AUDI A3 · model year

2004 AUDI A3

7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2004AUDIA3 carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2004 A3 is vehicle speed control with 1 filings, followed by tires (1) and vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2004 A3. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

7
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

7 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
TIRES1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20180116FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

READING MY E-MAIL NOTIFICATION FROM NHTSA I FOUND THAT THE RECALL NO. 17V-509 ISSUED TO VWGOA MAY AFFECT AND APPLY TO OUR CAR (AUDI A3 MY 2004 ENGINE 2.0 FSI) SINCE IT HAS THE SAME FAILED PART ON ITS STRUCTURE (1K0 906 093 F). CHECKING THE ENGINES LIST ORIGINALLY ON THE RECALL REPORT FROM AUGUST 16TH 2017 I'VE FOUND THE SAME PART NUMBER INSTALLED IN OUR CAR AND EVEN FORM THE SAME SUPPLIER (KUHNKE AUTOMOTIVE GMBH). IT'S NOT A NEW CAR BUT CONSIDERING IT'S A POTENTIAL FAILURE TO OCCUR WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING SINCE THE INSTALLED PART NUMBER IS THE SAME, THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH IS PRESENT ACCORDONG TO THE DECLARATION IN THE SAFETY RECALL REPORT. HOW SHOULD I CONTACT AUDI IN MEXICO OR USA TO ASK FOR THE NECESSARY INVESTIGATION OR ACTIONS? OF COURSE IT0'S OUT OF WARRANTY PERIOD BUT THE RISK COULD BE PRESENT IN MY CAR.

Mileage: 75,000

20040310POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION FAILURE--LOCKED OUT OF REVERSE.*AK

20040305EXTERIOR LIGHTING:FOG LIGHTS

BLINDING GLARE FROM THE HID HEADLIGHTS, COUPLED WITH USE OF "FOG LIGHTS" WHEN NO FOG PRESENT. I FIND IT HARDER EACH YEAR TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO THE SITUATION WHICH OFTEN CAUSE YOU TO LOOSE SIGHT OF THE ROAD AHEAD. THE HID LIGHTS MAYU BE WITHIN "SPEC", BUT PERHAPS THE SPEC FOR HID LIUGHTS SHOULD BE CHANGED.*AK

20040305EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

BLINDING GLARE FROM THE HID HEADLIGHTS, COUPLED WITH USE OF "FOG LIGHTS" WHEN NO FOG PRESENT. I FIND IT HARDER EACH YEAR TO DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO THE SITUATION WHICH OFTEN CAUSE YOU TO LOOSE SIGHT OF THE ROAD AHEAD. THE HID LIGHTS MAYU BE WITHIN "SPEC", BUT PERHAPS THE SPEC FOR HID LIUGHTS SHOULD BE CHANGED.*AK

20040203VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHEN DRIVING AT A MODERATE SPEED VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. DRIVER HAD TO PUT VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND APPLY THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO GET THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN, AND EVENTUALLY TO STOP. *AK

Mileage: 2,500

20031111TIRES

GENTLEMEN, PURCHASE A NEW 2004 AUDI A4, DROVE OFF THE LOT AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 3 BLOCKS BEFORE THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT! TURNS OUT A FLAT 3" PIECE OF METAL COMPLETELY PIERCED THROUGH THE TIRE AND WHEEL! THIS CAR WAS ORDERED WITH A 18" WHEEL AND TIRE PACKAGE CALLED THE "ULTRA SPORT PACKAGE." AUDI CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS NOT INTERESTED IN LOOKING INTO THIS UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE BEYOND TALKING TO THE DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I HAVE BEEN IN THE AUTO BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH UNUSUAL WHEEL DAMAGE. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT I AM THE SECOND PERSON WITH NEARLY IDENTICAL WHEEL FAILURE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP! I CONTACTED AUDI AGAIN AND INFORMED THEM OF MY FINDINGS. THEY STILL SHOWED NO INTEREST. I INFORMED AUDI'S REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WOULD BE CONTACTING YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ENDED THE CONVERSATION. IT IS MY BELIEVE THAT THE 18" WHEELS ON MY CAR ARE UNSAFE AND DO NOT MEET FEDERAL IMPACT STANDARDS. THE DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE WHO INFORMED ME OF THE

Mileage: 16

20031016VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CAR WILL TOTALLY FAIL TO ACCELERATE. PRESSING THE GAS TO THE FLOOR RESULTS IN ALMOST NO MOVEMENT. THIS HAPPENS AFTER HITTING THE BRAKES AND THEN THE GAS, USUALLY DURING ROUTING TRAFFIC OR AN AVOIDANCE MANEUVER. THIS WILL GET SOMEONE (ME) KILLED. *LA

Mileage: 2,800

Compare 2004AUDIA3 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2004 AUDI A3 have?
The 2004 AUDI A3 has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 AUDI A3?
The most-complained component for the 2004 AUDI A3 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL.
Is the 2004 AUDI A3 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.