Other engine problem on the 2004 Audi A4
When other engine problem gets reported
Owners of the 2004 Audi A4 report other engine problem at a median of 70,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 50,000 miles and a quarter after 100,000 miles, from 11 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 3rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 35,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 105,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 72,375 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
18% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34,125 miles | 49,000 miles | 68,000 miles | 99,000 miles | 106,500 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$4,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 21 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 25,000 miles, and latest on the 2012 at 120,000 miles.
By volume the 2002 carries the most reports, with 18; the 2004 has 13. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I am having ongoing major issues (equipment and safety) with my audi a4 cabriolet with no resolution from my local dealer or audi customer care agents. I have had my car towed three times in three months. Most recently(july 21) my car was undriveable, leaving me stranded 2.5 hours from home. The engine started to "skip" and "miss" the check engine light started flashing and the check oil indicator came on. I managed to get off the highway into a parking lot. The person with me can verify that the engine/car felt like it was bouncing or vibrating. Prior to that, my car stalled in the middle of interstate 264 in norfolk, va. It was a near death experience trying to get out of the middle of that highway. The car stalled when I was leaving work. I decided to try to make it home once it restarted. Once I started to accelerate onto the interstate, the car would sporadically accelerate. It felt like a "stop and go" situation. It progressively got worse over a distance of about 300 yards, finally stalling. The dealer said they could no replicate the problem. Audi refused any further action on my car after repeated requests. The first time…
Engine has an repeated but intermittent loss of power. Usually occurs shortly after starting the car and before the temperature gage shows the engine running at normal temp. Engine continues to run, but when pressing gas pedal all the way to the floor, there is insufficient power to move the car. Also, when in neutral or park, RPM barely goes above 1500 when pedal fully depressed. After waiting a few seconds for sometimes as long as a minute, engine will regain power and will then operate normally. This has happened at least 10 times from oct07 (when purchased car used) through 22 april. Manufacturer technician is unable to locate problem. *tr
2004 audi a4 has had several repair problems. Consumer feels that the vehicle could be in an accident due to the problems. *nj the consumer stated all of a sudden, the vehicle stopped running while in traffic. The dealer was unable to find any problems. Several months later, the engine wouldn't turn over. The battery was replaced as well as a bulb. The convertible top would not go down. An electrical part on the convertible was replaced, one of the headlights had burned out and the crank pulley was replaced.. *jb the convertible top became stuck in the open position and had to be replaced. The convertible top replacement caused damaged to the headliner as well the drivers side window had a leak. Updated 02/07/11
Also reported on the 2004 Audi A4
Fuel pump failure
Other wheel or tire problem
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Headlight failure or clouding
Other speed control problem
Misfire or rough idle
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 13 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other engine problem happen on the 2004 Audi A4?
Across 11 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 70,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 50,000 miles and a quarter after 100,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other engine problem on the 2004 Audi A4?
13 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.8 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed