2021 Audi A4 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Audi A4 holds 11 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 1 per year. A4 years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 1 complaints per year. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Display, Tires, and Retractor.

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

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (3 of 11), then Forward collision avoidance (2) and Lane departure (2). The most filings arrived in 2025 (7 of 11). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 A4 has 127 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Audi A4. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall back-over prevention, display 2022-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 22V742000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.

Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.

Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.

Recall seat belts, rear or other, retractor 2021-08-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V606000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.

Remedy Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.

Complaints by component (11 total)

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Lane departure

Powertrain

Speed control

Suspension

Air bags

Engine

Tires

Show 1 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The instrument cluster has stop working. Have to monitore vehicle information, Mileage, service, Safty notifications and general vehicle information from the Audi app."
Electrical system · filed 2025-10-08
"Tires are original equipment. Only 19,000 miles on them. Was told all 4 tires have belt shifts and hop some. Suggested they should be replaced. These tires were great when new but you could tell from driving they were…"
Tires · filed 2025-08-31
"I am writing to report a persistent issue with my 2021 Audi A4, VIN [XXX] . I have been experiencing a noticeable vibration, humming, and shuddering sensation that occurs specifically when turning at slow speeds (e.g.,…"
Powertrain · filed 2025-08-16
"The instrument cluster has failed per the recall 90VC. Audi issued the recall for every model made in 2021 with the exception of the A3 and A4 and I believe this was a mistake as my instrument cluster has the same…"
Unknown or other, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-08-13
"I have a 2021 audi a4 that is also being affected by the instrument cluster failure/recall. My model , a4 was not included but I am experiencing the same failure and this was reported to the dealership. An online search…"
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-08-01

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 Audi A4 4 DR AWD	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 S line quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	24	31	27 MPG	$2950
A4 allroad quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	24	30	26 MPG	$3050
A4 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S7)	All-wheel drive	25	34	28 MPG	$2850

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 2020 Audi A4 See every Audi A4 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi A4 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi A4?

Is the 2021 Audi A4 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 A4 has 127 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Audi A4 been recalled?

The 2021 Audi A4 has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 Audi A4?

Owners have filed 11 complaints about the 2021 Audi A4 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi A4 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Audi A4 is 27 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).