2006 Audi A4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 13, 2022 · 295 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other A4 years
Far more complaints than other years 1st of 31 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 295 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Audi A4. That is the most of any A4 model year in the database (31 years). The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (159 complaints, 54%), typically at around 56,250 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 4 fires, 5 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 2006 Audi A4 problems

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

Exterior Lighting159 · ~56,250 mi
Air Bags73 · ~98,500 mi
Electrical System21 · ~69,000 mi
Engine15 · ~90,438 mi
Power Train14 · ~58,500 mi
Unknown or Other7 · ~60,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control7 · ~60,500 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling6 · ~71,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion System5 · ~110,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline5 · ~71,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting problems15954%56,250“dipped headlight” (37%)$770
Air Bags problems7325%98,500“takata air bags” (30%)—
Electrical System217%69,000——
Engine155%90,438——
Power Train145%58,500——
Unknown or Other72%60,000——
Vehicle Speed Control72%60,500——
Engine and Engine Cooling62%71,000——
Fuel/propulsion System52%110,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline52%71,000——
Steering52%27,100——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)41%40,800——
Visibility41%44,000——
Service Brakes31%40,800——
Structure31%75,500——
Seats21%147,500——
Tires21%146,000——
Equipment10%96,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%50,000——
Parking Brake10%55——
Seat Belts10%165,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic10%———
Visibility/wiper10%88,434——

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 61 complaints
2006: 5200652007: 222008: 6200862009: 25252010: 612010612011: 26262012: 312012312013: 21212014: 162014162015: 11112016: 262016262017: 40402018: 172018172019: 332020: 3202032021: 112022: 120221

n = 295 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2006 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.

Gas gauge displaying incorrect level of fuel. Oil level notification improperly displaying level of oil.

Fuel/propulsion System · received Sep 13, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11484161

The contact owns a 2006 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the wife crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. During the crash the front driver side air bag did not deploy, however, the passenger side airbag did deploy, and both the front and rear driver side and…

Air Bags · received Nov 8, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11439731

Purchased the vehicle a few months ago (july of 2020). Before buying it i was told that the warning chime for the seatbelt had stopped working , so i took it to my local german auto shop to see what would needed to fix it. To my surprise, it's a part in the instrument cluster that would need to be…

Air Bags · received Sep 28, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11361487

Audi issued a technical service bulletin that i found on your website. This bulletin was regarding the exact parts the dealer (audi) identified as being affected on my car (high pressure fuel pump, cam follower, and corresponding intake camshaft cam lobe). This bulletin (not a recall, but…

Engine · received Sep 15, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11355075

My personal audi a4 was involved in a front end collision on an inner-city road due to loss of friction on frozen ice. Despite there only being a driver present in the car, the driver side airbag from the steering wheel did not activate while the passenger side airbag did. I had already previously…

Air Bags · received Aug 14, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11349273

Other Audi A4 years

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Audi A4?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 159 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2006 Audi A4?

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

Was the 2006 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 2006 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.