2006 Audi A4: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 298 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is exterior lighting (51% of complaints); the 2004 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 298 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2006 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the wife crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. During the crash the front driver side air bag did not deploy, however, the passenger side airbag did deploy, and both the front and rear driver side and passenger side headrest restraints activated. The contact indicated that no passengers were present in the vehicle during the crash. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not contacted. The local dealer was notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2021
“Purchased the vehicle a few months ago (july of 2020). Before buying it I was told that the warning chime for the seatbelt had stopped working , so I took it to my local german auto shop to see what would needed to fix it. To my surprise, it's a part in the instrument cluster that would need to be replaced, but it's a common issue as these cars age for the warning chime to fail therefore not notifying or warning if the driver or passenger belt is buckled. Warning chime does not work whether stationary, or moving for any seat in the vehicle.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2020
“Left head light flickers and shuts itself off after vehicle is driven and the lights have been on for about 5 minutes. The warning display on the dashboard gives a "left headlight level" error code.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Oct 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“I purchased the car from john and he stated he drove it appx 30-40k miles since he received the car. But in 2016 the miles on the pink slip says 149214 and now the miles are at 150700. I believe he tampered with the odometer, turned it off and drove the car without the odometer on. When I asked him he said in the last 3- 4 years he drove it 30-40k miles. I asked him why is the odometer not showing those miles and he didnt know how to reply.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2019
“The headlights will flicker on and off, and have to be manually turned off and turned back on. Repairs and replacements of lights did not solve the problem. Complete removal of the xenon ballast and sealing the ballast seemed to correct the problem, and seems to be a defect in the manufacture of the ballast that causes moisture to invade, and short the headlights out.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Oct 2018
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 audi a4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v427000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer (audi of wallingford, 800 s colony rd, wallingford, ct 06492, (203) 294-9000) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the remedy recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2018
“The digital display on the dashboard does not illuminate when the weather is warm. As such items such as a malfunctioning brake system, engine coolant level and engine oil pressure alerts cannot be known.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2018
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 audi a4. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v032000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer (hoffman audi of east hartford, 700 connecticut blvd, east hartford, ct 06108, (860) 525-3987) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacture was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2018
“"takata recall" still waiting to get approved to have the airbag replaced. Audi dealer says there is still no resolution. My car is getting old (2006). Want to get it replaced before it explodes or if there should be an accident.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2018
“Takata recall. Takata recall. I have been waiting for over a year and there is still no information about a fix for my 2006 audi a4. I am concerned about this as it seems it is a serious safety issue.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 9 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2006 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact A4 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Audi A4 reliable?
NHTSA has 298 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2006 Audi A4. The most complained-about area is exterior lighting (51% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Audi A4 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 60,000 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Audi A4 have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.