2008 Audi A4 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Audi A4, 66% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 77,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (26% of reports).
- 116air bags complaints
- 77,000median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 4related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 30 of 116 complaints (26%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 27 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 116 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Audi A4 air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 A4 | 1 | 50% | — |
| 2023 A4 | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2022 A4 | 1 | 17% | 32,400 |
| 2021 A4 | 1 | 9% | 4,000 |
| 2019 A4 | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2018 A4 | 4 | 9% | — |
| 2017 A4 | 13 | 24% | 43,250 |
| 2015 A4 | 1 | 5% | 46,000 |
| 2013 A4 | 1 | 4% | 50,000 |
| 2010 A4 | 1 | 2% | 10 |
| 2009 A4 | 33 | 28% | 85,000 |
| 2008 A4 | 116 | 66% | 77,000 |
| 2007 A4 | 119 | 61% | 78,000 |
| 2006 A4 | 73 | 25% | 98,500 |
| 2005 A4 | 54 | 25% | 59,000 |
| 2004 A4 | 26 | 14% | 78,224 |
| 2003 A4 | 12 | 6% | 72,500 |
| 2002 A4 | 8 | 4% | 80,000 |
| 2001 A4 | 11 | 8% | 80,000 |
| 2000 A4 | 6 | 6% | 55,000 |
| 1999 A4 | 8 | 4% | 53,000 |
| 1998 A4 | 16 | 6% | 84,500 |
| 1997 A4 | 3 | 3% | 148,000 |
| 1996 A4 | 6 | 7% | 27,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
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.
Air bags; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are 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…
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…
i was in a pretty bad car accident, the car was totaled but the air bags didnât deploy and i slammed my head on my steering wheel, i got side swiped and the driver door wasnât 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.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Audi A4s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 116 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Audi A4 (66% of the 175 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Audi A4 air bags?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 77,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Audi A4?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 30 of 116 complaints.
See all 2008 Audi A4 problems or air bags problems across all A4 years.