Total Complaints
8 filings
AUDI S4 · model year
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
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.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category 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). 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 1994 S4. 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.
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 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.