Reliability & cost of ownership
Audi S4 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Audi S4? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Audi S4 problems by model year
28 recall entries and 559 owner complaints on file across 21 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 S4 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 S4 | 4 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 S4 | 3 | 16 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 S4 | 1 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 S4 | 2 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 S4 | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 S4 | 1 | 17 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 S4 | 1 | 32 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 S4 | 1 | 22 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 S4 | 1 | 26 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 S4 | 0 | 60 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 S4 | 2 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 S4 | 0 | 13 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 S4 | 2 | 30 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 S4 | 2 | 43 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 S4 | 1 | 29 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 S4 | 1 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 S4 | 1 | 22 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 S4 | 1 | 87 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 S4 | 1 | 143 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 S4 | 2 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Audi S4, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system149 complaints
- power train102 complaints
- exterior lighting65 complaints
- service brakes63 complaints
- tires49 complaints
- hydraulic45 complaints
- engine and engine cooling42 complaints
- steering36 complaints