There are 8 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2003 Audi A4in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
2003 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET HAS HAD NUMEROUS ISSUES, FAILURE OF DOOR GASKET SEAL WHICH DESTROYED PLC, RESULTING IN HORRIBLE SOUND SAFETY ISSUE, COST OVER $2K TO FIX, FAILURE OF CV JOINT WHICH COULD CAUSE WHEEL TO FLY OFF, FAILURE OF REAR GLASS WINDOW THAT COULD COME LOOSE HURTING OTHER VEHICLES OR PASSENGERS OF CAR; CAR HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES, WAS BOUGHT NEW AND IS GARAGED. AUDI AMERICA SHOULD REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR THESE NUMEROUS, (AND APPARENTLY INEVITABLE, JUDGING BY WHAT I'VE READ AND HEARD FROM OTHER OWNERS) PROBLEMS. *TR
PURCHASED VEHICLE APRIL 2009 (CARFAX WAS CLEAN) REPLACED IGNITION COIL 2X BY SEPTEMBER 2009 REPLACED CLUTCH, RACK AND PINION, AND COMPUTER MODULE IN OCT 2009 CURRENTLY CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS MALFUNCTIONING I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE IN A CONSISTENT OPERATING CONDITION FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS AT A TIME. I HAVE SPENT ALMOST $5,000 IN CAR REPAIRS TO DATE. *TR
I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH MY A4. FIRST, MY HEADLIGHT SHORTED OUT AND COST OVER $600 BECAUSE IT FRIED ALL THE ELECTRICAL WIRES AND I HAD TO GET A NEW HEADLAMP SETTING AND WIRES. EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE COMPUTER HAS A LIGHTBULB SIGNAL LIGHT THAT IT IS NOT SENDING THE CORRECT AMPAGE. THE POWER STEERING LEAKS CONTINUOUSLY AND MAKES NOISES ALSO. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS CAME ON AND THE MOTOR IS RUNNING VERY BUMPY LIKE ALMOST LIKE IT IS MIS-FIRING OR SOMETHING. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY. WHEN I PUT IT INTO REVERSE IT STALLS AND WILL NOT GO. I PUT IT IN TO NEUTRAL, THEN REVERSE AGAIN AND IT SLOWLY CATCHES SOMETIMES. NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING AND I HAVE HAD MY CAR SITTING FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER ALL THIS SUDDENLY APPEARED. I AM SAVING MONEY TO TRY TO GET THIS FIXED. I AM AFRAID THAT THE ENGINE WILL STALL OR I WONT BE ABLE TO TURN DUE TO THE STEERING AND CRASH SO IT IS INOPERABLE AT THIS TIME. *TR
I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 03 AUDI A4T QUATTRO IN JUNE OF 03. THE DEALER IS GREAT AND THANK GOD THEY VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS BECAUSE MY CAR HAS GIVEN THEM ALOT PRACTICE ON EVERYTHING. I THINK GERMANY SENT US A DUD! SINCE BUYING THE CAR I HAVE NEEDED VARIOUS ITEMS REPLACED: A NEW COMPUTER, (REPLACED BY THE DEALER), A NEW FUEL SYSTEM WAS NEEDED BECAUSE MY CAR STALLED IN THE LEFT LANE OF A HIGHWAY WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (LATER RECALLED BY AUDI BUT AFTER I NEEDED TO BE TOWED AND HAVE THE CPMPONENT FIXED ALONG WITH OTHER ITEMS SUPPOSEDLY ATTACHED TO THE SYTEM), AND MOST RECENTLY 2 SEPARATE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN FIXED BUT HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN 1100 MILES OF EACH OTHER. FIRST DIAGNOSIS OF THE NOISE AND SHIMMY WHILE DRIVING WAS TIRE BALANCE AND LATER RACK AND PIN STEERING AND AFTER ALL THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE SHIMMY AT 65MPH + IS ALONG WITH THE WHINNING IN THE CAR THE FIRST 10 MILES FO EACH DAY (AFTER IT IS WARMED UP OR EVEN IF IT IS A WARM DAY). AND WHAT SUPPOSEDLY WAS FIRST THOUGHT TO BE A COIL IS NOW A MYSTERY. THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR OVER 2 DAYS AND ARE STILL UNSURE AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON. THANK GOD I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY!
MY 2003 AUDI A4 FAILED TO START ON DECEMBER 24TH, 2002 AND MAY 2ND, 2003. BOTH TIMES I WAS LEFT STRANDED. THE FIRST TIME THEY REPLACED THE STEERING LOCK, IGNITION CYLINDER, AND STEERING COLUMN. AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURED A SECOND TIME, THEY REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED AT 5,000 AND 11,000 MILES AND SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A NEW CAR. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED 2 TIMES.*AK
MY 2003 AUDI ALL ROAD HAS A CONTINUAL PULL TO THE RIGHT. IT WILL NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT FOR MORE THAN 5-8 SECONDS AT A TIME, ON MOST ROAD SURFACES. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS FOUR TIMES IN 3400 MILES. EACH TIME THE CAR WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND HAD TO BE ADJUSTED. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTS THAT THE CAR IS PERFORMING TO FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS, BUT IT STILL HAS A PULL TO THE RIGHT. *LA
WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED TO LEFT OR RIGHT AND GRINDING/GROANING NOISE CAN BE HEARD. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN 4 TIMES AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*JB
WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. THIS CAUSED A HEAD ON COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD AND NECK INJURIES . DRIVER WENT TO HOSPITAL THE NEXT DAY. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026