Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Audi S4, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system15
- Back over prevention9
- Unknown or other5
- Visibility/wiper1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Lane departure1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2020 Audi S4 failed the safety check 0.88% of the time — 25% less often than the average 2020 passenger car (1.18%). Median odometer at inspection: 32,106 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2020
2,077 new Audi S4 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2020; the largest markets were Germany (1,088), the United Kingdom (734), France (90).
- Average mass
- 1,892 kg
- Average CO₂
- 187 g/km (WLTP)
- Average power
- 255 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 100%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
In the United Kingdom
660 cars built in 2020 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 9 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, 703 of these cars first registered in 2020 took their annual MOT test. 91% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2020 the figure was 88%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 5.1% | 4.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1.3% | 3.0% |
| Suspension | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Visibility | 0.4% | 2.8% |
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 New Zealand
15 2020 cars are on the New Zealand register; 27% arrived as used imports, 73% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Audi S4 4 DR AWD | — | 9.9 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 10.5 L/100 km (about 22 mpg US), CO₂ 245 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| S4 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 11.8 | 8.9 | 10.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2020 Audi S4.
| 2022022 26 Jan 2022 | Suspension Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear wheel alignment was not checked during recall 42L1 (Transport Canada Recall 2021-249). As a result, the steering could pu… |
| 2021249 26 Apr 2021 | Suspension Issue: On certain vehicles, the lock nuts for the rear trailing arm bolts may be defective. If a nut breaks, there could be sudden changes in rear wheel align… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
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 2020 Audi S4: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011305 | This bulletin provides information when the camera for the Driver Assist Systems is coded incorrectly. |
| 11011303 | This bulletin provides information when the anti-theft alarm activates for no reason, or when the anti-theft alarm does not activate. |
| 11011296 | This bulletin provides service-info relating to lithium-ion high-voltage batteries; determining energy content. |
| 11011285 | This TSB Provides information when parking assistance provides false warnings. |
| 11011282 | This bulletin provides information when speaker rattles, vibrations, or audio interference is noted. |
| 11011274 | This bulletin provides information when the restricted function icon for Audi Pre sense is displayed after engine starts. |
| 11011270 | This bulletin provides informatoin when Audi pre sense restricted message appears in the instrument cluster, no DTCs. |
| 11011263 | This bulletin provides information regarding cleaning exterior glass. |
| 11011257 | This bulletin provides information when creaking noises are heard when body twists during braking or steering maneuvers. |
| 11011256 | This bulletin provides information when the DTCs B200FF0 to B200FF5 are stored in the J775 suspension control unit. |
| 11011240 | This bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the VAS 611 015 PICO-NVH tool |
| 11011239 | This bulletin advises that fuel additives are not permitted. |
| 11009983 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11009967 | This bulletin provides information when there is an issue with wireless charging/wireless charging not working with Audi Phone Box. |
| 11009965 | This bulletin provides information when the calendar function is not available. |
| 11009959 | This Pending Service Solution (PSS) requests that technicians enter a record in the PSS Database when there is an Audi connect installation error. |
| 11009948 | This bulletin provides information when there is noise from the backrest of the front seat. |
| 11009941 | This bulletin provides diagnostic information regarding the locking system. |
| 11009938 | This bulletin provides information when there are droning noises/vibrations in tight corners, vehicles with PR number GH4 (quattro with ultra technology). |
| 11009936 | This bulletin provides informatin when there is binding or vibrations in tight turns with quattro Ultra. |
| 11009928 | This bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds. |
| 11009927 | This bulletin provides information when oil is lost from the filler cap. |
| 11009920 | This bulletin states that the use of fuel additives is not permitted. |
| 11009390 | This Pending Service Solution (PSS) requests that technicians enter a record in the PSS Database when there is an Audi connect installation error. |
| 11009387 | This bulletin provides information when there is an SOS Malfunction with ConBox Low, "Emergency call function: fault", (DTC U142100, U153E00). |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)