Problems · NHTSA complaints

2008 Audi A4 Cabriolet problems

Owners filed 191 complaints about the 2008 Audi A4 Cabriolet with NHTSA between Sep 2008 and Apr 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (131).

Complaints
191
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags131
  2. Engine13
  3. Power train13
  4. Exterior lighting11
  5. Electrical system9
  6. Fuel/propulsion system8
  7. Tires6
  8. Vehicle speed control5
  9. Engine and engine cooling4
  10. Wheels3
  11. Structure3
  12. Fuel system, gasoline3
  13. Visibility/wiper2
  14. Seats1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20081
20095
20105
20116
20123
20133
201410
20156
201648
201761
201827
20197
20201
20211
20222
20231
20241
20251
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

131 reports7 crashes3 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2008 Audi A4. The contact received an unknown recall notice related to the air bags. The contact scheduled an appointment at a dealer and had the recall serviced. The contact then stated that while idle in the parking lot of a hospital, a speeding vehicle clipped the front end, driver's side of her vehicle, which caused the entire front bumper to detach from the vehicle. The driver also hit a gate, guardrail, and utility box in the parking lot. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact was then treated at the hospital for an injury to her neck and left shoulder. The contact sustains severe headaches weeks after the accident. The contact received an X-ray and had been assigned to physical therapy for the next few months. The other driver was not injured as a result of the accident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechanic and was later towed to a storage unit. The contact family member, who is mechanically inclined, stated that the vehicle's air bag sensors were defective. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired by dealer. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 20, 2026Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11732410

Engine

13 reports
“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 worked went to Walmart to get some break fluid and coolent car hot and ac didn't work and something leaking it was brake fluid then check engine light on friend came and checked…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 20, 2024Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11595625

Power train

13 reports
“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 off the RPM drops very fast I also have put in a fuel pressure regulator and a fuel pressure filter just the other day it came out again saying the same thing p0089 Dakota's always…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 23, 2022Power train, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11490502

Exterior lighting

11 reports
“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!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 19, 2019Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 11244938

Electrical system

9 reports1 crash
“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 DOES SMELL LIKE GASOLINE ESPECIALLY IF I JUST PUT GAS. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH GAS I FILL UP MY TANK WITH IT WILL INDICATE I HAVE 0 MILES OF GAS IN THE SCREEN AND THE FUEL…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 13, 2021Electrical system, Wheels, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11416393

Fuel/propulsion system

8 reports
“I HAVE HAD REPEATED ISSUES WITH OIL CONSUMPTION. OIL OVERCONSUMPTION HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR 2009-2011 A4S. FOR SOME REASON THE 2008 WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE LAWSUIT. I HAVE HAD TO TOP MY OIL OFF EVERY 3,000 MILES, AT A MINIMUM, FOR THE ENTIRE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEEN A SAFETY ISSUE NUMEROUS TIMES WHERE I WAS NOT CLOSE TO ANY FACILITY THAT SOLD OIL AND WAS FORCED TO DRIVE THE CAR ON LOW OIL A LONG DISTANCE IN ORDER TO TOP IT OFF. I HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH THE HEADLIGHTS BEING DIPPED -- ALSO A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR AND MODEL. THE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WAY INADVANCE OF A NORMAL LIFE EXPECTANCY. AUDI GIVES EXCUSES ON HOW IT CAN BE FIXED (THE PRICES AND REPAIRS WERE INCONSISTENT BETWEEN THE TWO HEADLIGHTS). ONE OF THEM THEY QUOTED ME $1300! WHEN I READ THE SERVICE INFORMATION THEY HAD ONLY REPLACED A BULB!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2015Exterior lighting, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 10786163
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.