AUDI RS 4 · model year

2008 AUDI RS 4

3 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008AUDIRS 4 carries 3 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 2008 RS 4 is suspension:front with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine (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. This model year has 3 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 RS 4. 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.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 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
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1

Recalls (3)

18V08200030/01/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure m

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

Recent Complaints

20100818ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST FOR SERVICE LODGED ON 4 AUGUST 2010. AS PROMISED, I HAVE PROVIDED TO MY DEALERSHIP HERE IN ALASKA. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED ONCE AGAIN IN YOUR LACK OF ATTENTION. I'M NOW GOING TO THE FOLLOWING SITE TO POST THIS COMPLAINT SO OTHERS MAY BE FOREWARNED AT THE LACK OF SERVICE. HTTPS://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/IVOQ/COMPLAINT.CFM MY MESSAGE FROM 4 AUG 2010 THAT WENT UN-ADDRESSED: I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE WAY AUDI IS HANDLING THE INJECTOR AND MISFIRE ON MY 08 RS4. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL AUDI'S AND YOU HAVE NOW PUT MY DEALER IN A POSITION OF NOT ADDRESSING THE REAL ISSUE ON THE POOR RUNNING OF MY AUDI. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WARNING. DIAGNOSTICS REVEALED MISFIRING ON SEVERAL CYLINDERS BUT RATHER THAN ADDRESS THE PROBLEM WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE INJECTORS OR A THOROUGH CLEANING/INSPECTION OF THE VALVES, I'VE BEEN SENT AWAY WITH WHAT AMOUNTS TO AN ENGINE TREATMENT SOLUTION. YOU HAVE NOT ALLOWED MORRISON AUT

Mileage: 18,560

20100604UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I DRIVE A 2008 AUDI RS4, AND MY MPH AND ODOMETER READINGS ARE 10-12% HIGHER THAN ACTUALS. I HAVE VERIFIED THIS SEVERAL WAYS. USING POLICE RADAR VEHICLES, USING GPS, AND USING OTHER CARS TO PACE, AS WELL AS USING THE SPEED CHECK SYSTEMS. ALL OF THEM SHOW I AM DRIVING SLOWER THAN THE ACTUAL DISPLAYED VALUE BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. THIS CAUSES A FEW ISSUES. FIRST I AM RACKING UP MILES ON THE CAR THAT ARE NOT ACTUAL, AFFECTING THE VALUE. SECOND I AM BEING PUT OUT OF VEHICLE WARRANTY 10-12% EARLIER THAN I WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE, A BOON FOR AUDI. THIRD I AM NOT TRAVELING SPEEDS I SAY I AM, WHICH COULD CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. I AM NOT THE ONLY RS4 OWNER WHO HAS NOTICED THIS ISSUE, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY SEVERAL OWNERS NOW AND AUDI HAS YET TO DO ANYTHING. ALSO I AM CONCERNED I WILL BE FORCED OUT OF WARRANTY ON MY VEHICLE EARLIER THAN I PAID FOR, BECAUSE OF THIS. 12% OF THE 48K MILES IS NEARLY 6 MONTHS OF DRIVING. THE 2007 AND 2008 AUDI RS4 APPEAR TO BE THE AFFECTED VEHICLE FROM AUDI. *TR

Mileage: 100

20090727SUSPENSION:FRONT

AUDI RS4 SUSPENSION COMPONENTS FAIL PREMATURELY AND CAN CAUSE HANDLING/CONTROL ISSUES. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE, IT APPEARS TO BE A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITHOUT AN OFFICIAL RECALL. AUDI RS4 SUSPENSION INCLUDES A COMPONENT CALLED DRC (DYNAMIC RIDE CONTROL) WHICH HAS AN OIL-FILLED BUSHING ON TOP OF THE SHOCK STRUT. THIS COMPONENT FAILS REGULARLY AND LEAKS OIL DOWN THE STRUT (SOMETIMES POOLING ON THE GROUND AS IN MY CASE). THE FAILURE CAN AFFECT HANDLING AND RIDE QUALITY OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 11,334

Compare 2008AUDIRS 4 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 AUDI RS 4 have?
The 2008 AUDI RS 4 has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 AUDI RS 4?
Yes, the 2008 AUDI RS 4 has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 AUDI RS 4?
The most-complained component for the 2008 AUDI RS 4 is SUSPENSION:FRONT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 2008 AUDI RS 4 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.