Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 20% | 30,000 miles |
| 2021 | 2 | 18% | 4,000 miles |
| 2019 | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 5% | 29,000 miles |
| 2009 | 3 | 3% | 92,000 miles |
| 2008 | 5 | 3% | 50,000 miles |
| 2007 | 9 | 5% | 72,000 miles |
| 2006 | 7 | 2% | 61,000 miles |
| 2005 | 8 | 4% | 69,000 miles |
| 2004 | 16 | 8% | 50,000 miles |
| 2003 | 22 | 10% | 71,000 miles |
| 2002 | 4 | 2% | 57,000 miles |
| 2001 | 1 | 1% | 40,000 miles |
| 2000 | 2 | 2% | 40,000 miles |
| 1999 | 16 | 8% | 62,000 miles |
| 1998 | 13 | 5% | 89,000 miles |
| 1997 | 4 | 4% | 40,000 miles |
| 1996 | 1 | 1% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Problem one the car was burning through a quart of expensive oil every 300 miles. Took it in,dropped the engine,changed all pistons,removed crankshaft oil seal,faulty high mount brake light,pressure regulating valve all replaced. Car was accelerating with and without hesitation,but dealer duplicated the occurrence and said they fixed. One month later,car smelled like gas and was taking off on it's own brought back dealer could not duplicate. Very bad smell of gas and rapid acceleration -dealer removed engine again replaced all valves,diagnosis purge valve stuck. Suspected injector seal.replaced 4 injector seals, smell persisted.replaced intake valve,remove and replace purge valve assembly. …
During an attempt to accelerate the gas pedal was pushed to the floor (Audi A4 '10) and remained stuck to the floor even after the foot was removed. The car has a manual transmission and was shifted into neutral at this time. The tachometer indicated the engine was redlining in neutral while the foot was still off the accelerator pedal. This engine speed lasted for approximately 5 seconds then the accelerator appeared to become unstuck and car operation returned to normal. An aftermarket floor mat was in place at the time of the incident. However, the mat was "zip tied" back to the driver's seat mount so it would not shift forward and possibly interfere in clutch, brake or accelerator operation. After this incident, the same day, the driver checked to make sure the floor mat was properly placed and still zip tied and it was. …
Driving home from work, all of a sudden my vehicle was revving while it was idle and at low speed, making it very difficult and dangerous to steer the car and keep it under control. Upon inspection, it was found that the timing chain tensioner had failed and had caused serious engine damage, causing the pistons to fire prematurely. Previously the tensioner was replaced in 2014 by Audi when the car had ~50K miles and was reported as a "weak tensioner". My car currently has 92K miles. I believe that no replacement tensioner should only last 40K miles and cause catastrophic engine failure and put consumers at risk of not being able to control their cars.
I was just parking the car and was about 5 MPH and suddenly car got accelerated unintentionally to higher RPM and hit the curb and above cement wall . Even applying brakes hadn't slowed down the vehicle because it was just few feet away.
Was changing lanes and when trying to accelerate the car would barely move then in an instant went extremely fast. I hit the brakes but the car was revved so high and going so fast that I just skidded into traffic. Before the incident we noticed it would do it but the lag wasn't so bad... Wasn't until we drove it on the freeway in stop and go traffic that it really became a problem. Very scary to have a car full of kids and not be able to control the acceleration.
After reaching an appropriate speed on a highway, I eased off the gas pedal but the car continued to accelerate. I removed my foot from the gas pedal entirely but the pedal stayed down. I shifted the car into neutral, turned on my hazards and pulled over to the breakdown lane. I got out of my car and checked the still depressed pedal to see if anything was obstructing it and there was nothing. I pulled the pedal up and the engine stopped revving.
My vehicle will disengage forward or drive at times (transmission) unknowingly and as you apply the gas it sometimes will engage and go forward or reverse in a high speed. Stopped at a light or stop sign becomes dangerous as you are not in control of your speed. Or you may be moved into traffic and lose forward or reverse power.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle jerked and the RPM gauge fluctuated rapidly. The contact mentioned that the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on multiple occasions but the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.
Frequently asked questions
Which Audi A4 years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (22), 1999 (16), 2004 (16), 1998 (13) and 2007 (9) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for Audi A4 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Audi A4 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Audi A4 acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles; 41% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (16 mentions), followed by the cruise control (5).
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.