2017 Audi A4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (17) · Air Bags (8) · Power Train (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2021-11-10 · campaign 21V874000 · 208,332 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Risk: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Service bulletins (754)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
Structure:body 2026-09-18 · TSB_2078648_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Showing the 6 most recent of 754 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 108,902 mi“the contact owns a 2017 audi a4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the brakes engaged independently, hesitated momentarily and then the vehicle operated as intended. a dealer was contacted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake booster needed to be replaced. the brake booster was replac…”
2026-10-16 · Unknown Or Other“i am reporting a recurring safety defect involving the interior speaker trim assemblies on my 2017 audi a4 prestige. the affected speaker trim was previously repaired under an audi safety recall by an authorized audi service provider. this recall repair is documented in audi’s service records. despite the completed recall remedy, the same compone…”
2026-09-11 · Engine“my initial water pump from audi was replaced via recall. then i recently changed the thermostat hose and my water pump started leaking again. can you please look into these faulty water pumps? …”
2025-12-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i have been trying to register my vehicle in california for several months, however, in order to do so, i need the car to pass smog. initially i was told that the issue was related to an emissions sensor and that i had to drive the vehicle a few more miles to get the sensor to register properly. this turned out not to be the case. a short time l…”
2025-08-25 · Exterior Lighting“the headlights on my 2017 audi a4 have developed stress cracks in the headlamp housing. according to the inspection performed by an authorized audi dealer, these cracks will obscure headlight projection and lower the visibility range at night. the dealer specifically noted there were no signs of outside influence or misuse, and the issue is likely …”
2024-12-20 · Unknown Or Other“the audi "drive select" transmission function switches to "sports mode" in rain and snow. this makes the vehicle dangerously jumpy in slippery conditions. this has happened to me (i think) three times in the last couple of years, always in rain or snow. my knowledge of the car allowed me to slowly delve into the screen functions to reprogram the …”
2024-10-16 · Engine“audi a4 water pump and thermostat failure. vw/ audi usa had a recall on this issue for several models including the audi a4 models thru 2016. my car was built in 2016 with model year 2017 and according to the recall my car did not qualify. since then there has been several class action lawsuits for this same issue. i was fortunate i discove…”
2024-09-11 · Unknown Or Other“randomly, sometimes multiple times in a 30-60 minute time window while driving, the media center turns itself off and reboots. while driving with the navigation system or other key functionality of this system (phone connectivity, radio, etc) the driver suddenly has lost the current connection that was in use. as for the navigation or phone connect…”
2024-07-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the fuel level sensor that is built into the gas tank, sensor #2, has failed and i only had 30,354 miles on the car at the time of failure. audi birmingham, in birmingham, mi, confirmed the failure via a diagnostic test. …”
2024-05-27 · Engine“ every time i start the car, a message comes on saying that the passenger airbag is off even when i have an occupant next to me. i spoke with the dealer and he told me that this recall was claimed and fixed in 2022 in texas by the previous owner but i replied that the problem continues and he told me that this was no longer an audi problem. furthe…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.