2018 Audi A4

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2018 Audi A4 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2018 vehicle, but with only 80 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is other (18 complaints), typically at 6.9 yr.

Complaints: 80
Median age at failure: 6.9 yr
Median mileage: 14,000 n=6
Crash / fire / tow: 1.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

21V874000 2021-11-10

Seats

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.

A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Other mileage not reported 7.9 yr in service

My car's MMI keeps restarting while driving which affects the rear view camera and while backing up it can restart and go completely blank. I feel this puts my safety at risk while backing up. It also shuts down my bluetooth to my phone which can be a hazard while driving. I have called the dealership but they will not do anything without a large diagnosis fee which i cannot afford. They have said there are no recalls against it. No warnings prior to the failure and the failure happens every time I drive it, including multiple times per use.

Other mileage not reported 8.1 yr in service

Drive system malfunction message appeared after starting ignition at 6am before heading to work. Turned car off immediately and took another vehicle to work.

Electrical system mileage not reported 5.6 yr in service

The rear view camera does not activate when using the parking assist or when reversing. The sensors are still functioning as intended. This can cause unintentional accidents or injuries to pedestrians. This issue was brought up with the dealer back in January of 2023. They mentioned the wiring for the rear camera was pinched by the trunk mechanism and because loose. There are no warning lamps displayed on the dash.

Electrical system mileage not reported 6.7 yr in service

SAFETY AND THEFT ISSUE!! The door lock actuators on two doors of vehicle. Front and back seat where children ride. The actuators failed to engage leaving it easy for anyone to open the door from the outside even when presumed locked. Actuators do not engage which leaves vehicles prone to theft and allows anyone to open the door included a child from the inside of the vehicle at any time.

Other A4 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2018 Audi A4

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other A4 model years

How to read this