2005 Audi A4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jun 18, 2026 · 219 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other A4 years
Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 31 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 219 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Audi A4. That ranks 3rd out of 31 A4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (101 complaints, 46%), typically at around 58,700 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 3 fires, 8 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.

Audi A4
Audi A4 B9 in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2005 Audi A4 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Exterior Lighting101 · ~58,700 mi
Air Bags54 · ~59,000 mi
Electrical System24 · ~60,000 mi
Power Train16 · ~48,500 mi
Engine10 · ~130,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline9 · ~50,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling8 · ~53,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control8 · ~59,362 mi
Steering6 · ~56,000 mi
Tires4 · ~80,500 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting problems10146%58,700“dipped headlight” (27%)—
Air Bags problems5425%59,000“takata air bags” (13%)—
Electrical System2411%60,000——
Power Train167%48,500——
Engine105%130,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline94%50,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling84%53,000——
Vehicle Speed Control84%59,362——
Steering63%56,000——
Tires42%80,500——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)31%75,100——
Fuel/propulsion System31%117,000——
Latches/locks/linkages31%75,250——
Structure31%2,200——
Unknown or Other31%117,000——
Visibility31%60,346——
Visibility/wiper21%99,723——
Seat Belts10%———
Service Brakes10%———
Service Brakes, Hydraulic10%15,158——
Suspension10%4,000——
Wheels10%22,603——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 56 complaints
2004: 120042005: 42006: 420062007: 52008: 820082009: 152010: 562010562011: 192012: 2120122013: 162014: 720142015: 112016: 820162017: 302018: 420182020: 42021: 120212022: 12023: 220232025: 12026: 12026

n = 219 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2005 Audi A4 recalls (3)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJun 22, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V427000 · 237,947 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag with an alternate remedy part, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R7. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V382, 17V032 and 18V004 and includes vehicles that may have had their air bag previously replaced under one of those campaigns.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJan 11, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V032000 · 33,421 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Note: This recall has been superseded by recall number 18V427.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJun 1, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V382000 · 194,453 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The contact's husband owned a 2005 Audi A4. The contact received several recall letters and cards from the NHTSA and Audi manufacturer for a Takata Air Bag recall. The contact stated that the last notification received stated that the owner could die if the recall was not completed. The contact was…

Air Bags · received Jun 18, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11744972

The car is completely defective,total engine, gasket,water pump,intake manifold,airbag, transmission,torque,drive shaft, universal joints,all rear axles,wheel bearing,bought at auction Aug 19,2024, $4000, the as is was so small and on the back of a sheet we did not see it,we are senior,

Air Bags · received Jan 6, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11634360

The airbags in our 2005 Audi A4 were recalled. We had the airbag replaced due to the recall in Audi of Stratham, 58 Portsmouth Ave, Stratham, NH 03885 in February 2023. On 12/8/23, my daughter was involved in a serious front-end collation with another vehicle. The airbags in the Audi did not…

Air Bags · received Dec 9, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11559327

Came to a stop sign car completely cut off and wouldn’t start again.

Engine · received Jul 17, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11532629

Headlights flickering. Must turn off the headlights and turn them back on for this issue to go away. All headlight components were replaced including the bulb and this issue still is there. The Audi dealerships seem to not know how to fix this issue. This issue is only on the left side/driver side…

Exterior Lighting · received Aug 10, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11478628

Other Audi A4 years

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See all Audi A4 problems by year, every Audi model, or the Audi VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2005 Audi A4?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 101 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Audi A4?

Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2005 Audi A4 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other A4 model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.