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 2002 Audi A4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On December 3rd, 2010, I was driving south on I-405s heading from long beach, ca to san diego, ca. I was driving approximately 45 MPH when my check engine light came on and I lost all acceleration in my car. I still had electrical power (ie, indicators still worked, my manual transmission worked and interior dome lights worked). I pulled straight over to the side of the highway at which point I noticed that the hood of my car appeared to be melting and that smoke was rising out of the engine. I jumped out of the car and ran to the side of the road to call 911. Two gracious strangers attempted with two separate fire extinguishers to put out the fire but were unable to. The entire engine compartment was entirely consumed by flames within 2-3 minutes. By the time the fire department and emts arrived, the entire car was aflame and was no longer salvageable. …
Ignition coil failed on highway. Car "shook" violently until stopped in parking lot. Once car was off the road, the coil housing caught fire. The fire ultimately burned itself out, and the car was towed to the local dealership for repair. The dealership notified Audi USA of the defect and recommended vehicle replacement. Audi USA elected to repair car under warranty. Multiple failures have occurred since (see list). Ts
After driving about a block after cold start, the engine began to hesitate. Problem got worse. After driving a total of about 3 blocks, the engine died. There were wisps of smoke coming out of grill. Upon opening the hood, discovered a small fire on top of the engine. Dealer reports that the fire started because of a coil failure. Damage was limited to plastic manifold cover, because fire was put out early.
Takata recall; fuel pump went out while driving causing car to stop and almost lead to an accident. (ca electric components do not always work, window is a big one. Wheels all had to be replaced within six months and the axel appears to cause wheel damage. Constant leaks such as coolent.
I am one of the many Audi owners that have experienced a problem relating to the ignition coils of my 2002 A4 quattro. Like other drivers, I was operating my vehicle on an interstate highway when my engine began to loose power, while simultaneously the entire care began vibrating vigorously. After one flatbed trip to the local dealer, and I was informed of a malfunction of one of the four ignition coils on my car with a total of 12,000 miles of use. This problem was not nearly as aggrivating as the information which I have learned from the service tech at two separate dealerships and 3 Audi enthusiast websites: this is a problem well-known to Audi, this is a problem that has been occurring with frequency for about a year, this is a problem that Audi has yet to sucessfully solve. …
Ignition coil failure. Received letter from Audi on March 3, 2003 regarging recognized ignition coil failures. Audi indicated significant failures with ignition coils and promised that in the event of ignition coil failure all repairs would be free. On March 11, 2002, I went to dealer for a regularly scheduled maintenance at 11,000 miles. I asked the service representative to replace the defective coils even though I had yet to experience any trouble. I was informed that Audi would not replace the coils until actual vehicle failure. Approximately two weeks later, the coils failed and my car died on the road in zero degree weather. After a 90 minute wait, Audi roadside service arrived and took my car by flat-bed to dealer. I have been informed by the service representative that only the defective coils will be replaced. My vehicle has six coils. …
Audi A4 (1.8t) was "missing" on startup, shaking, severe loss of power. I tried driving to the dealership but had to turn around and park it at home, for safety. Was towed to the dealership, where I learned it was a failed ignition coil pack, and I soon learned I was in good company: technician there estimated there were at least 85 cars -- all 1.8ts of Audi and vw -- in several nearby lots waiting for replacement ignition coils. German production was on 3 shifts to crank them out, worldwide. I enjoy this car but can no longer rely on it until all of the original ignition coils -- ending with an "-h" part-number suffix -- are replaced with the current, updated ones ending with a "-j." I'm extremely disappointed (as are U.S. Audi dealers, I've since learned) that vw won't recall all 1.8ts to replace the bad coils, which are destined to fail at some point. …
Engine coil failed on 2002 A4 1.8t at 10,600 miles. Per Audi, replacement part is on national backorder for approximately 2 weeks. Indicates that this is a more widespread problem than Audi is admitting. When coil fails, car becomes unsafe and undrivable; engine barely has any power. Huge safety issue for driver and other cars on the road should the coil fail while car is in use. Audi is not proactively replacing all ignition coils when a vehicle presents with one failed coil. Audi would not provide price quote to me for replacing remaining coils in the vehicle at my expense (also, they have no available parts to do this, advising that they only have supply to replace failed coils). I do not believe this car is safe to drive until all coils are replaced. Please demand that Audi research this problem and initiate a recall to repair all impacted vehicles. …
1/10/2003--took the car in to have it checked because of a rough idle and trouble starting. The dealer found no initial problems. 2/5/2003--received notice in the mail from Audi concerning the possibility of bad coil packs on 2002 A4's. 2/7/2003--the car stalled on us at night, in the rain, in the middle of a busy intersection. It took me at least a minute to get it restarted--that May not sound like much, but you should try turning off your car in the middle of an intersection and wait 60 seconds before restarting & taking off. See how May people start honking and/or almost hit you before you move.... 2/8-2/11/03--the dealer checks the car over. They say the coil packs are fine, but the mass air flow sensor was bad, so they replaced it. I don't believe they have fixed the problem, since the car still idles rough, and still has trouble starting. Luckily, it hasn't died on us again (yet).
Drivers door speakers working randomly and cutting out all together at times, sometimes with static prior to cutting out. So far the speakers have been replaced on oct 2 2004,nov 2 2004, nov 15, 2004,dec 7 2004. The car still has the same issue and the dealer does not seem to be able to find or fix the problem. I have looked at it and in 2 seconds I found the issue. It is a broken wire in the door pass through. The dealer tells me it's not a broken wire because they tested all the wires and they checked out OK. If the speaker is not working or cutting out with the door open and you moved the rubber pass through, the speaker comes back on and works for a short time again. Dealer has performed the recall for this on nov 2 2004 but there is still an issue. I stopped having them try to fix this when the factory warranty ran out because of the cost involved.
Electrical complaints in other A4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2002 Audi A4?
NHTSA has 76 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Audi A4, 42% of the model year's 181 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (50 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Audi A4 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2002 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 2002 Audi A4 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 10,000 miles, and 85% 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.