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U.S. public vehicle records

2006 Audi S4 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

30 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

49,325 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2006 model year. Data snapshot: . 20 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Exterior Lighting is the most frequently named component, appearing in 22 of 30 complaints (73.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Electrical and battery issues310.0%
Braking behavior13.3%
Steering behavior13.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Exterior Lighting
22
Air Bags
7
Electrical System
4
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
1
Power Train:Clutch Assembly:Bell Housing
1
Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist System
1
Visibility
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Exterior Lighting22
Air Bags7
Electrical System4
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility1
Power Train:Clutch Assembly:Bell Housing1
Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist System1
Visibility1

Exterior Lighting: 22; Air Bags: 7; Electrical System: 4; Equipment Adaptive/Mobility: 1; Power Train:Clutch Assembly:Bell Housing: 1; Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist System: 1; Visibility: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
2
25,000 to 49,999
9
50,000 to 74,999
5
75,000 to 99,999
1
100,000 to 149,999
3
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0002
25,000 to 49,9999
50,000 to 74,9995
75,000 to 99,9991
100,000 to 149,9993
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 9; 50,000 to 74,999: 5; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 0

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (9). 10 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2007
1
2009
1
2010
4
2011
7
2012
3
2013
1
2014
3
2015
1
2016
3
2017
3
2018
1
2019
2
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20071
20091
20104
20117
20123
20131
20143
20151
20163
20173
20181
20192

2007: 1; 2009: 1; 2010: 4; 2011: 7; 2012: 3; 2013: 1; 2014: 3; 2015: 1; 2016: 3; 2017: 3; 2018: 1; 2019: 2

Pattern summary

Exterior Lighting leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 3 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10296556 · 2009-12-21 (December 21, 2009)

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 "RIGHT 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 7-8 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED, THEN BE FINE…

Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10296556 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10567192 · 2014-02-27 (February 27, 2014)

FRONT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER THEN GO OUT. BULBS ARE NOT BURNED OUT THIS SEEMS TO BE A ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER ISSUE. THROWS A CODE OF DIPPED FRONT HEAD LIGHT ALTERNATES BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ON ANY GIVEN DAY. SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE FOR AUDI BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008 HOWEVER NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE WARRANTED DO TO THE FACT IT CANT BE FIXED BY CHANGING THE BULBS.

Owner-reported narrative. 78,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10567192 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10470502 · 2012-08-13 (August 13, 2012)

THIS ISSUE AFFECTS AUDI A4 AND S4 VEHICLES WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS REPEATEDLY FAILS WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT BULB. IF THE OPERATOR TURNS OFF THE IGNITION AFTER ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS FAILS, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY RESTARTS THE CAR, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL OPERATE PROPERLY. THE ISSUE OCCURS PRIMARILY WITHIN THE FIRST 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER STARTING THE CAR. ONCE THE CAR HAS BEEN "WARMED UP", OPERATING FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES, THE ISSUE DOES NOT REOCCUR. THE SPECIFIC SCENARIO: I WIL…

Owner-reported narrative. 63,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10470502 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10186939 · 2007-04-03 (April 3, 2007)

I LEASED ON BRAND NEW 2006 AUDI S4 ON JULY 29,2006. IN DECEMBER 14,2006 THIS CAR DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING OF CAR. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THIS TOOK FOUR DAYS. TWO WEEKS LATER THIS CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR POWER STEERING PROBLEM. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING RACK WHICH TOTAL A TWENTY-THREE DAY REPAIR. ON MARCH 24,2007 THE CAR WAS ONCE AGAIN TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH OF VEHICLE WAS NO GOOD. ON APRIL 3, 2007 I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND NOW WAS TOLD ONCE AGAIN …

Owner-reported narrative. 4,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10186939 at NHTSA ↗