Skip to content
EnginePart report

2011 Audi A4 Engine Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
64%of 11 total for the year
Median mileage
111,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the engine of the 2011 Audi A4, 64% of the 11 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 111,000 miles.

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.

“Apparently Audi had. Are all for this car because of a bad cylinder state forced Audi to do a recall on the car I just payed 7k for this car and the cylinder is bad Audi doesn't wanna help me unless I pay but it's an issue straight from Audi which is not fair of Audi to do that to their customers even if I didn't buy the car from Audi it is still a problem from their end even the government forced them to do the recall but the time frame of the recall is over now and I don't know what I can do do I just lose 7k down the drain”

NHTSA complaint #11376314, filed 2020-11, 111,000 miles

“Leaking oil 4 cylinders had oil sitting on top of pistons and oil was leaking down cylinders walls passes pistons rings no good and damage on cylinder walls”

NHTSA complaint #11308140, filed 2020-02, 100,000 miles

“So there have already been recalls on some audis for oil consumption. I have a 2011 Audi A4 quattro and it goes through oil like crazy. It's ridiculous I believe it's because of faulty piston rings which led to faulty head gasket witch leads to the spark plugs, and coils.”

NHTSA complaint #11585103, filed 2024-04

“The engine burns too much oil from the pistols. I took it to the mechanic and it didn't have any leaks outside the engine so it they told me it burns the oil from inside the engine. And they cant fix the problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11319791, filed 2020-03

“Engine oil consumption, timing chain. This is a massive problem among Audi vehicles across the board. Engine oil consumption is abnormal and if unnoticed leads to engine dying in the middle of the road which is dangerous and I’ve personally had this happen to me on multiple occasions. The engines timing chain goes bad and causes the entire engine to need to be replaced which consumers have to pay for out of pocket. Damage from timing chain, rough idle, sluggish engine performance, rattling, engine failure. There are large amounts of consumers experiencing the exact same issues. …”

NHTSA complaint #11601913, filed 2024-07

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023330%
2022233%
202119%
2019220%
2018511%
20172239%
2016764%
20151053%
20141341%
2013625%
20121368%
2011764%
20103758%
20094437%
2008137%
2007179%
2006155%
2005105%
200474%
200373%
200253%
200122%
199821%

Other parts of the 2011 Audi A4

Transmission and drivetrain
3 complaints
Fuel system
2 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Electrical system
1 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Seat belts
1 complaints
Suspension
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2011 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