Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Audi A4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The car is completely defective,total engine, gasket,water pump,intake manifold,airbag, transmission,torque,drive shaft, universal joints,all rear axles,wheel bearing,bought at auction Aug 19,2024, $4000, the as is was so small and on the back of a sheet we did not see it,we are senior,
Takata recall Audi has persistently denied anything wrong with the air bags and there is no sufficient process to remedy this. I called the dealership and there is no maintenance or service bulletin available. Audi headlights the left headlight is malfunctioning due to something with the adaptive head lights. Upon steering the car, especially on highway entries and exits, sharp turns, and windy road driving the error "dipped left headlight" will appear. Audi has consistently denied the problem as you need to be on the road for this problem to occur. Even driving to the service mechanic is deadly with only one functioning headlight and has been the only way for a mechanic to determine an issue is occurring. After that, the car must be left on and unlocked while registering the car.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Audi A4 which was purchased January 30, 2006. He stated that the driver was traveling approximately 25 miles when she parked the vehicle and saw black smoke under the hood. Someone passing by attempted to extinguish the fire with a standard fire extinguisher and was successful. The fire was near the battery. The fire department extinguished the fire and confirmed that it was electrical. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and current mileages were under 68,000. Update 12/14/09 updated 12/16/09
My right headlight has been flickering for about 3 months, and a few times it has gone out completely. Turning the headlights off and back on fixes it for a couple days. I waited to take it to the dealer until it needed maintenance, and also so there would be more DTC evidence for them to troubleshoot with. The left headlight started doing the same thing so I took it in. Audi cannot replicate and will not replace the headlights.
Bi-xenon driver side headlight goes off randomly while driving at any speeds. Have to power off and on the headlights while driving to get the light to work again. This has been happening for years since I bought the car new. Audi service was never able to admit to the problem or fix it on multiple visits for service on the car. Huge safety issue...
"intermittent headlight malfunction. Over the course of a year and a half of ownership, the right headlight has malfunctioned (turned off), with no consistent cause apparent. The specific error message that appears in the driver information screen is "left headlight dipped". This condition is both unsafe, and illegal - as many states will issue a traffic violation for driving with a non-functioning headlight. It has happened about 20 times, the headlight flickers, then goes out, but will come back on when the car is restarted, then be fine for weeks or months at a time. The dealership has been notified of the problem on at least 3 visits, and has claimed that everything is fine and they can not reproduce. …
While driving either during the day or during the night either one of the lights will start flickering and then eventually go out completely. While driving home one the freeway one night the right side started to flicker and then went out completely...I turned the lights off and then turned them on and the light worked perfectly fine for 5 mins or so and then the same thing happened again! The next day as I was going to work early in the morning (while it was still a little dark) the same thing happened again...but this time with the left side. It started to flicker and then it went out completely. I turned the lights off and turned them back on and the light worked as if nothing happened. I called an Audi dealer and they said to bring the car in to get this issue fixed...they quoted me at $180 for the bulb and a grand total of $450 for the bulb plus installation. …
I purchased the vehicle on 02/11/2012 and that very evening when I had the opportunity to use the lights, my right light began to flicker and then failed completely. This really unnerved me as I was in an area with no street lights. And didn't really know what was happening. I instinctively turned the lights off and then on again, and this made them come back on. Unfortunately, this happened numerous times that night. I feel this is a blatant safety issue especially as I had family members in my car and their well being was compromised. I have researched this problem via the internet and it appears to be rampant on Audi's and the dealerships don't either know what to do or don't want to do it as for the expense of the parts.I spoke with no less than 8 Audi dealerships around the pa northeast and no one could positively say what would be the problem. …
Car headlights periodically flicker and turn off under normal conditions. Driver side flickers on acceleration and passenger side will flicker and turn off completely during acceleration or braking. Have to switch the headlights completely off and back on for them to light up again. I have the bi-xenon HID adaptive headlights factory installed on my car. I just received a class action lawsuit letter describing reimbursements for class members who have either repaired or had an authorized Audi dealership document the issue within the 5 year/50,000 mile warranty from date of original purchase or lease. I bought my car at 51,[redacted] miles and am out of warranty with no access to the previous owners records. This is a safety issue that should be identified and a full recall campaign should be initialized with Audi of America (aoa). …
I purchased this 2005 Audi A4 in August of 2007 and within the first few months of having the vehicle I was already having problems with it having to take it in and get repaired/serviced. Not only was I dissatisfied that I bought a horrible car, because it was having recurring problems, but I find out after purchasing the vehicle the dealership sold me a quattro, but my Audi is not a quattro, so I was mislead into buying a faulty vehicle.. My paperwork documentation says 2005 Audi A4 quattro 1.8t so I had to pay to get towed out of the snow because the Audi is only 2 wheel drive.. I will never ever purchase a vw/Audi vehicle again and I always tell people don't get a vw/Audi because they are horrible unreliable cars. I have put so much money into this junk Audi that just constantly has problems, I could have bought a new car again by now . I'm very disappointed with vw/Audi. …
Electrical complaints in other A4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Audi A4?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Audi A4, 11% of the model year's 219 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Audi A4 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Audi A4, though it has 3 recalls 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 2005 Audi A4 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 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.