"How reliable is the 2005 Audi S4?"

"Based on 54 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Audi S4 has a median complaint mileage of 52500 miles. The most common issue is EXTERIOR LIGHTING."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Audi S4?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Audi S4 is EXTERIOR LIGHTING, accounting for a significant portion of the 54 total complaints filed."

2005 Audi S4: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 54 complaints

Total Complaints

52,500mi

Median Mileage

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

40,000 25th Percentile

52,500 Median Mileage

71,450 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAR HAS A PROBLEM WITH ITS HEADLIGHTS COMPLETELY COVERED WITH CONDENSATION INSIDE, THEREFORE CUTTING ON THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT FROM HEADLIGHTS. AUDI REFUSED TO OFFER ANY HELP TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM, THEREFORE MAKING DRIVING IN THE DARK VERY DANGEROUS."

"TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 2005 VOLKSWAGEN AUDI WITH 1000 FAILURE MILEAGE ONLY IN THE RAIN OR FOG, CONDENSATION BUILDS UP IN HIS HEAD LIGHTS AND EFFECTS THE ABILITY TO SEE AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO REFUSED TO REPAIR IT BECAUSE CONDENSATION WAS A NATURAL ..."

"IN AUGUST 2006 WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 AUDI S4 CONVERTIBLE ON A BUSY STREET IN BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA AT 45-50 MPH, MY CAR DIED WITHOUT WARNING...I.E. NO POWER STEERING, BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE IT OFF-ROAD AND THEN TOWED TO ROYAL AUDI IN BLOOMINGTON, IN. THEY KEPT THE CAR OVER A MONTH THINKING M..."

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