KnownCarProblems2001 Audi S4 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 87 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Audi S4, most often about the electrical (54% of complaints, typically around 70,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about S4 model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2001 Audi S4 problems
Electrical
47 complaints · 54%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition, wiring.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Audi S4. The contact stated that the instrument panel has a lcd display screen with lines going through it, which prevents him from reading the gauges. After a few days, his visibility was zero. The dealer stated that the entire instrument panel control cluster would have to be replaced. The…
1) there is no triggering event leading up to the failure. It just appears over time. 2) the lcd screen in the instrument cluster has lines of pixels that do not light up. This is constant, with more lines of pixels going out and permanently staying out over time. As a consequence, important warning messages are not…
Engine
11 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine, exhaust system.
(1) events leading up to the failure: none--I've been experiencing a coolant leak since day one. Only recently has it gotten worse and now I see that there is water in my coolant. (2) failure and its consequences - coolant in oil causes premature damage of engine components (bearings, turbos). New engine costs exceed…
Coolant in oil. Can't trace it down, have had 5 rear main seals replaced, had the external oil filter parts replaced and still coolant is finding it's way into the motor, causing the motor to prematurely wear. Audi knows about the issue they have brought engines back to germany for review, but have yet come out with…
Wheels and tires
10 complaints · 12%Parts named most often: sidewall.
Yokohama yk520 335/45r/17 tires... Driving along with my 2001 Audi S4 and started noticing a wobble or shimmy in the steering wheel. Kept getting worse. The tires have less than 20k miles on them so I though I needed an alignment. (entire front suspension has been upgraded).. I took the tires off to make sure I didn;t…
Seats
6 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: front assembly.
Driver's seat rock back and forth when braking or accelerating. Seat frame has already been replaced twice and it started rocking again. Driver looses concentration by the sudden jolt of the forward movement of the seat when braking or rearward movement on acceleration.
Rocking drivers seat, normal driving, man of average size 5'11 180lbs. Seat starts to move forward and back when braking, accelerating. Dealer has replaced the seat frame twice citing that it was broken. Now the seat is rocking again and they are now saying it's normal. It's not normal, why does the seat move back and…
Lights
3 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: headlights.
The xenon headlight construction on Audi S4 cars based on the b5 platform (built 2000-2002) are inadequately designed, allowing thieves to easily steal them. Furthermore, nothing is being done by Audi to address this issue which causes the owner to have to pay a deductible on a repair usually in excess of $3500 and be…
Dt: 2001, Audi S4 was damaged upon delivery. Vehicle was taken back to the dealer to fix the problem, when the problem was fixed headlamps were sprayed with paint. Upon delivering the headlamps they were installed incorrectly, they were pointing down, and consumer couldn't see two feet in front of him. Consumer took…
Brakes
3 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: conventional, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist.
1) car is 2001 Audi S4 avant. Car was running for approximately 15 minutes, and was idling at top of driveway for about 5 minutes with parking brake engaged while other car in front was being moved. Upon release of parking brake regular brakes failed, resulting in car rolling downhill, about 30 feet, from a standing…
Brake booster check valve fails causing vac hose feeding to booster unit to become totally separated from valve. Result is no brake assist. This happened to me in my 2001 Audi S4!!!! At highway speed!
Air bags
3 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: frontal.
1) car is 2001 Audi S4 avant. Car was running for approximately 15 minutes, and was idling at top of driveway for about 5 minutes with parking brake engaged while other car in front was being moved. Upon release of parking brake regular brakes failed, resulting in car rolling downhill, about 30 feet, from a standing…
Cold start on a cold january morning (5 degrees f); upon starting the car the air bag warning light came on and would not shut off. Research (discussions with the dealer and air bag repair businesses) indicate that this is a very common defect for Audi S4, model year 2001 and that to repair the problem the air bag…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2001 Audi S4 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag may not properly protect the occupant, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed november 2, 2021. Owners may contact audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69cj.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2000-2001 audi tt coupe, tt roadster, 2000-2002 a4, and s4 vehicles equipped with non-azide driver air bag inflators (nadi) that do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the nadi inflators may absorb moisture, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2001 Audi S4
- What are the most common problems with the 2001 Audi S4?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (47 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); engine (11 complaints, typically around 48,000 miles); wheels and tires (10 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2001 Audi S4 have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 23, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2001 a bad year for the Audi S4?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about S4 model year since 2000, with 87 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.