10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,692 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Audi A4 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2005 Audi A4 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Jun 202012

A4

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall Audi has persistently denied anything wrong with the air bags and there is no sufficient process to remedy this. I called the dealership and there is no maintenance or service bulletin available. Audi headlights the left headlight is malfunctioning due to something with the adaptive head lights. Upon steering the car, especially on highway entries and exits, sharp turns, and windy road driving the error "dipped left headlight" will appear. Audi has consistently denied the problem as you need to be on the road for this problem to occur. Even driving to the service mechanic is deadly with only one functioning headlight and has been the only way for a mechanic to determine an issue is occurring. After that, the car must be left on and unlocked while registering the car.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #22

Feb 082016

A4

  • 105,000 miles
My right headlight has been flickering for about 3 months, and a few times it has gone out completely. Turning the headlights off and back on fixes it for a couple days. I waited to take it to the dealer until it needed maintenance, and also so there would be more dtc evidence for them to troubleshoot with. The left headlight started doing the same thing so I took it in. Audi cannot replicate and will not replace the headlights.

- The Woodlands, TX, USA

problem #21

Jul 302015

A4

  • 133,000 miles
Driving down the road and my car starts smoking and catchs on fire

- Wheatland, OK, USA

problem #20

Mar 102006

A4 4-cyl

  • 25,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Bi-xenon driver side headlight goes off randomly while driving at any speeds. Have to power off and on the headlights while driving to get the light to work again. This has been happening for years since I bought the car new. Audi service was never able to admit to the problem or fix it on multiple visits for service on the car. Huge safety issue...

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #19

Jun 182014

A4 4-cyl

  • 101,000 miles
I was driving down the highway and have continuously gotten the "dipped light" warning on my display. My lights procceded to flicker and then shut off. I was driving right next to a car and had to pull over because they wouldn't come on. It took 15 minutes before the headlights returned to normal. I was extremely scared when my headlights turned off. This is a big safety issue and has occurred 3 times since then. I have replaced the bulbs and that did not solve the problem. I know there is a tsb for this problem, but I think there is a need for a recall as I almost got into an accident on the highway.

- Waupaca, WI, USA

problem #18

Nov 212007

A4 4-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
I purchased this 2005 Audi A4 in August of 2007 and within the first few months of having the vehicle I was already having problems with it having to take it in and get repaired/serviced. Not only was I dissatisfied that I bought a horrible car, because it was having recurring problems, but I find out after purchasing the vehicle the dealership sold me a quattro, but my Audi is not a quattro, so I was mislead into buying a faulty vehicle.. my paperwork documentation says 2005 Audi A4 quattro 1.8T so I had to pay to get towed out of the snow because the Audi is only 2 wheel drive.. I will never ever purchase a VW/Audi vehicle again and I always tell people don't get a VW/Audi because they are horrible unreliable cars. I have put so much money into this junk Audi that just constantly has problems, I could have bought a new car again by now. I'm very disappointed with VW/Audi. I have wasted so much money on diagnostic repair checks, because the [xxx] check engine light repeatedly keeps coming on the dashboard. I can't get my car smog approved without the check engine light being off, so I am relentlessly dumping money I simply don't have into this pos Audi. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Morro Bay, CA, USA

problem #17

Oct 012008

A4 4-cyl

  • 51,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car headlights periodically flicker and turn off under normal conditions. Driver side flickers on acceleration and passenger side will flicker and turn off completely during acceleration or braking. Have to switch the headlights completely off and back on for them to light up again. I have the bi-xenon hid adaptive headlights factory installed on my car. I just received a class action lawsuit letter describing reimbursements for class members who have either repaired or had an authorized Audi dealership document the issue within the 5 year/50,000 mile warranty from date of original purchase or lease. I bought my car at 51, xxx miles and am out of warranty with no access to the previous owners records. This is a safety issue that should be identified and a full recall campaign should be initialized with Audi of America (aoa). From what I have gathered on the internet, there are 100's if not 1000's of A4's having this problem but aoa refuses to take responsibility for it and claim the headlights are operating normally. Normally is not turning off while driving on their own. I have dealt with this issue for 5 years that I have owned my car and never asked the dealership for a repair due to it being out of warranty and is expensive ($1000+). it's time for aoa to own up to this issue and repair it free of charge for it's customers since it's a safety issue.

- Fairport, NY, USA

problem #16

Jun 282013

A4 6-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
Repeated headlamp failure.

- Midland, MI, USA

problem #15

Oct 222012

A4

  • 94,000 miles
Problem of "dipped" headlight on my 2005.5 A4 B7. Purchased the car used in 2009 and have had this issue since purchase. Asked mechanics to investigate but had found nothing wrong. Usually it was just one side, either left or right (both have occurred multiple times). The other day was the third or fourth instance where both sides threw the "dipped" error, leaving me barreling down the highway at 75mph with no lights. While power cycling them usually brings them back, this is completely dangerous and unacceptable behavior for a vehicle that is allegedly working properly. It is clear to me, as an engineer myself, that this is a gross short-coming in design of the electrical system used to drive the lights. Either the wiring, or ballasts are malfunctioning. Audi has done nothing to ameliorate or warn me of this issue.

- Andover, MA, USA

problem #14

Apr 032012

A4

  • 73,000 miles
Headlight dipped warning came on followed by the bulb going out completely and not coming back on. From blogs there seems to be no fix and problem keeps recurring. There's obviously a problem here and its dangerous to drive at night with only one headlight.

- Brighton, MA, USA

problem #13

Feb 112012

A4 4-cyl

  • 51,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased the vehicle on 02/11/2012 and that very evening when I had the opportunity to use the lights, my right light began to flicker and then failed completely. This really unnerved me as I was in an area with no street lights. And didn't really know what was happening. I instinctively turned the lights off and then on again, and this made them come back on. Unfortunately, this happened numerous times that night. I feel this is a blatant safety issue especially as I had family members in my car and their well being was compromised. I have researched this problem via the internet and it appears to be rampant on Audi's and the dealerships don't either know what to do or don't want to do it as for the expense of the parts.I spoke with no less than 8 Audi dealerships around the pa northeast and no one could positively say what would be the problem. I am having the bulb replaced at my cost because I bought the car used and have no warranty. Now I know why I was able to purchase it at a good cost. Last owner was probably crazy over this. By all accounts, even replacing the bulb might not work. There are no less than 4 tsb's out on this problem. Why Audi gets away with this is a travesty and this should be remedied as soon as possible before someone gets killed.

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #12

Nov 142011

A4 4-cyl

  • 74,000 miles
While driving either during the day or during the night either one of the lights will start flickering and then eventually go out completely. While driving home one the freeway one night the right side started to flicker and then went out completely...I turned the lights off and then turned them on and the light worked perfectly fine for 5 mins or so and then the same thing happened again! the next day as I was going to work early in the morning (while it was still a little dark) the same thing happened again...but this time with the left side. It started to flicker and then it went out completely. I turned the lights off and turned them back on and the light worked as if nothing happened. I called an Audi dealer and they said to bring the car in to get this issue fixed...they quoted me at $180 for the bulb and a grand total of $450 for the bulb plus installation. I just recently bought the car and ive been reading online about all the people that are having the same problem with their headlights.... I think its only fair to have a recall due to a poor design because I dont think its very safe for me or anyone to drive with one headlight and then having the chance of the other headlight going out at the same time!

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #11

Sep 012009

A4

  • miles
Headlights constantly flicker and then go out. Turning them off then on will only bring them on for a few seconds. I have had bulb replaced no results, though very expensive. My last Audi burned to the ground due to similar defect. Couldn't imagine this would happen again. Have reached out to Audi with no response.

- South Berwick, ME, USA

problem #10

Jun 012010

A4

  • 50,000 miles
1) headlights are the main problem. The car has the type of lights that move when turning the wheel. Occasionally, the headlights will flicker whether or not you are turning the steering wheel but will remain on. This is a nuisance but may be related to the next, larger problem. The larger problem is, almost every night there will be a headlight dip warning signal on the instrument panel. When this happens rarely will the headlights stay on anymore. They used to do so, but now one or both of the headlights will frequently turn off. We used to be able to override this by moving the headlight switch on the dash from the auto to the manual mode and off mode. However, now we have to switch back and forth multiple times before the headlights turn back on and it takes a lot longer now than it used to. (the headlights are staying off for longer periods. ) also, even when you leave the headlight switch in the manual mode (rather than use the auto mode at all), the headlights will still dip and turn off.

- Powell, OH, USA

problem #9

Aug 102009

A4 4-cyl

  • 48,466 miles
2005 Audi A4 S-line's problems: Dipped headlights flickering & intermittently going out and condensation in headlights.

- Langley Bc , 00, USA

problem #8

Jun 152005

A4

  • 400 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Audi A4 cabriolet. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle began to shake violently, lost all power and stalled. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and the contact waited 20-25 minutes before the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who could not duplicate the failure. The failure continued and the vehicle back to the dealer 20 times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2007 and the ignition coils were replaced. In January 2009, the ignitions coils were placed again. The contact stated that the dealer also replaced the ignition switch. The glue separated from the convertible top which allowed water to get into the vehicle and ruin the entire electrical system and carpet; the top needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 400 and the current mileage was approximately 7,000.

- Sagaponack, NY, USA

problem #7

Jul 212010

A4

  • 60,346 miles
"intermittent headlight malfunction. Over the course of a year and a half of ownership, the right headlight has malfunctioned (turned off), with no consistent cause apparent. The specific error message that appears in the driver information screen is "left headlight dipped". this condition is both unsafe, and illegal - as many states will issue a traffic violation for driving with a non-functioning headlight. It has happened about 20 times, the headlight flickers, then goes out, but will come back on when the car is restarted, then be fine for weeks or months at a time. The dealership has been notified of the problem on at least 3 visits, and has claimed that everything is fine and they can not reproduce. They have suggested/guessed that it is the xenon light bulb itself, however it has checked out fine each time, and as mentioned, has functioned flawlessly after each occurrence with merely a restart of the vehicle. No parts have been repaired or replaced, however they have claimed to perform a visual inspection of the electrical connections on at least one visit. Anecdotal evidence (conversational, and via internet owners' forums) suggests that the problem is widespread among a substantial portion of Audi's model range and years 2005 Audi A4 3.2 quattro."

- Lantana, FL, USA

problem #6

May 152010

A4

  • 120,000 miles
Audi 2005 A4 1.8T speed sensor fails causing car to shut down while driving. Power steering and power breaks become inoperable due to car shutting down.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #5

Feb 052010

A4

  • 63,000 miles
I currently own a 2005.5 Audi A4. My headlights constantly flicker, which is dangerous at night. I have been looking on Audi-tech forums and this seems to be a real problem with many Audi vehicles. When I first got the car, I used to get a flickering problem but the dealership fixed it by replacing the bulbs. However, I do not think it is the bulbs because the problem has apparently flared up again. Please check into this as it may be reason for a recall.

- Elk Grove Village, IL, USA

problem #4

Oct 012009

A4

  • miles
Dipped headlight warning and headlights flickering. Brought to dealer for service said may need to be replaced $200-350 because they have to take entire bumper off. I am driving this car because my former 2001 A6 caught fire due to headlight panel in which there was a recall for. Car burnt to the ground on top of a mountain leavening just the frame. Audi could not have cared less, offer me a $2000 incentive for a new or used Audi/Volkswagen. After reading all of these complaints due to light flickering I am scared to drive my A4.

- South Berwick , ME, USA

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