Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Audi A4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Vehicle was sitting for two hours with engine off. Consumer noticed smoke coming from out of the dash, and flames came through the passenger seat. Vehicle's battery was unhooked and fire went out. Radio and window were functioning on their own.
I was in the middle of an intersection when my car began to idle irregularly. I managed to get to the side of the road. I was towed to an Audi dealership. Three days later my car was repaired. All that I was told was that my #2 coil pack failed. I was not given any information that the other 3 would most likelt fail also. Upon doing research on message boards I realized that this was an enormous problem. I called Audi client relations and told them that I felt like I was driving a ticking time bomb as I could never be sure when the other coil packs were going to fail. The woman that I spoke with told me to take the car back to the Audi dealership and "demand that the other 3 be replaced." when I took my car back to another dealership because of the terrible service I received at the 1st dealer, they laughed in my face. …
(1) I have had 3 Audi A4's that have had this same issue!!! 98', 99.5' and 01.5' A4's. Below in the incident date, I stated the date when I purchased my current car... This does not include the two previous A4's I had with the exact same problem years ago. (2) the lcd screen in the instrument cluster has several pixels that die out and make the screen blurry or blank! This is extremely important for the driver to know what is wrong with the car when a problem occurs! Also states in the owners manual it is for safety issues and the driver needs to be aware of these situations at all times. Like I previously said, this is my third Audi A4 and have had this problem with all three. It is very frustrating, especially when you have no idea what is wrong with your car because of this ongoing defect with Audi. (3) have visited Audi dealerships numerous times to get this resolved. …
I own a 2001 Audi A4 avant 1.8t that I took delivery in August 2000. Late last year, August-October 2003, I noticed that the instrument cluster's center lcd display started to fade on the top part. Later on I figured out that it would happen after the car has been under the heat of the sun for a while. I didn't do anything because I figured it's just my car and I've already gone through my warranty period (4 years/50,000miles) as my car already have 70K miles on it. Then I started hearing from fellow Audi owners that I met that it's happening to their cars too. One has a 2001 Audi A4 sedan with 30K miles and the other with a 2001 s4 sedan, both replaced under the warranty. Another is a 2002 Audi tt, but he's lucked out because he has more than 50K miles too (out of the warranty). What I'm curious is whether there's been any reported similar case? …
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 displayed or readable; such as worn out brake pads, fuel low warning, washer fluid low warning, etc. If these warnings are not displayed, the vehicle May run out of gas without warning and stall while operating, or brakes May wear down to the point of losing effectiveness without warning, or be left without washer fluid without warning. 3) entire instrument cluster was replaced with new by Audi dealership under cpo warranty. Failed part was kept by Audi.
2001 Audi A4. In for 3rd coil pack replacement in less than a year. This appears to be a widespread problem involving a known defective part. Audi refuses to replace all of the coil packs at once, instead prefering to have the customer come in for each inevitable failure. The car is essentialy inoperable in this condition and requires towing for each instance of failure which does not occure locally. Audi needs to recall this car! I would like you to consider the plight of handicapped individuals for whom this is more than a major inconvenience, but a dangerous situation. Audi knows about the problem and could address it directly instead of putting people through this. Thank you
'01 A4 2.8: (1) digital display is blurry and cannot fully understand everything the computer is displaying, (2) internal oil seals have become defective causing a foul burnt-oil smell within and outside the vehicle, (3) transmission downshifts very hard and rough, (4) very poor design by the engineers to place a cupholder directly over the stereo and heater instrumentation which have caused my buttons to stick. Have taken the vehicle to various dealerships and shops and technicians have stated that the seals are obviously a design flaw and so is the display panel with has some software or lcd problems associated with it.
Tl*- the contact has a 2001 Audi A4 and stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, he started smelling an odor coming from the driver's seat of the vehicle. He pulled over to the side of the road and notice that there was smoke coming from underneath the seat, seconds after the contact got out of the vehicle the air bag deployed without prior warning. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the vehicle had a short in the electrical wiring. Contact can provide copy of invoice repair if needed. The current and failure mileage were both 200,000 miles.
2001 Audi A4 avant quatro, about 17K miles. Failure of ignition coil at cold stratup. Found numerous reported cases of same problem, related to 1.8t engine Audi or vw - so common that part is on backlog for 2 weeks or more! Dealer refuses to change all ignition coils, so it is very likely that another one May fail soon. Sudden failure of ignition coil May create a very dangerous situation - lost of power in traffick at high speed. Audi/vw should be forced to do a recall of all ignition coils for the 2001 and 2002 models equipped with 1.8t engines.
My 2001 Audi A4 has central lcd display to display all sort of information, but this display fails in most of a4s just after a few years. This is critical for vehicle safety, because this car does not have any other indicators to signal abnormal conditions of the car such as low coolant, check engine, etc. This problem has been known more than five years, but the manufacturer has not been responsible. Please look at http://audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46512 for other people's complaints about this problem.
Electrical complaints in other A4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Audi A4?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Audi A4, 27% of the model year's 131 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Audi A4 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Audi A4, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Audi A4 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.