AUDI A4 · model year

2008 AUDI A4

203 NHTSA complaints, 10 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008AUDIA4 carries 203 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 10 crashes, 1 fire, 4 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 2008 A4 is air bags with 115 filings, followed by engine (13) and power train (12). 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. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2008 A4. 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.

203
Complaints
10
Crashes
1
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

203 filings

Crashes Reported

10 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS115
ENGINE13
POWER TRAIN12
EXTERIOR LIGHTING11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM8
TIRES5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL5
WHEELS3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE3
STRUCTURE:BODY2
VISIBILITY/WIPER2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1

Recalls (4)

16V37600027/05/2016

AIR BAGS

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.

18V42700022/06/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan, 2007-2008 RS4 Sedan, 2004 RS4 Cabriolet, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2005-2011 A6 Sedan, 2006-2011 A6 Avant, and 2007-2011 S6 Sedan vehicles. These vehicles are

17V03200011/01/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, N

16V38200001/06/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, th

Recent Complaints

20260202AIR BAGS

Audi is wanting me and another driver to drive 2.5 hours to their dealer drop off the car for repairs, then drive back. Then after the repairs are complete make that trip again. They want us to spend 20 man hours driving, plus gas, food, and mileage. None of this is reimbursed. I have called and written Audi several times with the same answer. This is unreasonable when they have a local VW dealer and other Audi certified mechanics that can do the job within 20 minutes. Our zip code is [XXX] . [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20250111UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While I was driving on the highway the sunroof (just the window) flew off. I had the sliding roof door closed and only heard a gust of wind initially thinking it just became ajar somehow, but nope the entire window was gone, like the adhesive deteriorated I assume. The sunroof mechanism works perfectly fine. Fortunately if was really early in the morning and to my knowledge no one was on the road, but if they had been an injury or death could have happened!

20240620ENGINE

Bought this car from a guy add said car runs great has smog, reg ,ac works great (not )my boyfriend before I could say anything gave guy money and I signed the bill of sale I said should test drive it so drove to my mechanic in vista ca and he said a German car oh boy and I said ouch so he said to bring it back by after checking it out so he could look in to it further so got in car that had spiderwebs on the motor my guy don't know much about cars so we went back and car stopped steering locked up ignition locked up car shut down in middle of busy traffic and would not turn over nothing so called my apt manager thought out of gas so he got some gas put it in and it started after 1 and a 1/2 hours got to gas station filled it up and started up and got back was scared because of this car people don't care almost got hit a few times so went back to seller gone so tried to find a number none text on face bk market place said this car has problems almost killed us just stopped and nothing

20240620FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Bought this car from a guy add said car runs great has smog, reg ,ac works great (not )my boyfriend before I could say anything gave guy money and I signed the bill of sale I said should test drive it so drove to my mechanic in vista ca and he said a German car oh boy and I said ouch so he said to bring it back by after checking it out so he could look in to it further so got in car that had spiderwebs on the motor my guy don't know much about cars so we went back and car stopped steering locked up ignition locked up car shut down in middle of busy traffic and would not turn over nothing so called my apt manager thought out of gas so he got some gas put it in and it started after 1 and a 1/2 hours got to gas station filled it up and started up and got back was scared because of this car people don't care almost got hit a few times so went back to seller gone so tried to find a number none text on face bk market place said this car has problems almost killed us just stopped and nothing

20240620ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Bought this car from a guy add said car runs great has smog, reg ,ac works great (not )my boyfriend before I could say anything gave guy money and I signed the bill of sale I said should test drive it so drove to my mechanic in vista ca and he said a German car oh boy and I said ouch so he said to bring it back by after checking it out so he could look in to it further so got in car that had spiderwebs on the motor my guy don't know much about cars so we went back and car stopped steering locked up ignition locked up car shut down in middle of busy traffic and would not turn over nothing so called my apt manager thought out of gas so he got some gas put it in and it started after 1 and a 1/2 hours got to gas station filled it up and started up and got back was scared because of this car people don't care almost got hit a few times so went back to seller gone so tried to find a number none text on face bk market place said this car has problems almost killed us just stopped and nothing

20230721ENGINE

Overheating in traffic replaced water pump, gasket. radiator , fan control module, thermostat, and hoses. Happens every summer!!!!! No fluid leakage. Could this be the same problem as the 2013 model recall

20221023FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

2021 I brought an Audi A4 Quattro 2.0 2008 after having a test drive and haven't looked over the mechanic just said it was the fuel pressure high pressure sensor that was not a big deal after an hour buying it it took it to see my mom and it quit on me I had to have it towed home it would not start I took it to the mechanic and the mechanic said the same thing that it was a high pressure fuel pressure sensor so I purchased one and put on it couple months later it did the same thing the check engine light came on and it was told it was fuel pressure high pressure sensor again so I changed a fuel sensor two fuel pumps in the engine to electrical fuel pumps in the back four sensors camshaft sensor the cam follower PPC valves body throttle can follower engine light still comes on the car does not want to seem like it wants to accelerate when it gets to the normal temperature save your driving for 10 or 15 minutes still normal temperature not the radio the temperature it will start to cut o

20221023POWER TRAIN

2021 I brought an Audi A4 Quattro 2.0 2008 after having a test drive and haven't looked over the mechanic just said it was the fuel pressure high pressure sensor that was not a big deal after an hour buying it it took it to see my mom and it quit on me I had to have it towed home it would not start I took it to the mechanic and the mechanic said the same thing that it was a high pressure fuel pressure sensor so I purchased one and put on it couple months later it did the same thing the check engine light came on and it was told it was fuel pressure high pressure sensor again so I changed a fuel sensor two fuel pumps in the engine to electrical fuel pumps in the back four sensors camshaft sensor the cam follower PPC valves body throttle can follower engine light still comes on the car does not want to seem like it wants to accelerate when it gets to the normal temperature save your driving for 10 or 15 minutes still normal temperature not the radio the temperature it will start to cut o

20220815CrashAIR BAGS

i was in a pretty bad car accident, the car was totaled but the air bags didn’t deploy and i slammed my head on my steering wheel, i got side swiped and the driver door wasn’t able to be opened i had to kick it open and the front of the car hit a concrete pole going roughly 35 mph or more.

20210513ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I HAD JUST PUT $35 IN GASSED THE CAR STILL SAID I NEEDED GAS AND THAT I HAD ZERO MILES LEFT OF GAS I MADE A TRIP THAT WAS ABOUT 45 MILES IN DISTANCE. MY CAR WAS THEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 3 TO 4 HOURS THEN IT HAD TROUBLE STARTING AT FIRST BUT TURNED ON AND I PROCEEDED ONTO THE FREEWAY WHICH WAS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARKING LOT I PARKED INSIDE OF. IT WAS ABOUT 9:00 PM AND THANKFULLY THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF CARS OUT. THE ENTRANCE OF THIS FREEWAY CONSIST OF ONE MEDIUM SIZED STEEP HILL WHICH REMAINS TRAVELING UPWARD ONTO A MOUNTAIN WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF MY 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE IN THE CAR AND THANKFULLY WE WERE ON THE LAST LANE DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WERE BARELY ENTERING THE FREEWAY. I PARKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE SKIRT I HAD JUST REPLACED THAT BATTERY EARLIER THAT WEEK (NO MORE THAN 5 DAY BEFORE). I HAD A SMALL GAS CAN IN MY TRUNK AND HAD SOMEONE GO TO THE GAS STATION AND BRING ME THE GALLON OF GAS WHICH I EMPTIED INTO MY CAR AND IT TURNED ON. AT TIMES THE CAR

Mileage: 1,567

20210513FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I HAD JUST PUT $35 IN GASSED THE CAR STILL SAID I NEEDED GAS AND THAT I HAD ZERO MILES LEFT OF GAS I MADE A TRIP THAT WAS ABOUT 45 MILES IN DISTANCE. MY CAR WAS THEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 3 TO 4 HOURS THEN IT HAD TROUBLE STARTING AT FIRST BUT TURNED ON AND I PROCEEDED ONTO THE FREEWAY WHICH WAS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARKING LOT I PARKED INSIDE OF. IT WAS ABOUT 9:00 PM AND THANKFULLY THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF CARS OUT. THE ENTRANCE OF THIS FREEWAY CONSIST OF ONE MEDIUM SIZED STEEP HILL WHICH REMAINS TRAVELING UPWARD ONTO A MOUNTAIN WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF MY 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE IN THE CAR AND THANKFULLY WE WERE ON THE LAST LANE DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WERE BARELY ENTERING THE FREEWAY. I PARKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE SKIRT I HAD JUST REPLACED THAT BATTERY EARLIER THAT WEEK (NO MORE THAN 5 DAY BEFORE). I HAD A SMALL GAS CAN IN MY TRUNK AND HAD SOMEONE GO TO THE GAS STATION AND BRING ME THE GALLON OF GAS WHICH I EMPTIED INTO MY CAR AND IT TURNED ON. AT TIMES THE CAR

Mileage: 1,567

20210513WHEELS

I HAD JUST PUT $35 IN GASSED THE CAR STILL SAID I NEEDED GAS AND THAT I HAD ZERO MILES LEFT OF GAS I MADE A TRIP THAT WAS ABOUT 45 MILES IN DISTANCE. MY CAR WAS THEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 3 TO 4 HOURS THEN IT HAD TROUBLE STARTING AT FIRST BUT TURNED ON AND I PROCEEDED ONTO THE FREEWAY WHICH WAS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARKING LOT I PARKED INSIDE OF. IT WAS ABOUT 9:00 PM AND THANKFULLY THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF CARS OUT. THE ENTRANCE OF THIS FREEWAY CONSIST OF ONE MEDIUM SIZED STEEP HILL WHICH REMAINS TRAVELING UPWARD ONTO A MOUNTAIN WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY SHUT OFF MY 3 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND I WERE IN THE CAR AND THANKFULLY WE WERE ON THE LAST LANE DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WERE BARELY ENTERING THE FREEWAY. I PARKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE SKIRT I HAD JUST REPLACED THAT BATTERY EARLIER THAT WEEK (NO MORE THAN 5 DAY BEFORE). I HAD A SMALL GAS CAN IN MY TRUNK AND HAD SOMEONE GO TO THE GAS STATION AND BRING ME THE GALLON OF GAS WHICH I EMPTIED INTO MY CAR AND IT TURNED ON. AT TIMES THE CAR

Mileage: 1,567

20200108AIR BAGS

I HAVE CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND REACHED OUT TO THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER ON THEIR WEBSITE NUMEROUS TIMES OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD (AT THE VERY LEAST SINCE AUDI ANNOUNCED AGREED TO THE REPAIRS). I KEEP ON RECEIVING NOTICE POSTCARDS FROM AUDI TO HAVE THIS SCHEDULED WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP. WHEN I CALL THEY KEEP TELLING ME TO BE PATIENT, THEY WILL CALL ME WHEN ONE COMES IN. I HAVE STARTED TO RECEIVE POSTCARDS FROM ANOTHER DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE REPAIR...ONLY THIS DEALER IS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN CALIFORNIA! IT DOES NOT SEEM TO ME WHEN I CONTACT AUDI OF AMERICA THEY DON'T REALLY CARE. I ONLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES ON THE CAR BECAUSE I DON'T DRIVE IT WITH MY FAMILY ABOARD(BECAUSE OF THE FACTORY INSTALLED TAKATA FRONT PASSENGER ANTI PERSONNEL DEVICE). THE ONLY HELP FROM AUDI WAS IN THE FROM OF A RECOMMENDATION "DO NOT" USE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. TO RECAP 12 YEAR OLD VEHICLE, I BELIEVE I LIVE IN ZONE2, NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO BOTH AUDI OF AMERICA AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, RECALL NOTICES FROM

20190819ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT FLICKERS , DIES OUT. WHILE IN MOTION OR STATIONARY , THE LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT WILL FLICKER REPEATEDLY AND DIE OUT. TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON FIXES THE ISSUE FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE FLICKERING STARTS UP AGAIN AND EVERY 5 MINUTES THE LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AGAIN. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING FOR NOT ONLY SAFETY REASONS , BUT FOR LEGAL REASONS AS WELL GIVEN THAT I HAVE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON EVERY 5 MINUTES TO AVOID BREAKING THE LAW BY DRIVING WITH A HEADLIGHT OUT AT NIGHT. THIS ORIGIN OF THIS ISSUE IS UNKNOWN , BUT IT SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON AND IT WARRANTS A RECALL CONSIDERING HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE WITH THE 2008 LINE OF AUDI A4 VEHICLES POINTS TO A MASS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. IT IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS IT IS ILLEGAL! THIS WIDESPREAD ISSUE DEMANDS A RECALL!

20190819EXTERIOR LIGHTING

LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT FLICKERS , DIES OUT. WHILE IN MOTION OR STATIONARY , THE LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT WILL FLICKER REPEATEDLY AND DIE OUT. TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON FIXES THE ISSUE FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE FLICKERING STARTS UP AGAIN AND EVERY 5 MINUTES THE LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AGAIN. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING FOR NOT ONLY SAFETY REASONS , BUT FOR LEGAL REASONS AS WELL GIVEN THAT I HAVE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON EVERY 5 MINUTES TO AVOID BREAKING THE LAW BY DRIVING WITH A HEADLIGHT OUT AT NIGHT. THIS ORIGIN OF THIS ISSUE IS UNKNOWN , BUT IT SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON AND IT WARRANTS A RECALL CONSIDERING HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE WITH THE 2008 LINE OF AUDI A4 VEHICLES POINTS TO A MASS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. IT IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS IT IS ILLEGAL! THIS WIDESPREAD ISSUE DEMANDS A RECALL!

20190812AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED AUDI NORTH MIAMI (1995 NE 142ND ST, NORTH MIAMI, FL 33181, (305) 952-5900) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER. THE DEALER FAILED TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT UNTIL THE CONTACT MADE SEVERAL ADDITIONAL CALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20190807AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL

Mileage: 110,000

20190807ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TAKATA RECALL

Mileage: 110,000

20190807POWER TRAIN

TAKATA RECALL

Mileage: 110,000

20190423CrashAIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL- MY AUDI IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE AIRBAGS THAT ARE DEFECTIVE AND WILL KILL.TAKATA RECALL DEALER FAILED TO DO THE RECALL. IT'S BEEN A MONTHS NOW. SO IT'S DANGEROUS DRIVING THE CAR WITHOUT FIXING THE AIRBAG PROBLEM, IN CASE OF A CRASH. DEALER IS AUDI OF PEABODY MA

Mileage: 11,200

Compare 2008AUDIA4 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 AUDI A4 have?
The 2008 AUDI A4 has 203 NHTSA complaints, 10 crashes, 1 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 AUDI A4?
Yes, the 2008 AUDI A4 has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 AUDI A4?
The most-complained component for the 2008 AUDI A4 is AIR BAGS with 115 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2008 AUDI A4 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.