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Research · Compact Cars · 2 NHTSA variants

2004 Audi A4Recalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 189 owner complaints for the 2004 Audi A4. Most complaints involve fuel system, gasoline (46) and air bags (26). The EPA rates it 19–23 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
19–23mpg
EPA · 11 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
3campaigns
Latest Jun 2016
Owner complaints
189
Top: fuel system, gasoline
Fuel cost / yr
$3,450est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

3 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2008 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling model year 2004 Audi A4 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jun 1, 2016NHTSA 16V382000

Engine and engine cooling: engine

Free remedy

The Gates Corporation (Gates) is recalling certain aftermarket Tru-Flow Water Pumps, part number TFW 41127, sold at certain NAPA Auto Parts and/or installed by automotive service technicians after November 1, 2013 (and manufactured August 2013 through October 2013) that have a black-colored pulley/sprocket or do not have 'US9377' stamped on the water pump housing. These service replacement parts were sold for use in model year 1999-2005 Audi A4, 2000-2006 Audi TT, 1998-2005 Volkswagen Beetle, 1999-2006 Golf, 1999-2008 and 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2000-2005 Volkswagen Passat. In the affected water pumps, the pulley or sprocket that turns the timing belt may develop microfractures causing the timing belt to fail.

Engine and engine coolingReported Mar 7, 2014NHTSA 14E007000

Exterior lighting: headlights

Free remedy

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF XENON HEADLAMP COATING DEGRADATION OVER TIME. THE LUMINOUS TRANSMITTANCE OF THE HEADLAMP MAY DECREASE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

Exterior lightingReported Mar 15, 2005NHTSA 05V096000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

189 complaints filed with NHTSA · May 2004 – May 2023
  1. Fuel system, gasoline46
  2. Air bags26
  3. Engine and engine cooling18
  4. Visibility16
  5. Vehicle speed control16
  6. Tires16
  7. Electrical system15
  8. Exterior lighting14
  9. Power train12

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

By model year

Complaints for each A4 model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
199692
199799
1998258
1999190
200096
2001130
2002189
2003215
2004189
2005219
2006298
2008191
2009144
201064
201142
201245
2013111
201476
201544
201626
201783
20198
2020158
Crashes reported
8
Fires reported
3
Injuries reported
6
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Fuel system, gasoline

46 reports1 crash1 fire
“FUEL PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. LUCKILY, WAS ABLE TO EXIT, BUT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. SIMILAR EXPERIENCE TO THE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ALREADY FILED. SAME MODEL FROM PREVIOUS YEAR RECALLED FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, BUT AUDI HAS NOT DONE SO FOR 2004 WHICH IT SHOULD DEFINITELY DO! OUR CAR HAS LESS THAN 60,000 MILES, AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING! ALSO HAD TO REPLACE COILS BEFORE AUDI EVENTUALLY RECALLED, BUT THEY DID NOT REFUND THE FULL. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 15, 2011Fuel system, gasolineODI 10435960

Air bags

26 reports6 crashes1 fire
“******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS REQUESTED BY THE CONSUMER THAT THEY WISH TO HAVE IT REMOVED*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 5, 2023Air bagsODI 11520694

Engine and engine cooling

18 reports
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO A LACK OF LUBRICATION AND AN INTERNAL COMPRESSION FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE ENGINE WAS REBUILT. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCES THE FAILURE WITH THE SPORADIC ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED HE PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AS A MULTI-CYLINDER MISFIRE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH HIS SAFETY WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 04/25/11 *BF UPDATED 04/27/11”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 7, 2011Engine and engine coolingODI 10395202
All 2004 A4 problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

11 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Compact Cars, Small Station Wagons
Engines
1.8L 4-cyl turbo · 3.0L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Manual 5-spd · Manual 6-spd · Automatic (S5)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Premium Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
A4
Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · Front-Wheel Drive
202723$3,450386
A4
Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · Front-Wheel Drive
202923$3,450386
A4 Avant quattro
Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
192822$3,600404
A4 quattro
Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
192722$3,600404
A4
Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
182621$3,800423
A4 Avant quattro
Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
182621$3,800423
A4 quattro
Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
182621$3,800423
A4 Avant quattro
Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
162319$4,200468
A4 Avant quattro
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
162419$4,200468
A4 quattro
Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
162319$4,200468
A4 quattro
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
162419$4,200468
  • A4
    Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    20 city · 27 hwy · $3,450/yr
    23
    mpg comb.
  • A4
    Man 5-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    20 city · 29 hwy · $3,450/yr
    23
    mpg comb.
  • A4 Avant quattro
    Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    19 city · 28 hwy · $3,600/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • A4 quattro
    Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    19 city · 27 hwy · $3,600/yr
    22
    mpg comb.
  • A4
    Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 26 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • A4 Avant quattro
    Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    18 city · 26 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • A4 quattro
    Auto (S5), 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Turbo
    18 city · 26 hwy · $3,800/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • A4 Avant quattro
    Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    16 city · 23 hwy · $4,200/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • A4 Avant quattro
    Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    16 city · 24 hwy · $4,200/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • A4 quattro
    Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    16 city · 23 hwy · $4,200/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • A4 quattro
    Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    16 city · 24 hwy · $4,200/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2004 Audi A4 as of Oct 27, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Oct 27, 2026Vehicle 1014Vehicle 1015
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2004 A4 questions

How many recalls does the 2004 Audi A4 have?

3 safety recalls as of Oct 27, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2004 Audi A4 problems?

Owners filed 189 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are fuel system, gasoline (46), air bags (26), engine and engine cooling (18). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2004 Audi A4 get?

The EPA rates the 2004 Audi A4 at 19–23 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (11 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Oct 27, 2026