FaultScore

FaultScore report

2010 Audi A4 problems

Owners have filed 77 complaints about the 2010 Audi A4 with NHTSA between 2010 and 2023. The largest single group is the engine & cooling. Across this model's run it ranks 23 of 28 worst.

A

FaultScore 24/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Audi A4.

How this is worked out

The numbers

77

Complaints

0

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

0

Injuries reported

79,000 mi

Median mileage at failure

Half of reported failures happened before this

27%

Failed under 36,000 miles

Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 29 vs 50 Severity 0 vs 50 Early failure 47 vs 50
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 29
Against the median year of the Audi A4. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — 47
27% of failures with a mileage on record happened under 36,000 miles, against a national rate of 29%.

How 2010 compares with every other Audi A4

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2010 Audi A4

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Engine & Cooling 46 59.7%

Median failure at 92,290 miles

Transmission & Drivetrain 9 11.7%

Median failure at 54,000 miles

Fuel & Propulsion 6 7.8%

Median failure at 44,310 miles

Acceleration & Cruise Control 3 3.9%

Median failure at 28,950 miles

Steering 3 3.9%

Median failure at 61,500 miles

Lights 2 2.6%

Median failure at 150,000 miles

Electrical System 2 2.6%

Median failure at 150,000 miles

Other & Unspecified 1 1.3%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 1 1.3%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 1 1.3%

Median failure at 5,000 miles

Suspension 1 1.3%

Median failure at 81,500 miles

Brakes 1 1.3%
Airbags 1 1.3%

Median failure at 10 miles

When it fails

Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.

Under 1,000 miles 2 3.2%
1,000 – 9,999 miles 8 12.9%
10,000 – 24,999 miles 5 8.1%
25,000 – 49,999 miles 7 11.3%
50,000 – 74,999 miles 8 12.9%
75,000 – 99,999 miles 9 14.5%
100,000 – 149,999 miles 20 32.3%
150,000+ miles 3 4.8%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Jan 2010 peak 4 Aug 2023

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Akron, OH

ENGINE

This audi doesn’t have a dip stick that comes with the car. It burns 1-2 quarts of oil a month and doesn’t indicate when your car is low on oil. It’s a guessing game when the engine says put a quart of oil in and I needed 2 and a half quarts to be full. It’s such a saftey hazard I’m surprised audi hasn’t recalled this engine. I spent over $1000 to have everything resealed and fixed because it just ceased one day due to not having enough oil

NHTSA complaint #11538896 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Akron, OH

ENGINE

No oil dip stick. The engine sucks a qt of oil every 2 weeks without leaks and due to the lack oem dip stick not in if you overfill your oil you’ll get bad spark plugs.

NHTSA complaint #11531119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Placerville, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

NHTSA complaint #11512713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Placerville, CA

SERVICE BRAKES

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

NHTSA complaint #11512713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Placerville, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

NHTSA complaint #11512713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Akron, OH

ENGINE

Drains so much oil for only A car that takes 4.9L of oil. It’s unreal which causes so many other issues

NHTSA complaint #11475427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Iselin, NJ

ENGINE

Engine Excessive oil consumption burning oil then suddenly found out there is no oil in the engine that causes for blow the engine while driving if you don't add oil it's common problem for this car ; asking for solve the issue

NHTSA complaint #11459200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100,000 miles Norwalk, CT

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2010 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the timing chain tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that there was low compression in the engine. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA complaint #11436561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Kansas City, KS

STEERING

I have current issue with my Audi A4 steering rack where im driving it randomly it pull up one side or the other i have looked up that issues with the Audi A4 and alot of people are having steering rack failed where there’s space in the steering where it causes play and possible clicking noise and uneven drive Alot of people have that issues with the electrical steering and for some reason audi never recalled it even tho it’s happening rn to alot of people including me

NHTSA complaint #11431904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 86,000 miles Bettendorf, IA

ENGINE

I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH A GOOD PRICE. THE CAR ITSELF RUNS PRETTY GOOD BUT HAVE FOUND OUT THAT IT BURNS OIL AND IT IS FACTORY PROBLEM. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND IT AUDI HAS THIS KIND OF PROBLEM. HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION IT CONSUMES 1 QT EVERY 200 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #11376957 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 115,000 miles Mcleansville, NC

ENGINE

I DON'T WHY AUDI HASN'T RECALL THE 2010 AUDI A4 MY CAR WILL NOT HOLD OIL HAD THREE REAR MAIN SEALS PUT IN. EACH TIME THEY REPLACED SEAL IT WAS $1200. JUST HAD OIL CHANGE AND A WEEK LATER NEEDED TO PUT FOUR QUARTS OF OIL IN CAR. AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT WON'T RECALL THIS CAR. I HAD A FRIEND TAKE HIS CAR TO AUDI AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE FOR FREE.

NHTSA complaint #11352474 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 81,500 miles Norwich, NY

SUSPENSION

THE COIL SPRINGS BROKE ON THIS VEHICLE ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN BY MY HUSBAND ON 7/24/19. THE LEFT REAR COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE I WAS TURNING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY ON 4/21/20. THE VEHICLE HAS OVER 81,000 MILES, BUT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. I AM CAREFUL TO AVOID POT HOLES WHILE DRIVING, SO I DON'T BELIEVE THE CAUSE IS DUE TO MY DRIVING HABITS. THE PHOTO I HAVE PROVIDED SHOWS THE BREAK IS NOT DUE TO RUST. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED WITH ANY VEHICLE THAT I HAVE DRIVEN IN THE 50+ YEARS I HAVE BEEN DRIVING . MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A BROKEN COIL SPRING IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT PARTICULARLY IF IT PUNCTURES A TIRE WHILE DRIVING. MY SUSPICION IS THAT THE COIL SPRINGS ARE DEFECTIVE GIVEN THAT THE BREAKS OCCURRED WITH 2 DIFFERENT COIL SPRINGS. SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, I CHOSE TO REPLACE ALL THE COIL SPRINGS IN THE CAR BECAUSE I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THAT VOLKSWAGON, OF WHICH AUDI IS A PART OF, RECALLED OVER 56,000 VEHICLES LAST YEAR DUE TO DEFECTIVE COIL SPRINGS. HOWEVER, I CANNOT FIND ANY INFORMATION REGARDING A RECALL FOR AUDI COIL SPRINGS.

NHTSA complaint #11322887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 92,290 miles Riverside, CA

ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM WORK ON A CITY STREET I HEARD THAT IT WAS KNOCKING AND HAD STOPPED THE CAR TO CHECK ON IT BUT WAS NOT SURE SINCE I AM FIGURING THIS CAR OUT. AFTER THAT DAY IT HAD BEEN KNOCKING. A FEW DAYS LATER IT HAD STARTING TO SHAKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND ALL THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET. BUT ANYWAYS WHEN I ACCELERATED TO A CERTAIN NUMBER, THE SHAKING STOPPED BUT WAS STILL KNOCKING. AND AFTER TIME IT JUST GOT WORSE AND WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA complaint #11310000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 89,000 miles Killingworth, CT

ENGINE

MY CAR USES A LOT OF OIL AND BLOWS CLOUDS OF OIL GOING UP HILLS. AUDI WANTS TO PUT A NEW ENGINE IN FOR $7K BECAUSE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND REFUSES TO DO IT FOR FREE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW AUDI COULD DO THIS AND GET AWAY WITH IT. NEVER BUYING AN AUDI AGAIN.

NHTSA complaint #11298431 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 109,270 miles Nampa, ID

ENGINE

AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE MY CAR IS ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF AFFECTED ONE IT'S REQUIRE MORE OIL JUST AFTER 300 MILES AND AUDI WON'T FIX IT ASKING FOR 6K TO 7K TO FIX THE ENGINE I BARELY HAVE 110K MILES ON THE CAR. AUDI NEED TO RECALL THEIR AND FIX IT FOR FREE

NHTSA complaint #11279103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 114,000 miles EL Paso, TX

ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND AS I SLOW DOWN TO PARK I HEARD AND FELT A POP IN THE ENGINE. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO USE THE MOMENTUM OF THE CAR TO PARK. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON. AFTER WORK I WENT BACK AND THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON. THE ENGINE WOULD JUST CLANK REALLY LOUD. I HAD IT TOWED HOME AND THE NEXT DAY I CALLED THE MECHANIC. I THEN TOWED THE CAR ABOUT A WEEK LATER TO THE MECHANIC FOR HIM TO CHECK IT OUT. AFTER A FEW DAYS HE SAID THAT THE ENGINE CHAIN TENSIONERS BROKE AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $4800 AND OR WE CAN PUT A NEW ENGINE FOR $6300.

NHTSA complaint #11267616 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Gonzales, CA

ENGINE

CAR WAISTES TOO MUCH OIL, I HAVE TO CONTINUALLY CHANGE AND ADD NEW OIL APPROXIMATELY EVERY 15 DAYS OR LESS. I BOUGHT THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO FROM A FRIEND AND UP UNTIL 2 MONTHS AGO THE CAR SHOWED NO ISSUES. UP UNTIL ENDS OF JULY WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR BACK HOME FROM WORK AND THE CAR ALMOST OVERHEATED... I HAD CHANGED THE OIL 6 DAYS BEFORE. I TOOK THE CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND BOTH HAD THE SAME DIAGNOSTIC, BOTH STATED IT WAS A FACTORY ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint #11253758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 79,000 miles Cranston, RI

POWER TRAIN

CAR SUFFERED FROM CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO KNOWN TIMING CHAIN ISSUES WITH THESE VEHICLES. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. HTTPS://TIMINGCHAINLITIGATION.COM/

NHTSA complaint #11242384 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 79,000 miles Cranston, RI

ENGINE

CAR SUFFERED FROM CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO KNOWN TIMING CHAIN ISSUES WITH THESE VEHICLES. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. HTTPS://TIMINGCHAINLITIGATION.COM/

NHTSA complaint #11242384 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 10 miles Hudson, NH

AIR BAGS

"TAKATA RECALL" THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG KEEPS BEEPING AND THINKING WE HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE CAR WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE TO BUCKLE THE EMPTY SEAT BELT TO MAKE THE AIRBAG WARNING BEEPS AND LIGHT STOP.

NHTSA complaint #11240816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 150,000 miles Atlanta, GA

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT STAYS ON FOR 30 SECONDS WHILE DRIVING. I TURN THE KNOB OFF THEN BACK ON. IT STAYS ON FOR 30 SECONDS AGAIN AND GOES BACK OUT. I JUST HAD THE HEADLIGHTS REPLACED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING BAD. I PASSED ANOTHER CAR WITH THE SAME PASSENGER HEADLIGHT OUT THEN I NOTICED THE LIGHT IS NOT BLOWN ITS AN INTERNAL PROBLEM. IVE CHECKED THE WIRING CONNECTOR TO HEADLIGHT AND ITS FINE. I DID MORE RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT ALOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. I WORK AT NIGHT AND I NEED MY HEADLIGHT. IT DOES THE SAME WHILE PARKED

NHTSA complaint #11165752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 150,000 miles Atlanta, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT STAYS ON FOR 30 SECONDS WHILE DRIVING. I TURN THE KNOB OFF THEN BACK ON. IT STAYS ON FOR 30 SECONDS AGAIN AND GOES BACK OUT. I JUST HAD THE HEADLIGHTS REPLACED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING BAD. I PASSED ANOTHER CAR WITH THE SAME PASSENGER HEADLIGHT OUT THEN I NOTICED THE LIGHT IS NOT BLOWN ITS AN INTERNAL PROBLEM. IVE CHECKED THE WIRING CONNECTOR TO HEADLIGHT AND ITS FINE. I DID MORE RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT ALOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. I WORK AT NIGHT AND I NEED MY HEADLIGHT. IT DOES THE SAME WHILE PARKED

NHTSA complaint #11165752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 112,000 miles LA Quinta, CA

ENGINE

I BOUGHT THE CAR 2 DAYS AGO AND ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP I'D ALREADY HAD TO ADD A QUART OF OIL, 2 DAYS LATER AFTER REFILLING AND I'M BASICALLY BACK TO ZERO ON OIL. I DON'T DRIVE MUCH SO THIS IS RIDICULOUS. THE OIL CONSUMPTION IS MUCH HIGHER THAN IT SHOULD BE, I'VE DRIVEN MAYBE 400 MILES AND I'VE HAD TO ADD OIL TWICE. I'VE NEVER HAD TO DO THIS WITH ANY OTHER CAR BEFORE, THIS IS MAD.

NHTSA complaint #11150979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 112,000 miles SAN Diego, CA

POWER TRAIN

CAR RANDOMLY SHUT OFF AFTER MAKING A QUICK TURN CAUSING IT TO LOSE POWER AND STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE CAR COMPLETELY TURNED OFF. WAITED FOR A FEW MOMENTS TO TRY AND START TO CAR, AFTER THE 3 TIME TRYING, THE CAR STARTE.

NHTSA complaint #11139101 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 113,766 miles Philadelphia, PA

ENGINE

FULLY STOCK ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN CAR EXPERIENCED A TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE. BEING AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE, THIS CAUSE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE AND THE CAR REQUIRES A NEW ENGINE. I WAS FORTUNATE THIS HAPPENED WHILE STATIONARY AT A GAS STATION. I HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 100 MILES AND STOPPED FOR GAS. ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR YIELDED CRANKING BUT NO TURNING OVER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED THE FAILURE VIA ENGINE COMPRESSION. THE FAILURE COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE ON MY HIGHWAY DRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS PUTTING MYSELF AND THE DRIVERS AROUND ME IN DANGER. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT IS TAKING PLACE. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES FOR TENSIONER REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA complaint #11129758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.