2020 Audi A4

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2020 Audi A4 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2020 vehicle, but with only 230 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 electrical system (91 complaints), typically at 5.7 yr or about 54,000 miles.

Complaints: 230
Median age at failure: 5.7 yr
Median mileage: 54,000 n=4
Crash / fire / tow: 0.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

22V034000 2022-01-26

Tires

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.

Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

21V295000 2021-04-26

Suspension:rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.

A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 2.9 yr in service

Emergency Call SOS module function is inoperative. Cannot use the SOS function and hands-free cell phone use through Bluetooth is also inoperative. Went to dealer on 8/31/22 for repair/replacement of module as instructed in Audi Service Action 90T2. I was told the repair is covered by the vehicle warranty. Part is still back-ordered (as of 11/25.2022) and no one can tell me when, or if, it will be available. No ETA as of today. In the meantime I am driving an unsafe vehicle, with no SOS call function, and no hands-free cell phone feature available.

Electrical system mileage not reported 3.3 yr in service

This safety issue concerns the MMI system. In my state of MA we cannot use a cell phone while driving. The car's MMI system does not connect to the MMI and hands free calling cannot be done. The dealership and Audi have indicated there is no fix for this. The MMI does not currently have any functionality inclusive of various car warnings.

Electrical system mileage not reported 5.3 yr in service

Audi mmi keeps turning off even when driving. Wu e I drive it turns off multiple times leaving me with no connection to the car info system.

Other mileage not reported 3.3 yr in service

This safety issue concerns the MMI system. In my state of MA we cannot use a cell phone while driving. The car's MMI system does not connect to the MMI and hands free calling cannot be done. The dealership and Audi have indicated there is no fix for this. The MMI does not currently have any functionality inclusive of various car warnings.

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.

2020 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