10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,113 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.

2009 Audi A4 engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Audi A4 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Feb 202012

A4

  • 35,000 miles

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

Since the moment I purchased this vehicle in 2012, I've had nothing but constant issues. This vehicle has stopped in the middle of the street on the freeway (surprised I was not hurt because of this). I've had engine lights on, check oil level lights on, alternator going bad, esp lights on, bearings replacement. You name it, its happened. I took my Audi in for an appraisal and turns out the transmission is going bad, had warranty and Audi services did not mention any issues with my transmission, wasn't until my warranty had expired when I found this out. This vehicle should be recalled.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #23

Sep 052015

A4

  • 61,000 miles
This car has been a nightmare.. after basically having the engine rebuilt due to an oil consumption lawsuit that had been an ongoing problem since 19,000 miles and just been bandaided up with excuses from the dealership, but now the vibrations are blamed on the motor mounts. Will the crap just ever end? or will I fix the mounts and we can point the finger at something else. It just seems like there is no end.. personally this car should have been recalled with all the issues- something just didn't happen for them in 2009 apparently. The motor mounts should have never gone bad in this vehicle at this point being the high end car they claim to manufacture..I would love my car if it ran correctly- and since 19,000 miles it hasn't - that is sad. I know what this company is capable of.. and this is just bs.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #22

Jun 272016

A4

  • 79,000 miles
We bought two 2009 Audi A4's for our children. Last month one went to the the dealer because the engine failed and needed to be rebuilt because of oil consumption issue, while there the dealer informed us that the water pump was failing and needed to be replace. I questioned the dealer and called an independent Audi mechanic, both said the same thing, we were lucky it lasted this long Audi has known from the beginning that this water pump is flawed and should have been recalled. Now fast-forward to yesterday, my daughter took hers in for an oil change and the mechanic, a different independent Audi mechanic, said car was fine except water pump was failing!!!! he said its a known problem and Audi is fully aware of it, its a $1200 repair not including the suggested timing belt change. Two cars, same exact model and engine, this cannot be a coincidence. Please help!!!

- Scotch Plains, NJ, USA

problem #21

Feb 242016

A4

  • 75,697 miles

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

Rear main seal fell out of engine.

- Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

problem #20

Jan 062016

A4

  • 0 miles
My car jump timing today. I first had and oil consumption issue with new piston and rings installed. And in 2015 and rear main seal went out. Now in 2016 the motor jump timing pulling out of the garage this morning. Great plastic timing chain tensions Audi refuse to ammit they a junk. Thanks Audi for a great quality car.

- Whiteland, IN, USA

problem #19

Nov 052015

A4

  • 103,700 miles
The high-pressure fuel pump failed, which caused the vehicle to buck suddenly and stall while driving in traffic.

- Loudonville, NY, USA

problem #18

Sep 232015

A4

  • 51,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Audi A4. While the vehicle was parked, the contact found oil spills under the vehicle. While driving at various speeds, the engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact mentioned there was a burning odor of oil coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear main seal of the engine's crankshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000. The VIN was not available.

- Fort Washington, PA, USA

problem #17

Aug 012014

A4

  • 39,000 miles
Two faulty mis fires caused car to misfire and run rough and jolt. Car was towed to the closest Audi dealership for repairs. Subsequently, within the next 9 months, the care again exhibited close to the same symptoms and the car was again towed to the closest Audi dealership. This time, the intake manifold was cracked and was replaced. With a service bulletin out on this vehicle on these exact issues, I was still charged a $250 deductible per incident ($500 total) on my extended warranty to replace both the injectors and the intake manifold. According to the service bulletin, I should not have been charged.

- Flower Mound, TX, USA

problem #16

Jul 032015

A4

  • 95,000 miles
2009 Audi A4 was recalled for oil consumption issues. Rebuilt in March of 2014. July 2015 timing chain tensioner failed causing timing chain to jump and drop a valve. Car is now sitting at Audi dealership with an unfixable engine. There are hundreds of examples of this part failing after oil consumption rebuild. This as a defect and very dangerous because car just stops running. Audi will not take any responsibility despite the mounting facts against the part.

- Walnutport, PA, USA

problem #15

Jun 102015

A4

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Audi A4. The contact stated that the oil warning light illuminated. The contact added oil to the engine and the oil warning light shut off. The failure recurred after approximately 250 miles. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the vehicle was burning an excessive amount of oil and the rings and valves of the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

problem #14

Jul 072015

A4

  • 84,000 miles

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

The timing chain tensioner failed causing the Audi interference engine to become out of sync resulting in the engine becoming totaled. This has become a common occurrence and is widely reported on 2009 and newer models. Below is an article with their assessment of the situation. The car had been taken in 2X for misfires and was diagnosed as an issue with the spark plugs, it is now clear that this was the timing chain being out of alignment and missed. Upon the engine light coming on the car was left parked until the day before the service appointment when it was to be dropped off at the service location, at that time, upon starting the vehicle the timing chain tensioner failed and caused the engine to fire out of alignment damaging the engine. When speaking to a member of the Audi dealership it was shared that another vehicle is in for the same issue and that they are seeing this occur more and more in their vehicles. This failure is also reminiscent of the 2007 class action law suit which prompted Audi to move from a timing belt to the for the same outcome occurring. redlinespeedworx.com/2-0T-tsi-timing-chain-failure/ if Audi had placed out updated parts, I would like to know why there was no recall to replace the part or anything mentioned by the manufacture indicating the release of updated hardware to address a "potential issue"

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #13

Jul 082015

A4

  • 84,000 miles
The timing chain tensioner failed causing the Audi interference engine to become out of sync resulting in the engine becoming totaled. This has become a common occurrence and is widely reported on 2009 and newer models. Below is an article with their assessment of the situation. The car had been taken in 2X for misfires and was diagnosed as an issue with the spark plugs, it is now clear that this was the timing chain being out of alignment and missed. Upon the engine light coming on the car was left parked until the day before the service appt when it was to be dropped off at the service location, at that time, upon starting the vehicle the timing chain tensioner failed and caused the engine to fire out of alignment damaging the engine. When speaking to a member of the Audi dealership it was shared that another vehicle is in for the same issue and that they are seeing this occur more and more in their vehicles. This failure is also reminiscent of the 2007 class action law suit which prompted Audi to move from a timing belt to the for the same outcome occurring. redlinespeedworx.com/2-0T-tsi-timing-chain-failure/ if Audi had placed out updated parts, I would like to know why there was no recall to replace the part or anything mentioned by the manufacture indicating the release of updated hardware to address a "potential issue"

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #12

Jun 052015

A4

  • 96,000 miles
Vehicle began to run very rough and started to shake. Parked and stopped engine. On attempting to restart it briefly fired but then died and stalled. Subsequent attempts to start the vehicle resulted in it turning over with no apparent firing. Vehicle was towed to the Audi dealer and we were informed it was due to timing chain slip. It appears from information online that the timing chain tensioner in this 2009 B8 2.0T engine is defective. The head and pistons were all damaged and the engine was declared unrepairable by the Audi dealer. Dealer charged $1300 for inspecting the pistons and wants $13,000 for a new engine. This vehicle had replacement piston rings out of warranty but at no charge to us due to the known excessive oil consumption issue (for which there was a class action lawsuit). Audi increased the engine warranty from 4 to 8 years as part of settlement of this class action, but only in respect of failures related to the excessive oil consumption issue. Audi maintains that this issue is unrelated but the dealer service manager told me that anecdotally she's seen several such failures after piston ring replacement (I have this interaction recorded on video). Searching online shows that there are several websites selling replacement timing chain tensioners to replace the defective part that Audi uses on this engine. Audi refuses to acknowledge any fault on this issue. Red line speedworx website which sells upgrade kits to replace the defective part says that typically this failure occurs at 80K miles plus. Since the standard warranty is 50K miles this means that Audi views itself as not liable for these failures. We are filing a lawsuit against Audi over this issue.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 132014

A4 4-cyl

  • 130,923 miles
The coolant reservoir would empty resulting in the coolant light coming on. The car wouldn't drive past around 45mph. There were no visible leaks on the ground at the time. The Audi dealership stated they found air in the system, but no leaks. They pressure tested the cooling system and pulled vacuum on cooling system, found both ok. Drained all coolant and replaced with new coolant and evacuated all air bubbles. They replaced coolant reservoir cap with oem cap. They found the car working to Audi standards. After driving the car a couple days the problem returned. The Audi dealership checked for codes (note that the previous invoice didn't indicate whether they checked for codes or not). They found code for coolant temp sensor, test drove the car, checked temp of coolant hoses & found only top radiator hose getting hot. They replaced the water pump/coolant temp sensor/thermostat housing assembly (all one part). They filled and bled cooling system. They test drove, rechecked and found the car working to Audi standards. (sidenote: We paid for a replacement water pump assembly in 2013, but we were outside the 12,000 mile warranty on that service. Still, this part shouldn't be so poorly designed to need replacement again so soon.) the problem returned, but this time the engine overheated and we had to tow the car back to the audit dealership. They are now saying the coolant issue is due to a blown head gasket (but why didn't they find this before?). each time, my children were in the car and we could've been in an accident due to a slowed or stopped vehicle. My trust in Audi dealership's service department is completely gone since they are continuously charging to fix a problem without fixing the problem. My confidence in Audi corporate's customer service has diminished because they are very robotic in their response to the matter. We won't purchase an Audi ever again.

- Moreland, GA, USA

problem #10

Dec 012013

A4

  • 68,000 miles
I purchased my Audi 2009 A4 quattro in Oct. 2012. After only one month I had to take it back to the dealer ship to fix. They spend over $2,000 in repairs trying to get the oil consumption down. I continued to have problems with it for the next two years. I have since spent over $6,000 to try and repair the oil consumption problem. Due to the financial situations I have still not been able to get the oil consumption problem resolved. On my last trip to the mechanic my oil consumption went from 300 miles per quart of oil to now only 100 miles per quart of oil. This is a known issue all over the United States and yet when I contact Audi they say it is normal wear and tear. Audi should be help accountable for selling faulty vehicles and avoiding a recall to try and save their name and their profits. I have many problems with the vehicle cutting out or not producing full power. At times it will seize or not start at all.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #9

Dec 292014

A4 4-cyl

  • 90,500 miles
This past fall, Audi replaced my pistons and rings due to a failed oil consumption test. My car would require oil after about 250 miles. Within a week of changing the oil at Audi I received a warning light. Audi at that time decided to replace my pistons and rings. On 12/29 while driving on the highway my car starting rattling very loud and I wasn't able to accelerate. All of a sudden my car stopped running, gray smoke came out of the rear tailpipe and my car turned off. I managed to get over to the shoulder and it looked as if oil has leaked all over the right tire by the passenger side. I had the car towed back to Audi for service. They are now telling me it will cost $5000 to fix the car. I feel the since they last worked on the engine they should be responsible for the damage to my car.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #8

Apr 222013

A4 4-cyl

  • 18,000 miles
Engine burned excessive oil and was still under warranty. During the servicing in August 2013, was informed that this is normal oil consumption. About 2qts between servicing. I also informed that I occasionally smelled burning oil and advised the tech to look for leaks. Was told no problem found. After the warranty expired in 2013, took it for servicing in 08/01/2014 and dealer informs that cam seal is leaking and is a $1000 fix. This time I was told that I may smell burning oil!! my car at present has less than 22,000 miles! I have noticed the other people bring up the issue of excessive oil consumption and the service dept provides a bogus answer. I believe NHTSA should compel Audi to fix issues on defective designs regardless of mileage or warranty. It is highly unethical to charge customer for thousands for a known defect and that too right the year after the warranty has expired. I believe the dealership hid the cam leak to avoid the cost to Audi during the warranty period. I appreciate any help regarding this issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tigard, OR, USA

problem #7

Jan 152014

A4 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
My Audi 2009 A4 is going through a quart of oil every 150 miles. There are no leaks and the car is not driven hard. The more I research the more people I find with the same complaint. Dream car has turned into a nightmare.

- Springboro, OH, USA

problem #6

Mar 012014

A4 4-cyl

  • miles
Since hitting 100K miles, burning unusually high amounts of oil. Every 700 miles have to add 1 qt?? mileage is now at 107K and not sure where oil is going.

- Binghamton, NY, USA

problem #5

Apr 142014

A4

  • 111,550 miles
Just brought the car at 111,000 miles.just paid $170 dollars for an oil change at 111,000 miles. Oil light came on at 111,500 miles. One quart low on oil. These cars should be recalled. Own a 2005 Audi A4. And will sell my car now and never buy a junk [xxx] Audi again. Fix your junk! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Greenwood , IN, USA

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