Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 64 safety complaints
about the 2010 Audi A4 with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 37 complaints, 58% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 86,000 miles,
the median across the 51
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers January 2010 to August 2023 · How this is counted
What is on file
64 complaints on file
64
Complaints
0
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 37 · 58%
37 58%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9 · 14%
9 14%
POWER TRAIN 9 · 14%
9 14%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 6%
4 6%
STEERING 3 · 5%
3 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 5%
3 5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 3%
2 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 3%
2 3%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2 · 3%
2 3%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
1 2%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 2%
1 2%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 2%
1 2%
01531
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 64.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2010 at 9.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2010 to 2023.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2010 Audi A4, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4-DR. w/SAB
Overall
Not rated
Frontal crash
Not rated
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Not rated
Side barrier
Not rated
Side pole
Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover
9.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
NHTSA made its frontal crash test harder for the 2011 model year, and says ratings from before that change should not be compared with ratings after it.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ENGINE
towed · 100,000 miles
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst