Audi A4

129 complaints across 4 scored model years and 8 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Audi A4 Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2021 vs model median 1.1×

Model median3× median

Driver Assist 4

Speed Control 2

Suspension 2

Weakest

2010 · 2021

Best

2017 · 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.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Audi A4
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.22×	29	C
2017	0.90×	27	B
2018	0.52×	11	B
2021	1.10×	18	C
2022 P	0.48×	10	B
2023 P	1.13×	19	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	28
City / Highway	24 / 33
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	All-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,700

Recalls

8 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V874000	SEATS	2017, 2018	208,332
22V742000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION	2021	170,296
21V606000	SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR	2021	45,496
21V295000	SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY	2021	40,993
22V034000	TIRES	2021	31,058
22V806000	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:VIDEO (TOUCH)SCREEN/MONITOR/UNIT	2022	6,076
21V825000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2022	2,857
22V368000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)	2022	72

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B
Audi S5	none flagged	B

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 2021 A4

Complaints in window: 18
Severity-weighted: 33
Model median (weighted): 30
vs model median: 1.10×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 4
Open investigations: 0

Score 62.5 C