2002 Audi A4 problems & reliability
181 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Audi A4, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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 (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Audi A4 vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 76 | 42% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 28 | 15% |
| Exterior Lighting | 17 | 9% |
| Power Train | 16 | 9% |
| Visibility | 11 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 4% |
| Equipment | 8 | 4% |
| Tires | 6 | 3% |
| Engine | 5 | 3% |
| Seats | 5 | 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 32,317 miles (middle 50% between 10,600 and 81,000 miles), based on 109 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“2002 audi a4 with 370k burned a bit of oil which was fine cleaned the engine out with cleaners it smoked a bit which is normal.. Headlights started flickering 'hids' so I parked it. 3 days later I go to take the car on a test drive and the drivers headlight lit on fire ! Not sure if it was a headlight issue or a…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Nov 25, 2020
“I slid off a wet curvy down hill road and slammed into an embankment. Went unconscious and woke with a large laceration to back of head. Saw that the passenger airbags exploded but none for driver's side. Seatbelt on driver's side tighten so tight could strangled me if I was wearing it. Have video of malfunctioning…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 26, 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 audi a4. The contact heard a ticking noise coming from the timing belt. Audi brooklyn (665 65th st, brooklyn, ny 11220, (833) 448-2449) was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 150,000. The vin was unknown.”
Engine · filed Dec 7, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
149 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 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 special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
SM 48-2022 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 15, 2022
This informational bulletin explains how to order replacement VIN plates, Safety Certification Labels, etc.
A0021482021205_6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 2021
This information bulletin contains instructions for technicans on how to ensure their TAC call goes smoothly.
A0020362002047_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 16, 2020
00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating instructions
A0019252011732_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2019
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
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 2002 Audi A4 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 2002 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 32,317 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.