2018 AUDI A4 Problems

Complaints Reported

Complaints by Component

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

6 complaints

Drive system malfunction message appeared after starting ignition at 6am before heading to work. Turned car off immediately and took another vehicle to work.

Oct 14, 2025

My car's MMI keeps restarting while driving which affects the rear view camera and while backing up it can restart and go completely blank. I feel this puts my safety at risk while backing up. It also shuts down my bluetooth to my phone which can be a hazard while driving. I have called the dealership but they will not do anything without a large diagnosis fee which i cannot afford. They have said there are no recalls against it. No warnings prior to the failure and the failure happens every time I drive it, including multiple times per use.

Sep 02, 2025

The Audi MMI system began to spontaneously restart while driving after owning the car for a couple of years. It would power off and reboot at random intervals. It became more frequent and is both distracting and dangerous as you lose all navigation, and camera function while it reboots not to mention any telephone connection. This happens every couple of minutes and multiple times per drive. Took it to the dealer (Kendall Audi of Bend) and was told the MMI needed to be replaced. Spent approx. $2500 to have MMI replaced and now it has started happening again with the NEW MMI. There are MANY MANY other complaints with this same issue on Reddit and the Audi World Forum and it needs to be addressed by Audi.

Jul 22, 2025

UNKNOWN

Aug 23, 2023

Due to the AT&T 3G turndown, Audi of America is removing a critical safety feature from certain MY 2018 vehicles, with no solution offered to the vehicle owner except to pay an additional $650-$1000 out of pocket to install a retrofit device to restore some of these safety features. As sold, MY2017-2018 and certain MY 2019 Audi A4/A5/Q5/Q7 vehicles came with an emergency call feature, both automatic in the event of a severe accident, and manual. From the owners manual: "The vehicle electrical system initiates an automatic emergency call under certain circumstances, for example, if an airbag deploys. The LED in the emergency call button (2) blinks green. The emergency call is made. This cannot be cancelled." Because of the AT&T 3G Sunset, Audi of America is providing a retrofit kit to restore this emergency call functionality in the event of an accident. However, they are not providing this retrofit free to all customers. All MY2017 vehicles qualify for free installation and subscription to the new emergency call retrofit service. However, MY2018 and 2019 vehicles with an in- service date of before February 22, 2018 will have to pay for the installation and subscription to this service. Making owners of MY2018 vehicles pay to restore a critical safety feature that the vehicle was sold with is highly unethical and can lead to safety issues. Instead of an automated call to 911 during a severe accident, Audi of America is forcing owners of certain MY2018 vehicles to choose between paying $1000 + subscription fees for this critical safety service, or relying on owner's being conscious enough to use their own cell phones, which may not be the case during a severe accident. The decision by Audi of America to enforce an arbitrary in-service cutoff date of 2/22/2018 for MY2018 vehicles is highly illogical and unethical. All MY2017 vehicles, which are older and more likely to be out of warranty, qualify for the free update while MY2018 are subject to an arbitrary cutoff.

Feb 22, 2022

+ 1 more complaint for this component

AIR BAGS

3 complaints

I first received notice of this recall in 1/22. My Audi dealer has continuously stated that Audi does not send them enough kits to remedy this recall

Jun 02, 2023

Without cause a passenger airbag malfunction light has come up, dealership says this is not covered under recall or vehicle warranty.

Mar 16, 2023

After dealership did the second repair to the airbag recall, the airbag light came on and has been on solid . When taking the car back to The dealership to have it fixed ,We were clear about the whole thing over the phone .the dealership proceeded to charge me for a diagnostic test as well as claiming to not have seen any recalls on the car .dealership claimed the whole airbag needed to be replaced yet the car has never been in an accident. Bottom line The initial recall isn’t finished . Dealership explained car would be safe to drive , even tho the safety system is currently malfunctioning .

Mar 13, 2023

POWER TRAIN

2 complaints

The all-wheel-drive clutch in the vehicle had to be replaced. The symptoms were heavy vibrations or thumping when starting to drive forward from a stop with the wheels turned in either direction. A dealership - New Country Audi of Greenwich - did the repair at a cost of $4,308.85 (including tax). This drivetrain failure occurred at less than 48,000 miles. The vehicle came with a 50,000 mile or 4 year warranty. Since it was in service for over 5 years, this defect was not covered under warranty. There is a Techical Service Bulletin on this issue, number 39 21 43 2059057/4 July 16, 2021. The dealer confirmed my issue was indeed the same as that addressed in the TSB. It seems to me that a major known issue occurring at less than 50,000 miles is a defect. I do not know if it is ultimately a safety hazard, but it seems it could become dangerous if not addressed. For reference, I am attaching the TSB and the repair invoice.

Oct 02, 2023

While driving there was an internal failure of the front differential which caused debris to fly out and the debris then punctured the transmission according to the diagnosis on an Audi dealership. The car jerked to a stop and would not move. If this happens at high speed it represents a sever safety risk to the occupants. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer and insurance representatives as well as by a dealer. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms and this happened with no warning.

Aug 21, 2023

SERVICE BRAKES

2 complaints

While driving the emergency parking brake engaged itself without warning or cause. This caused the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. Luckily I was in a parking lot but if I had been in a high traffic area or intersection, it could’ve caused a collision. I had 2 passengers who witnessed this sudden bizarre event. There was nothing that could’ve caused this to happen. It scares me & now I’m worried this could happen again without warning. The sensor screen was beeping with a message to put my car in park before setting the brake. Made no sense why this happened.

Nov 20, 2021

NEW FACTORY BRAKES MAKE VERY LOUD AUDIBLE SCREECHING SOUND WHEN COMING TO A STOP.THIS HAPPENS JUST BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND SOMETIMES IN THE BEGINNING OF BREAKING. MECHANIC HAS WORKED ON THIS ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES AND REORDERED BRAKES FROM LOCAL AUDI DEALERSHIP AND IT IS STILL MAKING THE SOUND. DEALERSHIP SAID ITS 4TH GENERATION BRAKES AND ITS A PROBLEM WITH THE COATING.

Nov 08, 2019

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

1 complaint

My screen turns on and off consistently not allowing me to use my backup camera. Causing a small collision while backing up when the camera turned off unexpectedly. Additionally when it’s off it will auto break when I’m not close enough to hitting and it’s loud and yanked me. This has been an issue for some time and I’m seeing a significant amount of my models have this issue and it’s not safe.

Dec 01, 2025

SUSPENSION

1 complaint

Fortunately no catastrophic failure or accident occurred. At about 40,000k miles the rear spring mounts are significantly corroded and need replacing. This appears to be a galvanic reaction that occurs due to a design flaw which shortens the life of the critical mounts. I’m told one could fail imminently and the other is headed that way. Had this failed in use the damage would be significant and caused an accident. The service advisor said that Audi is aware of the short lifespan and has an improved version that will be used in the repair. I have a video of one of the mounts and will request the parts when repaired.

Oct 31, 2024

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

1 complaint

See attached document for complaint

Aug 08, 2024

STEERING

1 complaint

I was rear-ended at a slow speed. I was stopped at the time. The driver who hit me was decelerating hard. Damaged to rear bumper. When I got back in the car, I realized that telescoping steering column had been pulled toward me. This would have been bad had I been shoved into the car in front of me and the airbags deployed too close to me. Luckily, this did not happen.

Jan 25, 2024

Crash: 1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 complaint

The rear view camera does not activate when using the parking assist or when reversing. The sensors are still functioning as intended. This can cause unintentional accidents or injuries to pedestrians. This issue was brought up with the dealer back in January of 2023. They mentioned the wiring for the rear camera was pinched by the trunk mechanism and because loose. There are no warning lamps displayed on the dash.

Apr 07, 2023

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

On December 29, 2022 as I was driving my engine light came on, the fuel gauge registered empty (I had over a quarter tank of fuel at the time), and my miles till empty display in the upper left of the instrument cluster went blank. I took my Audi to my Audi dealer and their recommended repair was as follows: Fuel Tank: After removing fuel pump and level sensor we found that the secondary fuel level sensor is built into the fuel tank is faulty. Recommend replacing the tank and fuel pump with the tank. Their reason was that if the fuel tank failed it could cause a potentially hazardous situation for the driver and passengers.

Feb 15, 2023

ENGINE

1 complaint

Water Pump prematurely failed. Upon self inspection, I noticed the coolant reservoir was below the minimum requirements. I asked the dealer to inspect, and they determined the cause was a faulty water pump. At around 50,000 miles, this water pump should not have failed under normal use. I am fortunate I self inspected, as continued use may cause premature engine failure due to overheating. Overheating would cause spontaneous vehicle operation failure during normal driving conditions, stalling the vehicle on a road or highway, putting myself and others at risk for impact.

Oct 15, 2022

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

1 complaint

The Audi Pre-sense engaged on 3 occasions going 50+ mph bringing the car to a complete stop when there was nothing in front if it and a car right behind me. I was lucky the car behind me did not collide. If it had been a semi truck and just as close as the car trailing me, they would not have been able to stop in time causing damage or death. The problem could not be confirmed by the Audi dealer who performed a vehicle scan and found no codes and could not reproduced it. I had the Pre-sense shut off. I reported this to the manufacture on 6/17/22. The Pre-sense red warning triangle displayed in the instrument panel as when it was engaging.

Jun 29, 2022

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

ENGINE MALFUNCTION PREVENTED THE VEHICLE TO ENGAGE AND A SIGNIFICANT LAG. CORRECTION OF THE FAILURE HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED TWICE AND A THIRD ATTEMPT TO CORRECT MALFUNCTION IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS WITH NO MOVEMENT AS OF YET. GAS TANK HAS BEEN DRAINED AND REFILLED AND DID NOT CORRECT ISSUE. DEFINITELY NOT A GASOLINE TYPE ISSUE.

Aug 17, 2020

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

1 complaint

I WENT TO PRESS THE BUTTON TO DISABLE START/STOP MODE. THE BUTTON TO DO THIS IS NEXT TO THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL BUTTON. I ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE ESC BUTTON AND SHUT OF ELECTRONIC STABILITY. **THESE TWO BUTTONS SHOULD NOT BE NEXT TO EACH OTHER. ** THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO DEFAULT TO DISABLED START/STOP MODE.

Aug 07, 2020

STRUCTURE

1 complaint

FRONT OF BODY RIDES TOO LOW TO GROUND. BODY DAMAGE OCCURRED ON LEFT FRONT FENDER FROM DRIVING UP A STEEP HILL AFTER MAKING LEFT TURN ONTO ROAD WITH THE STEEP HILL. *TR

Jun 03, 2020

⭐

4.9/5.0

36 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2018 AUDI A4 have?

The 2018 AUDI A4 currently has 24 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2018 AUDI A4?

The most common problems reported for the 2018 AUDI A4 are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2018 AUDI A4 problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2018 AUDI A4 comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.