Audi
S4
Compact Cars · model years 1992 to 2025
Includes S4, S4 Avant and S4 Cabriolet as listed by the EPA.
The verdict
Best year: 2025. complaints: 0, below this model's typical 5; recalls: 0, below this model's typical 1.
Worst year: 2020. complaints: 16, about 3.2x this model's typical 5; recalls: 3, about 3x this model's typical 1.
Year by year
| Year | Trims | MPG | HP | Fuel cost | Recalls | Complaints | TSBs | Top complaints | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1Gas | 18 | no data | $4,300 | 2 | 5 | no data | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 60%, POWER TRAIN 20%, VISIBILITY 20% | |
Score: 50 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 1993 | 1Gas | 18 | no data | $4,300 | 2 | 16 | no data | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 59%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 12%, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12% | |
Score: 10 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 1994 | 1Gas | 18 | no data | $3,450 | 2 | 7 | no data | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 75%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 13%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 13% | |
Score: 38 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2000 | 2Gas | 18 | no data | $4,300 | 1 | 143 | no data | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 31%, TIRES 23%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 20% | |
Score: 24 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2001 | 4Gas | 18 | no data | $4,300 | 1 | 87 | no data | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 52%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 12%, TIRES 11% | |
Score: 30 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2002 | 4Gas | 18 | no data | $4,300 | 1 | 22 | no data | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 42%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 38%, SEATS 13% | |
Score: 67 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2004 | 6Gas | 17 | no data | $4,550 | 1 | 29 | no data | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 32%, POWER TRAIN 14%, ENGINE 8% | |
Score: 65 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2005 | 6Gas | 16 | no data | $4,800 | 2 | 43 | no data | EXTERIOR LIGHTING 62%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9%, AIR BAGS 8% | |
Score: 36 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2006 | 6Gas | 16 | no data | $4,800 | 2 | 30 | no data | EXTERIOR LIGHTING 60%, AIR BAGS 19%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11% | |
Score: 50 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2007 | 6Gas | 15.5 | no data | $4,975 | 2 | 13 | no data | AIR BAGS 38%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10%, ENGINE 10% | |
Score: 52 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2008 | 6Gas | 15.5 | no data | $4,975 | 2 | 4 | no data | AIR BAGS 75%, STEERING 25% | |
Score: 63 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2009 | 2Gas | 15.5 | no data | $4,975 | 4 | 0 | no data | no data | |
Score: 55 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2010 | 2Gas | 21 | 333 | $3,650 | 0 | 60 | 619 | POWER TRAIN 57%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 15%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8% | |
Score: 40 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.6 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014). | |||||||||
| 2011 | 2Gas | 21 | 333 | $3,650 | 1 | 26 | 695 | POWER TRAIN 65%, ENGINE 15%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6% | |
Score: 29 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 0.5 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014). | |||||||||
| 2012 | 2Gas | 21 | 333 | $3,650 | 1 | 22 | 722 | POWER TRAIN 52%, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 19%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11% | |
Score: 29 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 0.5 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014). | |||||||||
| 2013 | 2Gas | 20.5 | no data | $3,750 | 1 | 33 | 776 | STEERING 54%, POWER TRAIN 26%, ENGINE 11% | |
Score: 30 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.0 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014). | |||||||||
| 2014 | 2Gas | 20.5 | no data | $3,750 | 1 | 17 | 660 | STEERING 26%, ENGINE 13%, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13% | |
Score: 49 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 0.6 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014). | |||||||||
| 2015 | 2Gas | 20.5 | no data | $3,750 | 1 | 1 | 609 | ENGINE 100% | |
Score: 84 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2016 | 2Gas | 20.5 | no data | $3,750 | 0 | 0 | 458 | no data | |
Score: 95 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2018 | 1Gas | 24 | no data | $3,200 | 2 | 7 | 708 | ENGINE 44%, POWER TRAIN 11%, SERVICE BRAKES 11% | |
Score: 38 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2019 | 1Gas | 24 | 354 | $3,200 | 1 | 2 | 739 | ENGINE 33%, LANE DEPARTURE 33%, SERVICE BRAKES 33% | |
Score: 79 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2020 | 1Gas | 23 | no data | $3,350 | 3 | 16 | 837 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 45%, BACK OVER PREVENTION 29%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16% | |
Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2021 | 1Gas | 23 | no data | $3,350 | 4 | 2 | 863 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 50%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 50% | |
Score: 49 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2022 | 1Gas | 24 | 349 | $3,200 | 1 | 1 | 770 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 100% | |
Score: 82 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2023 | 1Gas | 24 | 349 | $3,200 | 0 | 0 | 702 | no data | |
Score: 95 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2024 | 1Gas | 24 | 349 | $3,200 | 0 | 0 | 639 | no data | |
Score: 95 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
| 2025 | 1Gas | 24 | 349 | $3,400 | 0 | 0 | 411 | no data | |
Score: 95 of 100, where higher is better. | |||||||||
How the numbers moved
How we score each year
We compare each year of the Audi S4 to the model's own typical numbers, not to other cars. A year reads solid when its recalls, owner complaints, and federal investigations sit at or below what is typical for this model, mixed when some of those numbers run above typical, and avoid when they run far above it. Deaths, reported fires, and an NHTSA advisory to park outside count against a year no matter what this model's baseline looks like.
A year is scored only when NHTSA has both complaint and recall counts for it. Complaint data often lags for the newest years, so a recent year can read not enough data even while its recall count already shows in the table. When the history is too thin, we say not enough data instead of guessing. Service bulletins are routine maintenance guidance from the manufacturer and do not lower a year's score.
Scores run 0 to 100, higher is better. Recall, complaint, and investigation figures come from NHTSA records. Fuel economy, fuel cost, and horsepower figures come from the EPA, shown as the median across the year's trims.
Information is gathered on a best-effort basis from public sources, may be incomplete or out of date, and is not purchasing or financial advice. Verify with the manufacturer or dealer before buying.