2012 Audi A4 Problems: Engine (19 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2012 Audi A4 is Engine (58% of 19 owner reports). There are 0 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 19 complaints · 0 recalls

What problems show up on the 2012 Audi A4?

11 of 19 filings named Engine (58% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Fuel system (3 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2011 has 11 reports on file; this year has 19. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2012 Audi A4

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov even if this page lists none.
  2. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  3. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Engine. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Engine 11 complaints · 57.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Engine (ENGINE) appears in 11 of 19 owner complaints (57.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. Engine (ENGINE): 11 complaints, 57.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 11 · 57.9% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 15.8% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 3 · 15.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 10.5% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 10.5% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 2 complaints, 10.5% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 · 10.5% Steering (STEERING): 1 complaints, 5.3% of reports Steering (STEERING) 1 · 5.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 1 complaints, 5.3% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 · 5.3% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Engine (ENGINE) 11 57.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 3 15.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 10.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 2 10.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 1 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2019. 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2019 Jan 2026
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (0)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

No safety recalls are on file for this model year in this snapshot.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 19 complaints · page 1 of 1
2026-01-20Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11712256
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Audi A4. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 90,512 and at the time of the registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 175,000.
2024-10-02Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11617631
CrashFireInjuryDeath
There is a recall for the year after this when many Audi owners of this model have the same issue per the Audi forums. We have the coolant leaking issue as well and it should have been included in the recall
2023-07-11Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11531710
CrashFireInjuryDeath
1) Turbo, not because I'm looking to replace it 2) the car could stall when merging into highway or passing on the left lane 3) Yes 4) No 5) Yes, Check Engine Light came on afterward Check engine light came on after I tried to merge into a lane, while I was stepping on the gas peddle hard there was no acceleration. While the car did not stall, but it was not moving fast enough to provide the distance I need to be safe from the car behind me.
2023-03-06Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11510295
CrashFireInjuryDeath
There have been wide-spread reports & complaints with Audi A4's starting in 2009. Audi settled a class-action lawsuit in 2015 but it only covered vehicles madein 2009-2011. If you look at any Audi owner blog or any car blog you'll find thousands of complaints about excessive oil consumption resulting in owners needing to replace pistons. In my case, I was given an estimate to replace pistons & timing belt for over $8,000 in 2021. There are additional class-action lawsuits pending against Audi BUT on my own I can do nothing and I have contacted Audi multiple times since they are "clearly" well-aware of that this is a wide-spread problem with their cars. HOW IS IT the NHTSA has no information on this problem? How is it that a recall wasn't instituted years ago? What are you doing to protect consumers from Audi's refusal to help owners? It is impossible that this problem hasn't been previously reported. I need this matter resolved, I need the car repaired & I need Audi to pay for the cost of repair based on their faulty manufacturing. Given that thousands of Audi owners are affected, clearly, this should qualify as a recall.
2022-07-06Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11472474
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I have continued to notice increasing oil consumption on my 2012 AUDI A4. I have mentioned this to my dealership, however they kept dismissing it as an old car. I noticed that there have been numerous reports of this with AUDI vehicles. I requested for 2 part oil consumption test, which failed. Nonetheless, they keep suggesting that there is nothing to be done. Please advise, if this meets concern similar to other consumers with this issue.
2021-12-21Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11444569
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Owned 1 year and just over 120ish miles TIMING CHAIN Jumped Required Head Rebuild and the Timing Replacement. Soon as those were completed and Car back on the road, OIL CONSUMPTION every 150miles with Carbon Buildup regularly on the rear bumper. Low Oil Pressure light soon to appear following up with Water Pump Housing Cracking, Replaced the water pump and low oil pressure is worse than before this repair. Checked Oil Pan for sludge, OIL PAN FULL of METAL, tear down the top end of motor inspection disclosed that both of the BALANCE SHAFTS and SPROCKET were destroyed teeth missing form gears, assuming that in addition to this that piston rings definitely must be fried so they will be replaced with the balance shafts repair. In Addition to this entire ENGINE being a Lemon and needing replaced or rebuilt, 2 smaller issues I’ve had would be Wiper Motor is not even fast enough for major downpours so possibly needs replacement and also the rear backup camera is extremely difficult for viewing as it’s foggy/pixelated/shadowy and during rain completely useless.
2021-10-25Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11438117
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This vehicles Water Pump has failed and has been replaced 3 times in the last 3 years. I fear for the safety of the vehicle. We've received numerous correspondence regarding class actions suits and such for cooling system issues.
2021-05-13Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11416432
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RECEIVED AN OIL CHANGE HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING ONLY 300 MILES, THE MINIMUM OIL LEVEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ADDED TWO QUARTS OF OIL TO THE ENGINE HOWEVER, AFTER SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES OF DRIVING, THE OIL LEVEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUDI STEVENS CREEK SERVICE (751 S WINCHESTER BLVD, SAN JOSE, CA 95128, ([redacted]) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PISTONS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000.
2021-04-27Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11414193
CrashFireInjuryDeath
HAVING ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. VARIES NOT CONSISTENT. WHEN APPLYING PEDAL TO ACCELERATE. THE CAR DOESN'T RESPOND. RPM DROPS TO ZERO. ENGINE STILL RUNS BUT NO MOVEMENT. RELEASING PEDAL AND TRYING AGAIN WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. SCARY WHEN TRYING TO GET CAR OUT OF DANGER.
2021-04-12Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11407695
CrashFireInjuryDeath
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, THIS CAR DRINKS AN EXTRA QUART OF OIL PER MONTH. NO LEAKS ON THE DRIVEWAY OR IN THE GARAGE.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2012 Audi A4?

Owners named Engine most often — 11 of 19 reports (58%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2012 Audi A4?

NHTSA lists 0 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2012 Audi A4?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources