What are the common problems with the 2002 Audi S4?
Owners of the 2002 Audi S4 have filed 22 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (10) and the brakes (9). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 18 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
Buying this 2002 S4? Enter its VIN.
Complaint figures describe the model year, not one vehicle. The decode is free; the original ClearVIN PDF is $14.99 one time, with no account: odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for that VIN.
Title brands · Odometer records · Auction history, where reported
No subscription. No charge to check the VIN. Report contents vary by vehicle; applicable tax is shown at checkout.
See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 22 owner complaints on the 2002 Audi S4. Owners named the electrical system most often: 10 complaints, and half of the 9 that list a mileage came after 56,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. None of the 22 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
Check the records on file before you buy
VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2002 Audi S4.
One VIN. One $14.99 history report.
For $14.99, VIN Lookup delivers an original ClearVIN vehicle-history PDF for the 2002 Audi S4 VIN you enter: title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file. ClearVIN is on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers; VIN Lookup sells that original report. The records returned vary by VIN.
The VIN decode is free. No card is needed until you choose to buy; applicable tax is shown at checkout. A missing record is not proof that an event never happened.No account · Refund reviewed if not delivered, unopenable or wrong VIN by our error · Sold by VIN Lookup (SH LLC, Sheridan, WY)Original provider PDF
One time, no subscription
Common problems with the 2002 S4
NHTSA's file holds 22 owner complaints on the 2002 Audi S4. Owners named the electrical system most often: 10 complaints, and half of the 9 that list a mileage came after 56,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 10 | 9 | 57,000 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 8 | 24,353 |
| Seats | 3 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Equipment | 1 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
None of the 22 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2002 S4
The 18 mileages owners gave run from 6,000 to 89,000 miles, and half are at or under 35,000. With fewer than 20 mileages this page gives the median only: the other percentiles are too few to say. None came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2002 S4 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: all 18 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2002 S4 can cover.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 6,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | Too few to say |
| Median (50th percentile) | 35,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | Too few to say |
| 90th percentile | Too few to say |
| Highest mileage listed | 89,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 372 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2000–2022 Audi S4 that list mileage came after 54,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will an Audi S4 last? →
Is the 2002 S4 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad S4: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 22 complaints, the 2002 ranks 9th of the 13 Audi S4 model years from 2000 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 2012. The most: the 2000 (143). The fewest: the 2007 (13).
NHTSA files the Audi S4 name for 1992–1995 and 2000–2022. A gap of three or more model years means the name covers different vehicles, so the 2002 is compared only with the 2000–2022 model years.
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 S4 | 143 | 63 | 65,000 |
| 2001 S4 | 87 | 54 | 60,000 |
| 2002 (this page) | 22 | 18 | 35,000 |
| 2004 S4 | 29 | 26 | 55,000 |
| 2005 S4 | 43 | 34 | 55,000 |
| 2006 S4 | 30 | 20 | 49,000 |
| 2007 S4 | 13 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2010 S4 | 60 | 54 | 58,000 |
| 2011 S4 | 26 | 26 | 61,794 |
| 2012 S4 | 22 | 19 | 70,000 |
| 2013 S4 | 33 | 29 | 5,100 |
| 2014 S4 | 17 | 15 | 42,430 |
| 2020 S4 | 17 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
2002 Audi S4 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 2002 Audi S4. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 21V470000 | Jun 23, 2021 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2002 S4 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2002 S4.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 4 of the 22 complaints on the 2002 Audi S4 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: S4. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: S4.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2002 Audi S4 questions
What are the most common 2002 Audi S4 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 22 owner complaints on the 2002 Audi S4. Owners named the electrical system most often: 10 complaints, and half of the 9 that list a mileage came after 56,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. None of the 22 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2002 Audi S4?
Of the 18 complaints on the 2002 Audi S4 that list mileage, half came after 34,000 miles; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2002 S4 can cover.
Is the 2002 Audi S4 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad S4: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 22 complaints, the 2002 ranks 9th of the 13 Audi S4 model years from 2000 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 2012. The most: the 2000 (143). The fewest: the 2007 (13).
How many recalls does the 2002 Audi S4 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 2002 Audi S4. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2002 Audi S4 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2002 Audi S4.