2018 AUDI S4 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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N/A

Safety Rating

9

Owner Complaints

2

Recalls

ACTIVE RECALL

29

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2018 AUDI S4

The 2018 AUDI S4 has received a total of 9 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 4 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER, SEATS, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. 29 technical service bulletins have been issued by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (4 complaints), Power Train (1 complaint), and Service Brakes (1 complaint).

Recalls for the 2018 AUDI S4

NHTSA has recorded 4 recalls for the 2018 AUDI S4, potentially affecting up to 707,338 vehicles.

Recall 21V874000 — AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

| 208,332 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to...

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is...

View full details →

Recall 21V874000 — SEATS

| 208,332 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to...

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is...

View full details →

Recall 19V547000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 145,337 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2018 S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, S4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and 2017-2018 A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles. Oxidation on the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) connecting cable may cause the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install cable ties to the harness, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 74D9.

View full details →

Recall 19V547000 — AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

| 145,337 vehicles affected

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2018 S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, S4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and 2017-2018 A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles. Oxidation on the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) connecting cable may cause the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.

Consequence: A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install cable ties to the harness, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 74D9.

View full details →

Owner Complaints for the 2018 AUDI S4

9 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2018 AUDI S4. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11665383 | ENGINE | | N/A miles
Water pump defect for the 3.0L ea839 turbo engine found across many Porsche and Audi models. Defect causes damage to vacuum lines, thermostat, and can eventually lead to engine failure if not resolved. No way of knowing this is happening until you start to lose coolant (which will throw an engine code), but by that point the damage is done. There was a recall for the previous generation vehicle water pumps.
#11648098 | ENGINE | | N/A miles
My 2018 Audi S4 has a catastrophic engine failure issue and this is common with the EA839 engine. There is a knocking in the motor that is caused by internal engine parts (rocker arms needle bearings) becoming loose and dislodged. The metal shavings travel in the motor oil and destroy the engine from the inside. Hendrick Audi northlake examined the car on February 26, and recommended a new engine be installed at a cost of $32,000. I contacted Audi customer care and they reviewed the case only to offer me no assistance with the new engine expense. My Audi S4 is a 2018 with less than 47k miles, and I am the fifth owner. I have been reading a lot of threads on Audi forums as well as Reddit about this problem, and this is not rare. This should be a class action lawsuit against Audi for making and selling a defective product. The EA839 engine from 2017 to 2020 is a ticking bomb from day one, almost engineered to fail prematurely. And Audi does nothing to remedy the problem. That is why I would like for NHTSA to get involved in this situation. Please look into this and let me know what I can do to assist with this. I can be reached at [XXX] or [XXX] . Thank you!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
#11581607 | ENGINE | | N/A miles
PCV housing and lines failed. Caused pressure to build up thus shooting off the oil cap shooting oil everywhere! in addition to that it is a huge fire hazard considering the turbo is right next to it.
#11498324 | SUSPENSION | | N/A miles
Audi Dealer inspection revealed Rear spring is broken and mounts are deteriorating. Dealer states not common and would result in accident if not repaired. Research indicates broken springs common with certain Audi vehicles (A4/S4, Q5 & Q7), especially 2018 model year. See Audi World forum website. It would appear these springs are defective and will result in accident, injury and death. Audi refuses to acknowledge issue and issue recall.
#11084045 | SERVICE BRAKES | | 4,000 miles
THE VEHICLE'S PRE SENSE AUTO-BRAKING AND BRAKING ALERT JOLT HAS BEEN ACTIVATING ERRONEOUSLY AND HAVE ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS AT SPEED. THE SYSTEM CANNOT BE PERMANENTLY DISABLED, IT DEACTIVATES UPON IGNITION RESTART. THE SYSTEM HAS ERRONEOUSLY AND AGGRESSIVELY JOLTED THE BREAKS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ON CURVES, ESPECIALLY WHEN CRESTING A HILL WITH VEHICLES PARKED ON THE DOWNWARD SLOAP. CLEARLY, IT IS MISTAKEN THE PARKED VEHICLES FOR A POTENTIAL IMPACT, EITHER AGGRESSIVELY JOLTING THE BREAKERS AND/OR BREAKING. THIS IS NOT ONLY VERY FRIGHTENING BUT ON A SLIPPERY SURFACE, WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THIS FEATURE ALSO ACTIVATED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65+ MPH WHILE SAFELY CHANGING LANES, AND ALMOST LED TO MY VEHICLE BEING REAR-ENDED. THERE SHOULD BE A WAY FOR A DRIVER TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE OR CUSTOMIZE THIS FEATURE TO BETTER ADAPT TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND/OR UNIQUE DRIVER CONDITIONS. AS IS, THIS FEATURE HAS BEEN DANGEROUS!

View all Engine complaints →

Safety Rating for the 2018 AUDI S4

NHTSA has not yet tested the 2018 AUDI S4 in its New Car Assessment Program.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2018 AUDI S4

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. has issued 29 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2018 AUDI S4. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

A3724122074749_1 — POWER TRAIN

This bulletin provides service information regarding pulling away in 2nd gear, vehicles with 0D5, 0D6 or 0D7 gearbox.

A9124792053028_5 — BACK OVER PREVENTION: CAMERA SYSTEM

This bulletin provides information when the top view camera setting changes to graphic view intermittently after startup with MIB2.

Circular 91CD — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:SOFTWARE

AT&T has announced its plan to discontinue its 3G network in the U.S. starting in February 2022. This will impact the Audi connect services in certain 2017-2019 model year Audi vehicles.

A9121072060681_3 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

This bulletin contains instructions to update eligible cars from Google Earth to the new service provided by HERE.

A4821972063041_1 — STEERING

This buletin contains a software update when there is a red steering warning lamp and DTC B200000 is stored.

A4721082055646_2 — SERVICE BRAKES

This bulletin contains repair instructions for when the vehicle sporadically does not start and there is a hard brake pedal concern.

A9120312053028_4 — EQUIPMENT

This bulletin contains a software update for when the reversing camera switches from camera view to graphic view intermittently.

A9120342053918_3 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

This bulletin contains a software update that correct when the Google Map setting is lost.

A9120232060681_1 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

This bulletin contains instructions to update eligible cars from Google Earth to the new service provided by HERE.

A9120902060346_1 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin contains instructions for creating a PSS record when the satellite map setting is lost.

Showing 10 of 29 technical service bulletins.

NHTSA Investigations for the 2018 AUDI S4

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the AUDI S4

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Other AUDI Models

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