Total Complaints
8 filings
AUDI S4 · model year
8 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994AUDIS4 carries 8 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1994 S4 is fuel system, gasoline:delivery with 4 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 1994 S4. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 4 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
THERE IS A SEVERE SAFETY PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUDI 94S4, OTHER MODEL YEAR S CARS AND OTHER AUDI CARS WITH THE 100 BODY. WHEN THE PLASTIC PART THAT CONNECTS THE THROTTLE BODY TO THE THROTTLE CABLE BREAKS, THE ENGINE GOES UP TO 7000 RPM (OVER RED LINE). IF IN HEAVILY CONGESTED TRAFFIC AS I WAS, THE OWNER RISKS HIS LIFE OR HIS ENGINE. SINCE I DECIDED MY LIFE AND THAT OF MY PASSENGERS WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ENGINE, I LET THE ENGINE RACE AND USED THE BRAKE TO CONTROL SPEED UNTIL I COULD SAFELY GET OFF THE BELTWAY AND ONTO A SIDE ROAD. ONCE THERE, I SAW THAT MY EXHAUST MANIFOLD HAD GOTTEN CHERRY RED WITH AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. THESE CARS NEED IMMEDIATE RECALL AS A SAFETY MEASURE AND THE PART REPLACED WITH METAL. FAILURE WAS WITHOUT WARNING, CAR''S SPEED BEGAN TO INCREASE WITHOUT WARNING AND THROTTLE PRESSURE HAD NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER. LESS SKILLFUL PERSON WOULD HAVE PANICKED AND CAUSED SEVERE PILE-UP IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. MANY OTHER AUDI OWNERS HAVE REPORT
Mileage: 165,000
THERE IS A SEVERE SAFETY PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUDI 94S4, OTHER MODEL YEAR S CARS AND OTHER AUDI CARS WITH THE 100 BODY. WHEN THE PLASTIC PART THAT CONNECTS THE THROTTLE BODY TO THE THROTTLE CABLE BREAKS, THE ENGINE GOES UP TO 7000 RPM (OVER RED LINE). IF IN HEAVILY CONGESTED TRAFFIC AS I WAS, THE OWNER RISKS HIS LIFE OR HIS ENGINE. SINCE I DECIDED MY LIFE AND THAT OF MY PASSENGERS WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ENGINE, I LET THE ENGINE RACE AND USED THE BRAKE TO CONTROL SPEED UNTIL I COULD SAFELY GET OFF THE BELTWAY AND ONTO A SIDE ROAD. ONCE THERE, I SAW THAT MY EXHAUST MANIFOLD HAD GOTTEN CHERRY RED WITH AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE. THESE CARS NEED IMMEDIATE RECALL AS A SAFETY MEASURE AND THE PART REPLACED WITH METAL. FAILURE WAS WITHOUT WARNING, CAR''S SPEED BEGAN TO INCREASE WITHOUT WARNING AND THROTTLE PRESSURE HAD NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER. LESS SKILLFUL PERSON WOULD HAVE PANICKED AND CAUSED SEVERE PILE-UP IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. MANY OTHER AUDI OWNERS HAVE REPORT
Mileage: 165,000
BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. DEALER HAS REDONE BRAKES TWICE.*AK
RECALL OOV068000; KY CONSUMER CONTACTED T MANUFACTURER, MANUFACTURER STATED THIS VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. CONSUMER NOTED IN COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAKS AT THE LINE, LINES ARE VERY WET. ALSO, A GAS SMELL IN PASSENGER'S COMPARTMENT. *AK
INTERMITTENT FUEL LINE LEAK NEAR EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND TURBOCHARGER. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING SMELLED FUEL INSIDE VEHICLE. DEALER STATED FUEL LINE HAD A LEAK. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
FUEL SUPPLY LINE LEAKS. *AK
THE FUEL LINE WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING GASOLINE RATHER HEAVILY. THE LEAK OCCURED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE EXHAUST AND TURBOCHARGER. THE FAILED FULE LINE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN JANUARY 1997 AT ABOUT 61,622 MILES FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE CAR WAS EXAMINED BY DEALER PERSONNEL FOR COMPLAINTS OF GASOLINE SMELL AND LEAKING FUEL LINE ON TWO PRIOR OCCASIONS IN 1996. THE INITIAL FAILURE WAS REPAIRED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE SECOND FAILURE (1999) WAS REPAIRED AT THE MANUFACTURER'S EXPENSE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1994 AUDI S4; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.