10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,364 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Audi A4 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2002 Audi A4 Owner Comments

problem #11

Mar 182011

A4 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2002 Audi A4 1.8T, transmission ctv, the car has 75,000 miles everything works in the car with some minor stuff, but the transmission start to jerk when stop in a red light, is almost uncontrollable, it want to move the forward, so I have to press the brake hard so it doesn't move. It starts to get dangerous to drive in that kind of condition. This is the second Audi I own and that"S a shame that so good quality car has this kind of problem and the dealers and Audi usa don"T do anything about it. You spend 30 thousand of dollars and you have to throw your car away because the fix cost more than what your car is worth.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #10

Jan 112011

A4

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Audi A4. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle downshifted to first gear and instantly came to a stop. The contact had no control of the vehicle. The contact coasted to the side of the road and the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop. The mechanic stated that the transmission control module was defective. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The current and failure mileages were approximately 97,000.

- Fallbrook, CA, USA

problem #9

Aug 082010

A4

  • 75,000 miles
My 2002 Audi A4 has a defect with the transmission control module. This defect results in the loss of my ability to put the gear in reverse (automatic cvt transmission). This has happened to me several times within the past month ( which is when this problem started). I was faced with a horrifying experience where I needed to reverse in order to avoid a bus from hitting my car while it was turning onto the road I was stopped at. The reverse did not work, and it acted as if it were in neutral. I quickly shifted to neutral and back to reverse and luckily (that time) it worked. I noticed that when my car doesn't reverse the prnd flashes on the gauge cluster. I have researched this problem and noticed that thousands of people are having the same problem with their Audi A4's. it's only a matter of time before I get into an accident because of this faulty error that Audi has not recalled. My mechanic confirmed my suspicions of the transmission control module failing and said it will get worse over time. I called my local Audi dealer and they said they are aware of this problem but have yet to do anything about it.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #8

May 012010

A4

  • 119,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Audi A4. While driving 30 mph the contact noticed that all of the gear shift indicator lights on the instrument panel had illuminated. Within a few seconds, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. Prior to the failure the contact noticed that the vehicle would hesitate while driving 40 mph and shifting from 3rd to 4th gear. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were 119000.

- Burlington Township, NJ, USA

problem #7

Feb 152010

A4

  • miles
I have an 2002 Audi A-4 with a constant variable transmission. I have had hesitation problems on and off since 2002. Several repairs have been made and the dealer has never addressed the transmission hesitation. Since I don't drive the car very often, the transmission is finally skipping. The dealer indicates the car most likely is the beginning to show signs of the need for a new transmission. I generally keep my cars over 10 years and service them like a baby. This is disheartening, since the repairs would be more than the car is worth. My daughter had similar problems with her vs passat and after pouring money into it, problems continued. I am very disapointed and will not buy again.

- Bloomingdale, IL, USA

problem #6

May 212007

A4 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
1. driving the car. 2. automatic transmission problems. The gear lights will start to blink (park, drive, reverse, neutral) and the car will have difficulty shifting into reverse. When this occurs, the car cannot reverse and on inclines the car will slide backwards. Sometimes, when the car slides back, stepping on the brake will not stop the car. Once, the car slid backwards and I could not stop it at all and luckily, there were no cars behind me. 3. the gearbox has been replaced costing $2000 and the problem has only been partially fixed. I've been told that the car needs a new transmission, rebuilt transmissions are not available. Audi is aware of the problem & refuses to owe up to their defective transmission.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #5

Jul 032006

A4 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have an Audi A4 2002 with cvt. Over the last year or so the transmission has intermittently failed to engage when moving from a full stop. This can happen in a parking lot or my home driveway. After engaging the drive gear and depressing the gas pedal the car fails to move for anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or so. This is especially disconcerting, and I believe unsafe when it happens at traffic lights. Once cruising the car experiences no problems. On two occasions I have reported this to the dealership. On one occasion the intermittent problem could not be recreated. On another they did recreate the problem and notified me that repair costs would be between $1700 and $6000. It is a five year old car with 58000 miles. To add to the problem the trade in value of the vehicle reflects the need to replace the transmission. I am not the only person with this experience. I have found many on the internet.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

problem #4

Aug 152005

A4 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
This vehicle is an Audi A4, 3.0 automatic, 2nd owner, coming off a 3 yr. Lease in which all of the warranty work was performed by the dealer. The vehicle has 62,000 miles. There has been a complete mechanical failure of the transmission. The dealer says it must be replaced at a cost of $9,213.72. During the warranty period. Records show that there were (3) occasions in which the owner complained about transmissions problems. On the first occasion, the dealer re-programmed the shift-control software. On the 2nd occasion the dealer removed and cleaned the connection terminals of the transmission control module (tcm). On the third occasion, the dealer replaced the (tcm). Then the vehicle went off-lease and the dealership sold it at auction to a used car dealer. Since then the car was sold to an unsuspecting customer and no history was ever produced which described the previous transmission problems. The transmission had some internal defect or problem which was never properly diagnosed by the dealership mechanics, and therefore it was just a matter of time before complete failure would occur. Of course, the dealership and Audi usa in Michigan would have you believe that nothing was ever wrong with the transmission, only the (tcm). If that is the case, then why would complete transmission failure occur soon after the vehicle is off lease warranty, especially on a sealed unit, which these units are.

- Chuluota, FL, USA

problem #3

Apr 122003

A4 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles
The problem is with the cvt automatic transmission. I guess you would call it hesitation when you accelerate. When we bought the car we lived in a small town that was very flat with no hills. The car was driven on mostly back roads at approximately 25 to 30 mph. After a few months we moved and the car was driven faster, now the problem was becoming very noticeable. As you accelerate the car hesitates and you have to push harder on the accelerator then the car jerks forward. The car was taken to the dealer several times for different adjustments and still the problem was there. Next I met with an Audi tech rep, who drove the car and said that was the nature of the beast. After more complaining they replaced the transmission module, this still did not fix. Now I have moved to an area that is hilly, and when you stop at a red light on a hill the car drifts back when you take your foot off the brake. The car has gone to a new dealer for another module and more adjustments and is still not fixed. This is a serious problem that other Audi A4 owners that I have spoken to have. Audi should have to fix this problem be for someone gets hurt. I thought I was getting a safe, well built, long lasting car, I guess I was wrong. With all of the other problem I have had with this car, I would never buy another Audi. I only hope that the other Audi A4 owners will take the time to pass on their problems with this dangerous transmission.

- Lutherville, MD, USA

problem #2

Jan 022003

A4

  • miles
Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will stall and it will be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. Dealer notified.

- Auburndale, MA, USA

problem #1

Dec 052002

A4 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
An accident occured in my 2002 Audi A4 with the new-for-2002 cvt transmission (continuously variable transmission) resulting from a condition that I believe is defective relating to the function of the transmission. After depressing the accelerator from a dead stop, there is a long lag between before the vehicle begins to move. As a result, in order to accelerate quickly in traffic, one must press the accelerator all the way to the floor in advance. This can cause serious problems if one must quickly stop, right after starting. In this case, my fiance accidentally hit the rear of the car in front of her at a light when they quickly stopped just after starting.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

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