wires can increase the risk of a fire.
The free fix. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer…
Jan 2017 · 2009 · Air BagsAn inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury…
The defect. 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…
What can happen. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. 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.…
Jan 2017 · 2013–2015 · Engine and Engine CoolingIf the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.
The defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an…
What can happen. If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.
The free fix. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is…
May 2016 · 2009 · Air BagsIf the air bag control unit fails, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk…
The defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Audi A4, A5, and Q5 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the air bag control units may corrode and fail.
What can happen. If the air bag control unit fails, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
The free fix. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's…
Oct 2014 · 2013–2015 · Air BagsIf the front air bags do not deploy in the event of a secondary impact to the front of the vehicle, there is…
The defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Audi A4 and S4 vehicles manufactured February 16, 2012, to October 21, 2014, and 2013-2015 Audi Allroad vehicles manufactured March 12, 2012, to October 21, 2014. Due to…
What can happen. If the front air bags do not deploy in the event of a secondary impact to the front of the vehicle, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
The free fix. Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will update the air bag control unit software, free of charge. The recall began on November 14, 2014. Owners may contact Audi customer service at…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 540 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 17 (3.1%)
- Fires
- 14
- Injury reports
- 11
- Fatality reports
- 0
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
A4 problems by model year
The 2013 drew the most complaints of this generation, 123, most of them about the steering, and the 2011 the fewest among the 7 years with at least 20 complaints, 43. A typical year drew about 64.
The first year of the generation, 2009, drew more complaints than a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 122 | 73 | 65,000 | Engine (44) | 2 |
| 2010 | 64 | 50 | 84,000 | Engine (37) | 0 |
| 2011 | 43 | 31 | 70,000 | Engine (24) | 0 |
| 2012 | 45 | 26 | under 30 reports | Engine (29) | 0 |
| 2013 | 123 | 97 | 55,000 | Steering (64) | 4 |
| 2014 | 84 | 51 | 52,000 | Engine (28) | 4 |
| 2015 | 48 | 29 | under 30 reports | Engine (16) | 4 |
| 2016 | 11 | 4 | under 30 reports | Engine (7) | 0 |
What A4 owners reported
The contact owns a 2014 Audi A4. The contact stated while at a stop sign and attempting to proceed, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. The contact and her boyfriend shifted into neutral and pushed the vehicle to the side of the road for a while until the vehicle eventually restarted. The…
2014 · 98,000 miles · Fuel system
The contact owns a 2014 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, a message advising to stop the vehicle immediately was displayed. The contact pulled into a parking lot, where the contact noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed…
2014 · 82,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
The contact owned a 2013 Audi A4. The contact stated that his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed when he heard a loud unidentified sound coming from the engine compartment. Suddenly, white smoke and flames were emerging from the engine compartment. The vehicle was successfully pulled to the side of the road…
2013 · 127,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
The contact owns a 2009 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the master cylinder reservoir cap was cracked and had…
2009 · 200,000 miles · Brakes
Built from 361 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other A4 generations
- A4 1996–2001 403 reports with mileage, most about the hydraulic brake circuit
- A4 2002–2005 627 reports with mileage, most about the exterior lighting
- A4 2006–2008 345 reports with mileage, most about the airbag system