131 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Audi A4 cite air bags, 69% of all 191 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 4 recalls on this component.
“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 NHTSA·Filed Apr 20, 2026·Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11732410
“Audi is wanting me and another driver to drive 2.5 hours to their dealer drop off the car for repairs, then drive back. Then after the repairs are complete make that trip again. They want us to spend 20 man hours driving, plus gas, food, and mileage. None of this is reimbursed. I have called and written Audi several times with the same answer. This is unreasonable when they have a local VW dealer and other Audi certified mechanics that can do the job within 20 minutes. Our zip code is [XXX] . [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Feb 2, 2026·Air bagsODI 11715084
“i was in a pretty bad car accident, the car was totaled but the air bags didn’t deploy and i slammed my head on my steering wheel, i got side swiped and the driver door wasn’t able to be opened i had to kick it open and the front of the car hit a concrete pole going roughly 35 mph or more.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Aug 15, 2022·Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11479453
“I HAVE CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND REACHED OUT TO THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER ON THEIR WEBSITE NUMEROUS TIMES OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD (AT THE VERY LEAST SINCE AUDI ANNOUNCED AGREED TO THE REPAIRS). I KEEP ON RECEIVING NOTICE POSTCARDS FROM AUDI TO HAVE THIS SCHEDULED WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP. WHEN I CALL THEY KEEP TELLING ME TO BE PATIENT, THEY WILL CALL ME WHEN ONE COMES IN. I HAVE STARTED TO RECEIVE POSTCARDS FROM ANOTHER DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE REPAIR...ONLY THIS DEALER IS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN CALIFORNIA! IT DOES NOT SEEM TO ME WHEN I CONTACT AUDI OF AMERICA THEY DON'T REALLY CARE. I ONLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES ON THE CAR BECAUSE I DON'T DRIVE IT WITH MY FAMILY ABOARD(BECAUSE OF THE FACTORY INSTALLED TAKATA FRONT PASSENGER ANTI PERSONNEL DEVICE). THE ONLY HELP FROM AUDI WAS IN THE FROM OF A RECOMMENDATION "DO NOT" USE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. TO RECAP 12 YEAR OLD VEHICLE, I BELIEVE I LIVE IN ZONE2, NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO BOTH AUDI OF AMERICA AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, RECALL NOTICES FROM CALIFORNIA! *****UPDATE: AS I WAS ABOUT TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT I DECIDED TO CALL BENZEL BUSCH AUDI TO CHECK. AND MIRACULOUSLY THEY HAVE ONE. I WAS TOLD BY AUDI OF AMERICA THROUGH…”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Jan 8, 2020·Air bagsODI 11297988
“TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED AUDI NORTH MIAMI (1995 NE 142ND ST, NORTH MIAMI, FL 33181, (305) 952-5900) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER. THE DEALER FAILED TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT UNTIL THE CONTACT MADE SEVERAL ADDITIONAL CALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Aug 12, 2019·Air bagsODI 11243289
“TAKATA RECALL- MY AUDI IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE AIRBAGS THAT ARE DEFECTIVE AND WILL KILL.TAKATA RECALL DEALER FAILED TO DO THE RECALL. IT'S BEEN A MONTHS NOW. SO IT'S DANGEROUS DRIVING THE CAR WITHOUT FIXING THE AIRBAG PROBLEM, IN CASE OF A CRASH. DEALER IS AUDI OF PEABODY MA”
Owner complaint to NHTSA·Filed Apr 23, 2019·Electrical system, Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11203027
Showing 6 of 131 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan, 2007-2008 RS4 Sedan, 2004 RS4 Cabriolet, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2005-2011 A6 Sedan, 2006-2011 A6 Avant, and 2007-2011 S6 Sedan vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the 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."
Additionally, unless included in "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Avant, A4 Sedan, A6 Sedan, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan vehicles, 2007-2008 A4 Cabriolet, RS4 Sedan, S4 Cabriolet and S6 Sedan vehicles, and 2006-2008 A6 Avant and 2008 RS4 Cabriolet vehicles originally sold, or ever 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 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.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Audi A4, A5, and Q5 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the air bag control units may corrode and fail.