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Electrical systemPart report

2008 Audi A4 Electrical system Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
5%of 175 total for the year
Median mileage
39,600miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Audi A4, 5% of the 175 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 39,600 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I had just put $35 in gassed the car still said I needed gas and that I had zero miles left of gas I made a trip that was about 45 miles in distance. My car was then parked and turned off for about 3 to 4 hours then it had trouble starting at first but turned on and I proceeded onto the freeway which was across the street from the parking lot I parked inside of. It was about 9:00 pm and thankfully there was not a lot of cars out. …”

NHTSA complaint #11416393, filed 2021-05, 1,567 miles

“It happens when I turn the car on and I go to park it. When I pass reverse. It seems to happen a lot more often after it rains. My transmission is going into limp mode due to a major fault. Code p0706: transmission range sensor circuit range/performance the transmission range sensor tells the TCM the position of the gear lever. It also contains a neutral safety switch, which ensures that you can only start your car in neutral or park. …”

NHTSA complaint #10993863, filed 2017-06, 11,000 miles

“Headlights shut off while driving at night. I have looked at many forums and have seen this a problem in over 70 percent of Audi A4 b7 owners. This is an extreme hazard and needs to be fixed. My headlights shut off while driving at 8 pm. They would flicker, but would not re fire. I am speaking about the bi-xenon headlights for the 2006 - 2008 Audi line. I ended up driving home with my fog lights on.”

NHTSA complaint #10478060, filed 2012-10, 68,000 miles

“Bought this car from a guy add said car runs great has smog, reg ,ac works great (not )my boyfriend before I could say anything gave guy money and I signed the bill of sale I said should test drive it so drove to my mechanic in vista ca and he said a German car oh boy and I said ouch so he said to bring it back by after checking it out so he could look in to it further so got in car that had spiderwebs on the motor my guy don't know much about cars so we went back and car stopped steering locked up ignition locked up car shut down in middle of busy traffic and would not turn over nothing so…”

NHTSA complaint #11595625, filed 2024-06

“Left dipped headlight flickers , dies out. While in motion or stationary , the left dipped headlight will flicker repeatedly and die out. Turning the headlights off and back on fixes the issue for a very short period of time before the flickering starts up again and every 5 minutes the left dipped headlight goes out again. This issue is very concerning for not only safety reasons , but for legal reasons as well given that I have to turn the headlights off and on every 5 minutes to avoid breaking the law by driving with a headlight out at night. …”

NHTSA complaint #11244938, filed 2019-08

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023330%
2021327%
20209171%
2019330%
20181738%
2017611%
2016327%
2015316%
201439%
201328%
2012211%
201119%
201023%
200933%
200895%
2007105%
2006217%
20052411%
2004158%
20033215%
20027642%
20013527%
20001111%
1999116%
1998239%
19973334%
19962629%

Other parts of the 2008 Audi A4

Air bags
116 complaints
Engine
13 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
12 complaints
Exterior lighting
11 complaints
Fuel system
11 complaints
Tires
6 complaints
Vehicle speed control
5 complaints
Engine cooling
4 complaints
Body and structure
3 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Wheels
3 complaints
Brakes
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2008 Audi A4

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology