2009 Audi A4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (31) · Air Bags (31) · Steering (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
71 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-01-11 · campaign 17V032000 · 33,421 vehicles
Defect: 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, Volkswag
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 Note: This recall has been superseded by recall number 18V427.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:sensor/Control Module-Inactive 2016-05-27 · campaign 16V376000 · 8,381 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Service bulletins (775)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-07-09 · SM 01-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-22 · TSB_2070568_6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the vas 611 015 pico-nvh tool
Unknown Or Other 2025-08-19 · TSB_2070568_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the vas 611 015 pico-nvh tool
Unknown Or Other 2025-07-10 · TSB_2070568_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the vas 611 015 pico-nvh tool
Engine 2025-03-12 · TSB_2075530_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds.
Electrical System 2024-12-06 · A2724842074729_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information in circumstances where there are noises/vibration from front of vehicle in dynamic mode.
Showing the 6 most recent of 775 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-12-23 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control · 🔥 fire“i own a 2009 audi a4. on the month of october 2024 my transmission failed. i towed my car to a mechanic who then replaced my transmission i picked up my car on december 11 2024 at 7 am from audi of fresno. i have had no prior issues and like always i expect a dealership to inspect a new vehicle that comes in ,as i have never been able to get work d…”
2024-08-05 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“the negligent driver yielded to the flow of traffic without stopping. when he collided with us, the airbags (exploded) deployed so strongly that they damaged the windshield and our bodies: face, neck, etc. our beloved audi a4 2009 was totaled and after that we had several operations: 2 eye operations (need 2 more), dental surgeries, 3 neck surgerie…”
2024-03-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the turbo sounds like it's not going in/out of gear, oil going into spark plugs, radiator fluid leaking system getting real hot. low engine poer picking up speed an issue. air bag rear brake light malfunction, oil pressure not correct…”
2021-12-28 · Electrical System“on sunday december 19, 2021, while driving home the warning light for the battery/alternator flashed on with an associated beep warning. an estimated 30 miles later all electrical and motor functions died while i was in heavy traffic. i was able to pull off onto a narrow shoulder up a steep hill and park. all functions quit, i could not come out of…”
2021-07-23 · Steering“i bought the car recently and drove it on the freeway, on the way back home i noticed a shaking/vibration coming from the right side of the vehicle. it made the car very hard to control and staying in one lane was almost impossible. it swerves left to right uncontrollably at random times. i haven't taken it in to any dealership or manufacturer to …”
2020-01-07 · Engine · 93,420 mi“purchased vehicle 8/15/19 at select motors inc, smyrna tn. clean car fax report. ongoing oil consumption issues. intake camshaft locked up following oil consumption test at audi of nashville. not driveable now. audi of nashville quoted cylinder head and associated parts, timing chain, tensioner, cam adjuster and pistons. tsb-2027731-8 brought to my…”
2019-09-03 · Unknown Or Other“engine coolant and engine light etc came on. the vehicle was on the highway. i have a small child. based on the audi message my vehicle could catch on fire.please send me info to have this problem corrected.…”
2019-05-13 · Engine · 97,000 mi“driving vehicle and it started shaking. got the car home and when i shut it off and turned it back on it rattled and sounded like metal. i was able to get it to the dealership. i had it checked by mechanic and he told me that the timing chain and tensioner were the problem and i was just two months out of warranty. the next day the dealership ca…”
2019-04-16 · Air Bags“takata inflator: for at least 2 years, if not more, we have received recall notices from audi usa to call our local service agent and make an appointment to go in and have the airbags changed. we have contacted them asking for an appointment to have this work done on an almost monthly basis and they never have the replacement part. the a4 has be…”
2019-03-08 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2009 audi a4. the contact stated that the recall notices for nhtsa campaign numbers: 18v427000 (air bags) and 18v082000 (air bags) were received in 2018. after contacting the dealer (dch millburn, 2211 millburn ave, maplewood, nj) on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.