"How reliable is the 2002 Audi A4?"

"Based on 218 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Audi A4 has a median complaint mileage of 21500 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Audi A4?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Audi A4 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION, accounting for a significant portion of the 218 total complaints filed."

2002 Audi A4: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 218 complaints

218

Total Complaints

21,500mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

7,275 25th Percentile

21,500 Median Mileage

79,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"UNEXPLAINED ACCELLERATION FOR 1/2 MILE SERIOUS SAFETY WHILE NO ONE WAS INJURED OR PHYSICALLY HARMED, THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. IN FACT MY WIFE WHO WAS DRIVING THE CAR WAS ABLE TO AVOID A LOADED SCHOOL BUS BEFORE SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND A SPOT TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND DISABLE THE VEHICLE...."

"CONSUMER STATES DURING A FRONTAL COLLISON, NONE OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED ON IMPACT.*JB"

"IN HOT, MUGGY WEATHER AND WHEN OPERATING THE AIR CONDITIONER, THE A/C DEVELOPS CONDENSATION ON THE WINDSHIELD WHICH SEVERELY IMPAIRS VISION AND SAFE OPERATION OF THIS VEHICLE. TO SEE OUT WINDSHIELD I MUST RUN WINDSHIELD WIPERS.*AK"

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