2006 Audi A4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other A4 years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- 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.

- 295owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 8complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2006 Audi A4 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems | 159 | 54% | 56,250 | “dipped headlight” (37%) | $770 |
| Air Bags problems | 73 | 25% | 98,500 | “takata air bags” (30%) | — |
| Electrical System | 21 | 7% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 15 | 5% | 90,438 | — | — |
| Power Train | 14 | 5% | 58,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 2% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 2% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 2% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 2% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 2% | 27,100 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 1% | 40,800 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 1% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 1% | 40,800 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 1% | 75,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 147,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 146,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 55 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | 165,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 88,434 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2006 Audi A4 recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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 module
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 module
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
Other Audi A4 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 A4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 A4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 A4 | 10 | 0 |
| 2022 A4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2021 A4 | 11 | 4 |
| 2020 A4 | 128 | 3 |
| 2019 A4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2018 A4 | 44 | 1 |
| 2017 A4 | 55 | 1 |
| 2016 A4 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 A4 | 19 | 0 |
| 2014 A4 | 32 | 0 |
| 2013 A4 | 24 | 0 |
| 2012 A4 | 19 | 0 |
| 2011 A4 | 11 | 0 |
| 2010 A4 | 64 | 0 |
| 2009 A4 | 120 | 2 |
| 2008 A4 | 175 | 4 |
| 2007 A4 | 196 | 3 |
| 2006 | 295 | 3 |
| 2005 A4 | 219 | 3 |
| 2004 A4 | 189 | 2 |
| 2003 A4 | 210 | 3 |
| 2002 A4 | 181 | 1 |
| 2001 A4 | 131 | 1 |
| 2000 A4 | 96 | 2 |
| 1999 A4 | 190 | 4 |
| 1998 A4 | 258 | 4 |
| 1997 A4 | 98 | 6 |
| 1996 A4 | 89 | 4 |
| 1995 A4 | 1 | 1 |
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 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.