2023 Audi A4: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical. The 6 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

2023

Owner complaints: 8
Recalls: 0
Crashes reported: 1; 1 injury
Reliability: Good; 77/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/6 checked

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1

01Ask for service records covering any stall, shutdown, or electrical malfunction, and confirm what the dealer did to fix it.

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/1

02Restart the car several times and note any slow restart or malfunction notice on the dash.

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4

03Take a long highway drive and watch for sudden power loss, shutdown, or a malfunction warning.
04Drive in stop-and-go traffic and watch for presence safety alerts that go off with no hazard nearby.
05Watch the dash during the drive for several safety sensor warnings lighting up at the same time.
06Drive past about 10 mph and confirm the doors auto-lock, then decide whether that behavior is acceptable.

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on other A4 years with the same design

These years share the 2023's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.

2021 A4

12 owner complaints

Electrical 3
Suspension 2
Transmission 2

Worth adding to your 2023 checks

Start the car and confirm the digital instrument cluster boots fully and stays on for the whole test drive.
Ask for repair records showing any instrument cluster failure, reboot problem or replacement.
Shift into reverse several times and confirm the rearview camera shows a clear image, never a white screen.

Open the 2021 checklist

2020 A4

122 owner complaints

Electrical 109
Backup camera 6

Worth adding to your 2023 checks

Leave the MMI running for at least 15 minutes on the test drive and watch for the screen going black or rebooting.
Reverse several times and confirm the backup camera and parking sensors stay on screen without dropping out.
Pair your phone, stream Bluetooth music, and confirm sound keeps playing without the system crashing.

Open the 2020 checklist

2018 A4

35 owner complaints

Electrical 6
Airbags 6
Transmission 4

Worth adding to your 2023 checks

Shift into reverse several times and confirm the camera image appears every time without blanking, scrolling, or showing the radio screen.
Take a long test drive with a phone paired and watch for the MMI screen rebooting or Bluetooth dropping.
Run the VIN through federal recall records and get dealer proof that all airbag recall work is complete.

Open the 2018 checklist

Which A4 is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2023 Audi A4. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

Version	Drive	EPA rating
2.0L 4-cyl	AWD	28 mpg

On the hybrid, watch for the car moving off on electric power at low speed and for any hybrid system warning on the dash.
Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A A4 that averages well under the EPA 28 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Audi A4, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

Electrical3No crashes
The car shuts itself off while driving, according to two of the 3 complaints. One shutdown happens in a fast highway lane, another in congested traffic. Restarting can take about a minute, and a malfunction notice lights up. Repeat shutdowns are reported, along with a service visit that did not resolve the problem. Other reports describe the presence safety feature activating with no hazard ahead and every safety sensor warning lighting at once. A separate complaint says the doors lock automatically at about 10 MPH and the dealer cannot turn this off. A sudden stall at speed carries a clear crash risk.

How the 2023 compares with other A4 years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2023 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 5 A4 years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2023 Average of other years