MODELYEARINDEX

Which Audi A4 Allroad years to avoid

Across 6 scored model years, the 2013 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Audi A4 Allroad Full report
D
Grade 2013–2018
2013 vs model median 1.5×
Model median3× median
Steering 24
Electrical 4
Airbags & Restraints 4
Avoid

2013

Best

2016 · 2018

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2013
1.54× 47 D
2014
0.96× 33 C
2015
1.04× 32 C
2016
0.57× 17 B
2017
1.28× 35 C
2018
0.92× 16 C

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 D 47 reports · median 13,890 mi

  1. Steering 24

    After 3500 miles the vehicle developed a "notchy" sensation in the steering feel that varied in intensity and would occur at random times. This notchy sensation would occur any speed above 20mph, as if switched on. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 4

    Car fails to start via the key in the ignition. You have to wiggle the key to get the ignition to start. Battery in key fob is OK as it opens and locks the car with no issue. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Airbags & Restraints 4

    The contact owned a 2013 audi a4. The contact stated that the steering was erratic and no longer centered. The contact heard a clicking sound coming from the steering wheel prior to the failure. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 7 injuries

2017 C 35 reports · median 12,000 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 11

    The contact owns a 2017 audi a4. The contact received NHTSA campaign number: 16v955000 (air bags, seat belt) however, the parts to do the repair was unavailable. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 4

    When I got the car in may. After a week, we went with friends out. When I braked the car began to move into the passenger front seat to the advance and inclines up to a maximum front of the dashboard. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 3

    On two separate occasions the driver's side front window stopped functioning. It has always been in the down position when this happens. The other windows still function properly. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

6 crash · 1 injuries

The best year for the A4 Allroad

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2016 is the best-scoring A4 Allroad model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 78.1 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2016 0.57× 17 B
2018 0.92× 16 C
2014 0.96× 33 C

Recalls

9 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
18V229000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 2013–2016 342,867
17V002000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 2013–2016 342,867
17V622000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 2013–2016 216,913
19V547000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2017, 2018 145,337
14V667000 AIR BAGS 2013–2015 101,938
16V642000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2017 79,895
17V675000 STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 2017, 2018 31,323
16V955000 SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER 2017 5,947
18V836000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2017, 2018 12

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2013 were reported at a median of 13,890 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Audi A4 Allroad years should you avoid?
2013 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Audi A4 Allroad model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Audi A4 Allroad?
2016 is the best-scoring Audi A4 Allroad model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 78.1 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Audi A4 Allroad have?
9 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Audi A4 Allroad model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2013 A4 Allroad
Complaints in window
47
Severity-weighted
69.5
Model median (weighted)
45
vs model median
1.54×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
4
Open investigations
0
Score 51.6 D