2008 Audi A4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Apr 20, 2026 · 175 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other A4 years
Far more complaints than other years 9th of 31 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 175 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Audi A4. That ranks 9th out of 31 A4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (116 complaints, 66%), typically at around 77,000 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 1 fire, 4 injuries. There are 4 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 2008 Audi A4 problems

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

Air Bags116 · ~77,000 mi
Engine13 · ~61,087 mi
Power Train12 · ~66,000 mi
Exterior Lighting11 · ~69,000 mi
Electrical System9 · ~39,600 mi
Fuel/propulsion System8 · ~81,250 mi
Tires6 · ~9,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control5 · ~39,956 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling4 · ~20,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline3 · ~17,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems11666%77,000“takata air bags” (26%)—
Engine137%61,087——
Power Train127%66,000——
Exterior Lighting116%69,000——
Electrical System95%39,600——
Fuel/propulsion System85%81,250——
Tires63%9,000——
Vehicle Speed Control53%39,956——
Engine and Engine Cooling42%20,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline32%17,000——
Structure32%17,000——
Wheels32%2,384——
Unknown or Other21%———
Visibility/wiper21%———
Electronic Stability Control (esc)11%101,000——
Equipment11%12,000——
Seats11%67,000——
Service Brakes11%———
Service Brakes, Hydraulic11%10,000——
Visibility11%62,000——

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 55 complaints
2008: 1200812009: 552010: 5201052011: 662012: 3201232013: 332014: 102014102015: 662016: 422016422017: 55552018: 242018242019: 662020: 1202012021: 112022: 2202222023: 112024: 1202412025: 112026: 220262

n = 175 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2008 Audi A4 recalls (4)

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.

Air bags; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveMay 27, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V376000 · 8,381 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the air bag control unit fails, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69O1.

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 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…

Air Bags · received Apr 20, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 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…

Air Bags · received Feb 2, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11715084

While I was driving on the highway the sunroof (just the window) flew off. I had the sliding roof door closed and only heard a gust of wind initially thinking it just became ajar somehow, but nope the entire window was gone, like the adhesive deteriorated I assume. The sunroof mechanism works…

Unknown or Other · received Jan 11, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11635466

Bought this car from a guy add said car runs great has smog, reg ,ac works great (not )my boyfriend before I could say anything gave guy money and I signed the bill of sale I said should test drive it so drove to my mechanic in vista ca and he said a German car oh boy and I said ouch so he said to…

Engine · received Jun 20, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11595625

Overheating in traffic replaced water pump, gasket. radiator , fan control module, thermostat, and hoses. Happens every summer!!!!! No fluid leakage. Could this be the same problem as the 2013 model recall

Engine · received Jul 21, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11533750

Other Audi A4 years

← 2007 A4 · 2009 A4 →

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

Similar Audi models

Embed this 2008 Audi A4 badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2008 Audi A4?

Owners most often report air bags, engine, power train problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 116 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2008 Audi A4?

Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2008 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 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.