2020 Audi S4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (9) · Visibility/Wiper (1) · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi S4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Tires 2022-01-26 · campaign 22V034000 · 31,058 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Risk: Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
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.
Suspension:rear:axle:non-Powered Axle Assembly 2021-04-26 · campaign 21V295000 · 40,993 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Service bulletins (942)
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.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2065871_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides informaiton when dtc b200ff0 is stored.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 942 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-21 · Electrical System“my instrument cluster and its replacements have malfunctioned multiple times. the original instrument cluster/virtual cockpit failed to boot and had a black/blank screen on 4/19/2024 at 29,687 miles and was replaced on 5/15/2024 at 29,923 mi (11/13/23 production). that replacement one worked fine for a while and then did the same thing on 7/15/20…”
2025-08-08 · Electrical System“my instrument cluster and its replacements have malfunctioned multiple times. the original instrument cluster/virtual cockpit failed to boot and had a black/blank screen on 4/19/2024 at 29,687 miles and was replaced on 5/15/2024 at 29,923 mi. that replacement one worked fine for a while and then did the same thing on 7/15/2024 at 33,655 miles and o…”
2025-07-29 · Electrical System“the audi mmi malfunctions and reboots randomly while driving. possibly being a software issue. there is a tsb code that the dealer used to reference for me ( tsb 2078437/1), but i cannot find it on the nhtsa website. the reboot issue shuts off all functions associated with it, including, but not limited to: navigation, rearview camera, and parking …”
2025-07-21 · Unknown Or Other“the mmi reboots continuously throughout my drive - whether it is 1 minute or an hour. it does this without a bluetooth connection or wired connection. there is no ability to use hands free calling, listen to the radio, use apple car play, bluetooth, navigation, back up camera, parking assistance… it is startling to have your camera black out on y…”
2025-07-20 · Unknown Or Other“i am submitting a formal complaint regarding a persistent and dangerous issue with the mmi (multi media interface) system in my 2020 audi s4. since february 2025, the system has been spontaneously rebooting both while the vehicle is idling and in motion. when this occurs, the screen goes black and critical safety systems such as the rearview camer…”
2025-07-17 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“the vehicle software (known as audi mmi) has been continuously rebooting every 30 seconds after the vehicle is started. this causes the entire dashboard (and entertainment screen) to repeatedly reboot which is very distracting while driving. while backing out of a parking spot, the mmi system rebooted which then disconnected my backup camera, blind…”
2025-07-17 · Electrical System“the main infotainment system is stuck restarting every 1-2 minutes. when the car is put into reverse, the rear back up camera will turn off while the vehicle is in motion and not resume.…”
2025-07-06 · Unknown Or Other“the mmi (multimedia interface) screen goes dead and reboots frequently (every 2-5 minutes) while driving. it is extremely frustrating and distracting. in addition, when the screen blacks out while driving in reverse, the backup camera, back up sensors and cross traffic warning systems do not operate until the system reboots, which can take seve…”
2025-06-22 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“the multimedia interface (mmi) touchscreen radio will constantly reboot while driving regardless of variables. diagnosis’ have proven problem to be undeterminable, this is a serious safety concern as i have lost back up camera and other safety features while driving, while i await the system to reboot. this reboot has been occurring non-stop sinc…”
2025-06-17 · Electrical System“my audi has been having an ongoing issue with the mmi rebooting while i am driving. it takes away my ability to see the maps and or hear the map telling me which direction to go. it has not been inspected yet however it is a common issue with the 2020 audi cars that can be replicated however it is not predictable.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.