Problems · by component
2003 Audi A4 Cabriolet power train problems
44 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2003 Audi A4 Cabriolet cite power train, 20% of all 215 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
44
20% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“2003 AUDI A4 3.0 CABRIOLET CONVERTIBLE STARTED SHIFTING ROUGH AND HESITANT AND SHUT OFF, CRANKED BACK UP WENT INTO LIMP MODE AND ALL THE SHIFTING GEAR LIGHTS CAME ON R N D 2 , BARELY MADE IT BACK HOME, PUT CODE READER ON CAR HAD A LOT OF CODES ON IT I RESET CODES BUT RND2 LIGHTS STILL ON , POSSIBLE BAD TCM?”
“TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF DRIVE WHILE DRIVING INTO LIKE NEUTRAL AND WHEN I ACCELERATE THE CAR DOES NOT MOVE AND COMES TO A FULL STOP AND I HAVE TO STOP AND TURN THE CAR ON AND OFF TILL IT WORKS AGAIN”
“ON JANUARY 28, 2019 I WAS DRIVING TO MY MEDICAL APPOINTMENT AT 35 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY CAR FROZE UP THEN BUCKED AND NOW NO LONGER THE TRANSMISSION WILL NO LONGER ENGAGE. UPON RESEARCH AUDI HAS KNOWN OF THIS TRANSMISSION HAVING SERIOUS FAULTS AND THAT IT WILL BREAK DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. AUDI HAS REFUSED TO DO ANY RECALL ON THESE TRANSMISSIONS, EVEN AFTER A CLASS ACTION THAT WAS SETTLED, AUDI WILL NOT DO ANY RECALL.”
“THE CONSTANTLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) OF MY 2003 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET 1.8T WITH JUST 86,000 MILES ON IT IS FAULTY, AND HAS CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO STALL OUT ON FOUR OCCASIONS, TWICE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP AT A STOP SIGN AND WHILE PARKING, AND TWICE WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WHILE ACCELERATING AT A SPEED OF 35 AND 60 MPH, ON A CITY ROAD AND ONCE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE. THE VEHICLE MUST BE RESTARTED TO DRIVE, AND HAS JUST BARELY SPUTTERED BACK TO LIFE IN MY FOUR EXPERIENCES SO FAR. AUDI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND HAS SETTLED A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN THE PAST, ALTHOUGH THE SETTLEMENT EXPIRED MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO LEAVING OWNERS LIKE MYSELF ON THE HOOK FOR COSTLY REPAIRS, AND LEFT WITH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE IN THE MEAN TIME. AUDI SHOULD RECALL ALL AUDI A4 1.8T CVT TRANSMISSIONS FROM 2003 TO 2006 AND PERMENTANTLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED.”
“I BOUGHT AN USED 2003 AUDI A4. I PUT IT IN REVERSE AND IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THEN THE DASH WHERE THE GEARS SHOW WHAT GEAR YOU'RE IN STARTED FLASHING. IT SHOWED A P0706 CODE. THIS HAPPENS SO OFTEN THAT ONE OF THESE TIMES I AM GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR HAS OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT, BUT HOW CAN IT BE MY FAULT THAT THE OTHER OWNERS DID NOT TAKE IT IN TO GET THIS WELL KNOWN MODULE REPAIR FIXED. WHEN I AM PARKED FLAT I CAN USUALLY GET IT IN REVERSE AFTER 4-5 TIMES OF TRYING. BUT...WHEN I AM ON ANY SLANT IT TAKES AT LEAST 10 TIMES OF TRYING ALMOST TO THE POINT OF GETTING OUT AND PUSHING IT IN REVERSE MYSELF!! ONE OF THESE DAYS I AM GOING TO HIT A CAR BEHIND ME TRYING TO GET OUT OF MY PARKING SPOT!! I KNOW THERE WAS A RECALL AND I'M JUST WONDERING WHY A CURRENT OWNER OF THE CAR THAT OBVIOUSLY IS DOING THIS CAN'T GET IT FIXED AS THERE WAS A RECALL.”
“MY 2003 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET HAS THE INFAMOUS P0706 CODE, WHICH IS A ERROR CODE INDICATING THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. IN MY CASE, MY AUDI SLIPS WHILE REVERSING AND CAUSES A HAZARD WHEN I AM REVERSING, ESPECIALLY WHILE IN A TIGHT OR CLUTTERED SPOT. IT ALSO HAS THE PRND BLINKING DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. MANY OTHER AUDI A4S WITH CVT TRANSMISSIONS HAVE HAD THIS FAILURE, WHICH HAS LED TO A LAWSUIT. I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER THAT STATED I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET A FREE REPAIR, BUT I WAS REFUSED BECAUSE MY CAR HAD OVER 100000 MILES ON IT, BUT THE PROBLEM OCCURRED LONG BEFORE THAT. I NEED TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.”
Showing 6 of 44 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.