2.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,081 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Audi S4:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #29

Nov 092017

S4

  • 90,256 miles
Takata recall 1. the left headlight flickers. 2. it then turns itself off 3. the message "left dipped headlight" appears 4. this happens while my vehicle is parked and in motion so it is a very serious safety risk. I have had both headlights go out at night while driving with my 2 year old in the car!

- Salunga, PA, USA

problem #28

Oct 292007

S4

  • 75,000 miles
My driver's side headlight frequently goes out with the message, "left dipped headlight." If I turn the lights off and back on sometimes the light comes back on, sometimes not.

- Arnold, MD, USA

problem #27

Feb 162015

S4

  • 95,000 miles
Driver headlight dipped info on dash. Headlight turns off or flickers till it turns off and must turn all lights off on the car while driving and reset lights to activate headlight back on. Sometimes this does not work and forced to drive with one headlight with is extremely dangerous condition, police have citied me twice for faulty headlight equipment. There needs to be a recall on this issue. There will eventually be a fatality crash involving this issue with dipped headlights on Audi vehicle's. also this happens at all speeds from 0 to 70 mph. This issue has been going on for 6 months and going to cause a serious accident soon on I95 in miami as I drive home from work at 0430 a.M.

- Miramar, FL, USA

problem #26

Feb 102014

S4

  • 65,000 miles
As I was driving on the freeway my headlight went out with and the message, "right dipped headlight" came on. When this happen I stopped to fill up with gas and when I started the car the message was gone and the headlight was back on. This has happened a several more times since then.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #25

May 192014

S4

  • 67,000 miles
Bought this car from dealer, used, low mileage, great car. Headlights were filled with condensation. Dealer said to dry them out and re-seal them. That didn't work. There is still water in both headlights. It hasn't rained and has not been humid outside. Pulled over the first night and told they were a safety concern and needed to get them fixed, luckily just a warning issued, no ticket. I can't see at night with the amount of condensation/water that has accumulated in both headlights. This should be a problem that Audi recalls. It's not safe due to decreased visibility, no visibility at times, and the car won't pass the state inspection until this problem is fixed. Obviously there is no warranty and the dealership totally blew off my concerns telling me some bs story about how to fix it myself because their labor rates were so high. This vehicle is not safe to operate with defective headlights and I really hope Audi addresses this issue. Bought a car and can't even pass inspection to drive it, worthless vehicle and money sitting in the driveway. Not happy.

- Hamilton , MA, USA

problem #24

Oct 152013

S4

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns 2005 Audi S4. The contact stated that the hid headlights would intermittently flicker. The contact also stated that both headlights would dip and as result, an error light was illuminated. The failure recurred at various speeds. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. The VIN was not available.

- Streetsboro, OH, USA

problem #23

Sep 092012

S4

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Audi S4. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the headlights became dim with low visibility. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the headlights were diagnosed with having a reflector failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was been of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 70000.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #22

Sep 212011

S4 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Happens all the time "right dipped headlight" "left dipped headlight" dealers refuse to fix it even though it keeps happening to all their cars. It's a safety issue not wear and tear. Headlights keep failing regardless if you replace them or not. I have replaced the entire assembly and this issue still keeps happening.

- Stratford, CT, USA

problem #21

Nov 102010

S4

  • 48,500 miles
The xenon headlights in my S4 go out as the car is in motion. The light may flicker. The headlight may "dip." The light shuts off and I have to stop the car and shut off the lights and then turn them back on for the light to reignite. The bulb and control unit was replaced under warranty. Now two years later the same thing is happening. It seems to be a very common problem with Audi's (based on forum discussion).

- Winchester, KY, USA

problem #20

Nov 022009

S4 8-cyl

  • 60,438 miles
My car is a 2005.5 Audi S4 with bi-xenon hid headlights. I almost always get a dipped headlight error whenever I turn on the headlights. It occurs more often on the driver's side headlight. This will randomly happen but I have noticed that it occurs more frequently right after the headlights are switched on. It will also happen when the road is either on an incline or decline, or really when the road is not flat. The dipped headlight error is characterized by a flickering, then a dimming, then ultimately, the light turns off. The only way to re-ignite the light is to completely turn off the light switch then turn it back on again. Although the affected headlight will come on, it will eventually dip again. I feel this is a serious safety concern both to me as a motorist, to other motorists, and more importantly, to pedestrians. This will happen at any speed - both on the highway or on residential streets. Aside from the obvious safety issue with the headlight/S completely shutting down, the preceding flickering can also pose a serious public safety hazard as it may confuse oncoming vehicle and pedestrian traffic. I have tried unsuccessfully to have this repaired under warranty from Audi many times. And I was always told that they could not replicate the problem even as it occurs as soon as I drive away. I searched the internet and found many similar problems with other Audi A4/S4 owners. I feel this is cause for Audi to rectify this problem at their expense with the obvious safety reasons foremost in mind and with the prevalent problem which could suggest a manufacturer problem.

- Verona, NJ, USA

problem #19

Jun 022012

S4 8-cyl

  • 106,250 miles
While driving at night with the low beams illuminated the left headlight will turn off and the car will warn of a inoperative "dipped headlight". the headlight will flicker on and off at times and this causes disconcerting driving conditions for both the driver and other cars in the vicinity. Every time the light flickers, the warning system chimes and alerts to the malfunctioning headlight. Other drivers are confused because they see your headlights flashing at them for no apparent reason. If the headlight switch is cycled to "off" and back to "on", the headlamp is restored until the next occurrence. It is dangerous to drive at night with one headlamp flickering or completely inoperative. It is dangerous to have to cycle the headlamp switch while driving in traffic in an attempt to restore proper illumination. I have also had the problem briefly occur in the right headlamp. I drive in fear that both headlamps will go out at the same time and there is nothing I can do to predict when this might happen. Besides the legal ramifications of being ticketed for malfunctioning lighting, there is a very real safety issue that has not been addressed by this manufacturer. This complaint is widespread by hundreds of owners on many owner interest web boards. There has not been a clearly defined solution and owners continue to spend money chasing a problem whose ownership should rest entirely with Audi of North America. I urge the NHTSA to pursue a resolution with the manufacturer for this serious safety defect.

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

problem #18

Jan 112012

S4

  • miles
Headlights dip and go completely dark. Turned off and after a short time period headlight comes back on.

- Davidsonville, MD, USA

problem #17

Mar 102011

S4

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Audi S4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the headlights began to flicker and suddenly shut off. The vehicle was stopped and shut off. After restarting, the headlights functioned properly. The failure occurred intermittently and occurred while parked or while driving at different speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- Incline Village, NV, USA

problem #16

Jul 122011

S4

  • 40,000 miles
Hello - I have an Audi 2005.5 Audi S4 avant that the headlights continue to dip and go out while driving. Good thing both it hasn't happened to both at the same time. I'm able to turn off and turn on an generally they will come back on, other times not.

- Newntripoi, PA, USA

problem #15

Mar 222011

S4

  • 57,000 miles
I own a 2005.5 Audi S4 B7. The headlights go out. While driving the car, one of the headlights begins to flicker on and off. Then all of a sudden, it just shuts off completely. I have to turn the lights completely off and then turn them back on to make the light that just shut off go back on again. Sometimes I have to do this three or four times before the light continues to stay on. There have been a couple times that both lights failed. Major driving problem at night. Once I cycle through this the light does stay on for the rest of my driving time. I have looked on line and it seems to be a problem with many other Audi owners. Audi said they are not responsible for this. Well, it seems if it is happening to many other Audi drivers, Audi should be recalling these lights.

- Park City, UT, USA

problem #14

Feb 262011

S4 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Headlights flicker and shut down. This occurs mostly under deceleration but can frequently occur during acceleration and turning. Headlights run normally under steady state speed or at rest. Dealership claims no issue. Independent Audi specialist has confirmed the problem and swapped bulbs (left-right) without effect. This has been occurring for over four years and getting progressively worse, to the point that each time the car is driven the lights need to be re-ignited a minimum of 5 times during a 30 minute drive. Safety issue as lights turn off at nearly all braking situations and driver must divert attention to controls to re-illuminate.

- Poway, CA, USA

problem #13

Dec 012010

S4

  • miles
Headlamp or headlight dip problem on Audi S4 with hid lights. Cannot be fixed by Audi. This is a safety issue.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #12

Jan 102010

S4

  • 55,000 miles
Audi: Headlight vibration, 2005.5 S4. Under certain operating conditions, such as at idle, vibrations or resonances in the front of the vehicle can cause the headlights to vibrate and turn off. Happens most frequently when car is starting up or cold. Can spontaneously flicker or turn off while driving at night. Occurs about 1 out of 3 times while driving at night. Asked dealer to look at it, said there was no issue.

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

problem #11

Nov 042010

S4 8-cyl

  • 63,400 miles
2005 Audi S4 - experiencing "dipped headlight" error where the headlights flicker then shut off while driving. The headlight can be turned back on only if the headlight switch is turned off then turned back on. This corrects the problem temporarily, with the headlight flickering again then shutting off. The problem is persistent and is a safety issue. Took my car to Audi dealer but they could not replicate the problem and therefore would not fix it. I've read thousands of other complaints of his issue online.

- Rocky River, OH, USA

problem #10

Aug 222010

S4

  • 50,000 miles
I have a 2005 Audi S4 and my headlights flicker and go out while driving almost every time I have them on. Sometimes it is one and sometimes both and I get a message on my dash board that the affected headlight is dipped. If I turn the lights off then back on the affected headlight will usually come back on. Sometimes that doesn't work and the car has to be turned off and restarted. Headlights turning off while driving at night is a very dangerous situation. When I brought it to the attention of the Audi dealership they say they can't duplicate the problem.

- Germantown, MD, USA

Read the next 9 complaints »