AutoUtility currently tracks 13 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Audi A4. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 4 complaints (30.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries. The 2021 Audi A4 belongs to the 5th Generation (B9) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The instrument cluster has stop working. Have to monitore vehicle information, Mileage, service, Safty notifications and general vehicle information from the Audi app."
"The contact owns a 2021 Audi S4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The message "Drive System Malfunction - Please Contact Service" was displayed. In addition, the vehicle..."
"Tires are original equipment. Only 19,000 miles on them. Was told all 4 tires have belt shifts and hop some. Suggested they should be replaced. These tires were great when new but you could tell from driving they were degrading. I'm [XXX] and never had an issue with tires this new. The belt..."
"I am writing to report a persistent issue with my 2021 Audi A4, VIN [XXX] . I have been experiencing a noticeable vibration, humming, and shuddering sensation that occurs specifically when turning at slow speeds (e.g., in a parking lot or when making a tight turn at an intersection). This issue has..."
"The instrument cluster has failed per the recall 90VC. Audi issued the recall for every model made in 2021 with the exception of the A3 and A4 and I believe this was a mistake as my instrument cluster has the same failure."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2025)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Audi A4 | 45 | 4 | 1 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Audi A4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Audi A4 | 81 | 4 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Audi A4 | 49 | 1 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Audi A4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Audi A4 | 143 | 1 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Audi A4 Current Page | 13 | 3 | 4 | Current |
| 2022 Audi A4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Audi A4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Audi A4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Audi A4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 10 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Audi A4
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Audi A4 is Electrical System, appearing in 4 records (30.8% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (4) and Powertrain & Transmission (2).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 13 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Audi A4.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Audi A4, 3 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.