1998 Audi A4 problems
NHTSA has received 321 complaints about the 1998 Audi A4, and 44% of them involve brakes. After that come engine (10%) and suspension (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 321 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 44% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 16 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 124 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 22 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 31 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 32 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 19 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 124 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 82,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 82,000 miles (46 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 16 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Audi A4 with enough data (145 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While drivingthe ABS braking systm which is activated malfunctioned, having no braking ability, and causing a frontal impact. The driver's and passenger's airbags did deploy but not all the way. Also, seatbelt tensioner malfunctioned, which did not hold properly the occupant, and occupant sustained a broken bone. Please provide further information.
Audi a4 1.8t q timing belt tensioner failed at 75,000 causing catastrophic engine damage. Service interval published by audi is no earlier than 90,000mi. Tensioner failure is known defect and has been redesigned by audi, yet audi will not acknowledge the defect. Audi claims no responsibility nor have they published any TSB alerting people to have this part replaced early.
Car: 1998 a4 audi avant quattro, bought new. ABS controller module failed in 2004, audi should do a recall for safety reasons. No there were no deaths or injuries, is this a reason to have a recall when people die??