Reliable Auto DB

2017 Audi A4 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Audi A4 over 10 years — 8 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 A4 years on this site. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Seats.

2012 Audi A4
Photo by Lothar Spurzem, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Complaints

82

Per year

8

Recalls

1

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (26 of 82), then Engine (21) and Seats (11). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 A4 has 26 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2018 has 42 complaints, 1 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Audi A4. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall Seats 2021-11-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V874000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Remedy Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will need to return for the new remedy.

Complaints by component (82 total)

Air bags
26
Engine
21
Seats
11
Electrical system
10
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Seat belts
5
Service brakes
5
Powertrain
4
Steering
4
Wheels
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Engine and engine cooling
2
Tires
2
Exterior lighting
1
Speed control
1
Suspension
1
Visibility
1
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Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

320168201752018920196202020202117202272023420242202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "my initial water pump from Audi was replaced via recall. then I recently changed the thermostat hose and my water pump started leaking again. can you please look into these faulty water pumps?"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-11
  • "I have been trying to register my vehicle in California for several months, however, in order to do so, I need the car to pass SMOG. Initially I was told that the issue was related to an emissions sensor and that I had…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-12-05
  • "The headlights on my 2017 Audi A4 have developed stress cracks in the headlamp housing. According to the inspection performed by an authorized Audi dealer, these cracks will obscure headlight projection and lower the…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2025-08-25
  • "The Audi "Drive Select" transmission function switches to "Sports Mode" in rain and snow. This makes the vehicle dangerously jumpy in slippery conditions. This has happened to me (I think) three times in the last couple…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2024-12-20
  • "I experienced similar undesirable engine behavior on two occasions. Upon coming to a stop, the auto start/stop system stopped the engine. Shortly after, when attempting to drive away, the stop/start system attempted to…"
    Engine · filed 2024-03-21

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Audi A4 4 DR AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2017 Audi A4 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
A4 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) Front-wheel drive 25 33 28 MPG $2850
A4 Ultra 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) Front-wheel drive 27 37 31 MPG $2550
A4 allroad quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 23 28 25 MPG $3200
A4 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed All-wheel drive 24 33 27 MPG $2950
A4 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 24 31 27 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

B9 generation, 2017–present
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (common US fills) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 225/50R17 to 245/40R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V-874 covers certain 2017-2020 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles (with A5, S4, S5, and RS5 variants in the same campaign): the cable connecting the seat heater to the passenger occupant detection system may fail and disable the passenger air bag; dealers replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or the entire seat cover. Confirm open campaigns by VIN; multi-model unit counts are shared.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Audi A4 Next year 2018 Audi A4 See every Audi A4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Audi A4 reliable?

Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Audi A4 over 10 years — 8 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 A4 years on this site. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Seats.

What are common problems with a 2017 Audi A4?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (26 of 82), then Engine (21) and Seats (11). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Audi A4 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 A4 has 26 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2018 has 42 complaints, 1 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Audi A4 been recalled?

The 2017 Audi A4 has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Audi A4?

Owners have filed 82 complaints about the 2017 Audi A4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Audi A4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Audi A4 is 27.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi A4 take?

B8 (2012-2016) common US fills use 5W-30 full synthetic. B9 (2017-on) common US fills use 0W-20 full synthetic. Confirm the filler-cap grade and VW/Audi oil spec.

What does NHTSA campaign 17V-002 cover on B8 A4?

Certain 2013-2016 A4 and Allroad vehicles (with A5, Q5, and A6) with 2.0L Turbo FSI engines: an electric coolant pump can overheat if blocked with debris; dealers update software to cut pump power if blocked.

When did the B9 A4 generation start?

Model year 2017 on this site (after B8 2012-2016).