Headlight complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 11% | 42,000 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2010 | 2 | 3% | 150,000 miles |
| 2009 | 4 | 3% | 65,000 miles |
| 2008 | 11 | 6% | 69,000 miles |
| 2007 | 8 | 4% | 65,000 miles |
| 2006 | 159 | 54% | 58,000 miles |
| 2005 | 101 | 46% | 59,000 miles |
| 2004 | 14 | 7% | 80,000 miles |
| 2003 | 23 | 11% | 70,000 miles |
| 2002 | 17 | 9% | 102,000 miles |
| 2001 | 3 | 2% | 130,000 miles |
| 2000 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 1999 | 4 | 2% | — |
| 1998 | 6 | 2% | 110,000 miles |
| 1997 | 3 | 3% | 97,000 miles |
| 1996 | 5 | 6% | 67,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I own a 2009 audi a4. On the Month of october 2024 my transmission failed. I towed my car to a mechanic who then replaced my transmission i picked up my car on December 11 2024 at 7 am from audi of fresno. I have had no prior issues and like always i expect a dealership to inspect a new vehicle that comes in ,as i have never been able to get work done with out them always doing their own diagnostic. Any ways . On the morning of [redacted] at [redacted] i went to pic up breakfast from carls jr with my boyfriend . As i placed my order and drove up to the window without a single warning my car engulfed in flames from the front driver side . I turned my car off jumped out called. The fire department and watched as my car continued to build flames until the fire department finally showed up. …
Headlight dipping warning comes on. Multiple complaints to Audi and on other forums with others having same problem. This is a vehicle safety issue due to headlight going out during random times while driving. Audi is fully aware that over 70 percent of its a4s has this problem which is a major concern and refuses to fix or recall the lights. This can happen on a new vehicle per many peoples complaints online.
I have had repeated issues with oil consumption. Oil overconsumption has been the subject of a class action lawsuit for 2009-2011 a4s. For some reason the 2008 was not included in the lawsuit. I have had to top my oil off every 3,000 miles, at a minimum, for the entire life of the vehicle. This has been a safety issue numerous times where I was not close to any facility that sold oil and was forced to drive the car on low oil a long distance in order to top it off. I have also had issues with the headlights being dipped -- also a known problem for this year and model. The headlights go out way inadvance of a normal life expectancy. Audi gives excuses on how it can be fixed (the prices and repairs were inconsistent between the two headlights). One of them they quoted me $1300! When I read the service information they had only replaced a bulb!
Shortly after purchased car, I complained that car was burning oil. I was assured this was normal and nothing to worry about. Continued more and more. I asked who was supposed to cover this added expense. They gave me oil for awhile, but that ended. In 2913 I was informed the seals were bad that is why it was using oil. They lied and denied an oil leak for over 3 years. Will not cover any costs to repair. More recent my headlight went out and they will not cover this expense either. This is the second Audi with headlight issue. I was never sent notice about the first headlight in which Audi agreed to reimburse. They will not pay me because they claim I did not file in time. Now my current Audi headlight went out. I called Audi and will not pay or acknowledge it is a problem.
2007 Audi A4 - "left main headlight" error and left headlight goes out. Problem is intermittent. Dealer has replaced the headlight and still has the problem. Dealer says no errors are in the system, but I took a picture of the dash display with the error. The problem has been happening for almost a year, and frequency is almost every time I drive it. This is a safety issue because I randomly lose my front left headlight. Looking on the internet shows that it can happen to either or both headlights for many people. Please consider forcing Audi to figure out the problem and recall these vehicles for a permanent fix. Thanks.
Malfunction and failure of both xenon front headlights while driving vehicle. Lights consistently would flicker and then at two different times both headlights went out leaving the driver to pull over at a high rate of speed completely in the dark. Contacted Audi to fix the problem and they would not do anything about it. Very dangerous safety issue when traveling at 75 miles per hour in a dark stretch of i70 and both of your headlights go out. If the weather would have been bad it could have been a different result.
The left headlight flickers and turns off. Changing the bulb did not fix the problem and neither did changing the ballast. I found that there was a settled class action lawsuit however they said that the lawsuit extended the warranty for headlights to 5 years. The lawsuit was settled in 2013 and my car is a 2006 model so I am not sure how it could ever help me.
When driving at night right low beam will flicker and then go out. I get a warning icon referencing "right dipped headlight". If I turn the headlight switch from auto position to off position and then turn back to auto, the light will come back on. It will then stay on for a while and typically goes out again after some random time period causing me to repeat the process. I don't like doing this traveling at high speeds at night since I have to disable my headlights to get everything working again. I took it to the Audi dealer and they did their guided fault tests and found no faults. They "believe" the igniter is faulty which is a $625 part plus labor to replace. I didn't go ahead with their suggestion since they could not guarantee that it would fix the problem. …
Related recalls (1)
Exterior lighting › Headlights
On certain passenger vehicles, there is a possibility of xenon headlamp coating degradation over time. The luminous transmittance of the headlamp May decrease over a period of time.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right xenon headlamp reflectors free of charge. The recall began on April 11, 2005. Owners May contact Audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Frequently asked questions
Which Audi A4 years have headlight problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (159), 2005 (101), 2003 (23), 2002 (17) and 2004 (14) model years. Headlight complaints make up 54% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for Audi A4 headlight problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-096 (headlights, Mar 15, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Audi A4 headlight problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles; 31% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the headlights (18 mentions), followed by the turn signal (4).
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.