Headlight complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
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 "right 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 7-8 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. …
My headlights flicker almost all the time and occasionally go off as a result. This problem has been widespread as literally hundreds of people in the Audi online forums are reporting the same exact issue. Once one or both headlights go out, I get an error message stating "left headlight dipped", "right headlight dipped", or both. Once the car is turned off and restarted, light comes back on. They still flicker and go out again at random intervals and random sides (left and right). There should be a recall in place as it costs many hundreds of dollars to repair, and many times, the repair doesn't fix anything. It is so widespread, it has reached epidemic proportions and it has become a real safety hazard. This problem effects a wide range of Audi models and years as reported by hundreds of other people experiencing the same issues of various years and models. …
Driver headlight dipped info on dash. Headlight turns off or flickers till it turns off and must turn all lights off on the car while driving and reset lights to activate headlight back on. Sometimes this does not work and forced to drive with one headlight with is extremely dangerous condition, police have citied me twice for faulty headlight equipment. There needs to be a recall on this issue. There will eventually be a fatality crash involving this issue with dipped headlights on Audi vehicle's. Also this happens at all speeds from 0 to 70 MPH. This issue has been going on for 6 months and going to cause a serious accident soon on i95 in miami as I drive home from work at 0430 a.m.
Takata recall 1. The left headlight flickers. 2. It then turns itself off 3. The message "left dipped headlight" appears 4. This happens while my vehicle is parked and in motion so it is a very serious safety risk. I have had both headlights go out at night while driving with my 2 year old in the car!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Audi S4. While driving at night, the low beam head lamps failed to illuminate without warning. While attempting to the head lamp bulbs, the contact noticed that the wiring was burned and damaged. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but the VIN was not included in any recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
Xenon headlamps wiring all corroded and bare with no insulation left. Check with Audi and they said our vehicle and VIN is not part of any recall. Yet rcorrd-05V096-4498 in your database shows a mofification letter from vw to include our VIN. There is no record according to Audi service shops that show any recall work done to our headlights. I have attached a picture that shows the deteriation of the electrical wiring and headlamps to our 2004 Audi S4. Would appreciate some assistance to having our headlamps replaced for safety reasons.
Dt: 2001, Audi S4 was damaged upon delivery. Vehicle was taken back to the dealer to fix the problem, when the problem was fixed headlamps were sprayed with paint. Upon delivering the headlamps they were installed incorrectly, they were pointing down, and consumer couldn't see two feet in front of him. Consumer took the vehicle back again, and the headlamps were installed wrong again. When consumer took vehicle to another dealer, was told the headlamps were defective, and they would never work correctly. Consumer did have a crash in the winter of 2001, and there was still potential of a crash. Consumer statesdthat he still couldn't see at night. Consumer had numerous visits for this and other complaints.
The xenon headlight construction on Audi S4 cars based on the b5 platform (built 2000-2002) are inadequately designed, allowing thieves to easily steal them. Furthermore, nothing is being done by Audi to address this issue which causes the owner to have to pay a deductible on a repair usually in excess of $3500 and be without the car for some amount of time. It has happened to me personally and happens everywhere from public garages to private driveways in both "sketchy" and very upscale neighborhoods.
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 S4 years have headlight problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (33) and 2006 (22) model years. Headlight complaints make up 77% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Audi S4 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 S4 headlight problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles; 46% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the headlights (7 mentions), followed by the brake lights (1).
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.