2001 Audi A4

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Audi A4, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Electrical system35
• Engine and engine cooling31
• Service brakes, hydraulic28
• Air bags11
• Power train5
• Unknown or other4
• Exterior lighting3
• Visibility3
• Suspension3
• Steering3

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 7 2001 A4 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 7 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2001 Audi A4 failed the safety check 2.29% of the time — 14% more often than the average 2001 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 149,084 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Engines

The most common engines in 2001 Audi A4 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.0 petrol (96 kW, 129 hp), 1.8 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp) and 3.0 petrol (162 kW, 217 hp), out of 5 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

457 first registered in 2001 are on Dutch roads; 26% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde188
• Band onvoldoende profiel155
• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen153
• Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm116
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld114
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm109
• Remslang beschadigd, wapeningsmateriaal zichtbaar93
• Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt85

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

548 cars built in 2001 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1,963 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 1,190 of these cars first registered in 2001 took their annual MOT test. 61% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2001 the figure was 59%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

568 of these cars first registered in 2001 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 327,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

67 2001 cars are on the New Zealand register; 45% arrived as used imports, 51% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 7 variants: combined 10.1–12.7 L/100 km (about 19–23 mpg US), CO₂ 232–292 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

1 Transport Canada recall for the 2001 Audi A4.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Audi told its dealers about the 2001 Audi A4: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation