1999 Audi A4 problems & reliability
190 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Audi A4, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 81 | 43% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 28 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 16 | 8% |
| Steering | 15 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 11 | 6% |
| Power Train | 10 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 4% |
| Suspension | 8 | 4% |
| Tires | 7 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 6 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 75,000 miles (middle 50% between 65,000 and 99,125 miles), based on 100 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 audi a4. The contact stated that while driving, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the contact was unaware of the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 308,000.”
Air Bags · filed Jan 28, 2016
“As I was opening the hood of the car to fill up the window washer, the hood did not stay up as usual. It started to close and it hit my head on the way down. I am wondering if there have been other reports of the same incident. Luckily, I suffered only minor damage to my head, however I have on going headaches as a…”
Structure · filed Dec 7, 2012
“My audi, along with thousands of others have had their abs control unit malfunction because of design. This malfunction causes the abs to not work on the affected vehicle. Volkswagen, the company that produces audis and vws actually recalled this exact part on their vw vehicles, but for some reason refuses to correct…”
Equipment Adaptive/mobility · filed Apr 26, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STUCK-OPEN THROTTLE
Engineering Analysis EA04017 · opened Jun 30, 2004 · closed Feb 10, 2005 · led to recall 04V495000
- BRAKE AND CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET
Preliminary Evaluation PE02008 · opened Jan 23, 2002 · closed Jul 12, 2002
- DEGRADED BRAKING IN WET WEATHER
Engineering Analysis EA00021 · opened Aug 11, 2000 · closed Mar 29, 2002
- DEGRADED BRAKING WET WEATHER CONDITION
Preliminary Evaluation PE00016 · opened Apr 4, 2000 · closed Aug 11, 2000
- POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM BY-PASS
Recall Query RQ99008 · opened Jun 1, 1999 · closed Nov 14, 2000 · led to recall 99V131001
Technical service bulletins
73 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Audi A4. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin provides information on the additional reporting requirements for safety related inquiries.
A0023742052680_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 4, 2023
This communication is issued to inform dealers of updated shipping regulations related to lithium ion batteries.
AWC 19-05 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 28, 2019
This communication is issued to remind dealers of the repair validation process for repair group 19. 2005-2019 A3, 1996-2019 A4, 2008-2019 A5, 1992-2019 A6, 2012-2019 A7, 1997-2019 A8, 2019 E-Tron, 2015-2019 Q3…
AWC 19-04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 22, 2019
This bulletin contains instructions for additional reporting requirements for safety related inquiries (airbag/seatbelts, accidents, fire and overheat damage). 2008-2021A3, 2015-2021A3 Cabrio, 2005-2016 A3 Sportback…
A0019212052680_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2019
This informational bulletin contains technical information for when there is condensation visible on the inside of the headlight, taillight, fog light, side marker light, front turn signal, daytime running lights…
A941791 2012749- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2017
This special notice is to inform dealers to return all part numbers listed in the document and order the superseded part numbers going forward.
SM 44-2017 EN · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 28, 2017
This informational bulletin contains all the the Audi Oil Quality Standards that should be used when doing an oil change.
A171782 2010043- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 10, 2017
Due to increasing requests for high voltage personal protective equipment (HVE PPE) for dealer technicians working with high voltage vehicles (Hybrid, Plugin Hybrid, Electric Vehicle), the Volkswagen Tools and Equipment…
ATE-17-05 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 3, 2017
This information TSB provides information regarding the correct way to torque adjust a wheel bolt.
A441662 2010334- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 19, 2016
Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 20 number 13-29 dated November 15, 2013. The fuel tank has been removed from the vehicle and must be neutralized before shipment or disposal. When the fuel tank in a vehicle…
A201559 2011703- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Audi A4 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Audi A4?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 75,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.