"How reliable is the 1997 Audi A4?"

"Based on 119 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Audi A4 has a median complaint mileage of 92457 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Audi A4?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Audi A4 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH, accounting for a significant portion of the 119 total complaints filed."

1997 Audi A4: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 119 complaints

119

Total Complaints

92,457mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

67,487 25th Percentile

92,457 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM

SUSPENSION:FRONT

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SEATS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONING."

"INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE COMPUTER KEPT IT FROM ACCELERATING. IT WOULD SUDDENLY ONLY IDLE OUT FROM A STOP. IF YOU WERE TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC YOU COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND WOULD BE HIT OR CAUSE SOMEONE ELSE TO SWERVE TO AVOID YOU. IT TOOK THE DEALER 7 MONTHS TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND REPLACE TH..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28