Water pump defect for the 3.0L ea839 turbo engine found across many Porsche and Audi models. Defect causes damage to vacuum lines, thermostat, and can eventually lead to engine failure if not resolved. No way of knowing this is happening until you start to lose coolant (which will throw an engine code), but by that point the damage is done. There was a recall for the previous generation vehicle water pumps.
The worst 2018 Audi S4 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine4
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Suspension1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine4
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Suspension1
- Transmission1
Recalls 2
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) may have a contact fault, causing the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
- Risk
- A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V‑547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under 19V‑547 will need to return for the new remedy.
Recall number 21V874000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2018 S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, S4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and 2017-2018 A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles. Oxidation on the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) connecting cable may cause the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
- Risk
- A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install cable ties to the harness, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Audi's number for this recall is 74D9.
Recall number 19V547000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2018 Audi S4 805
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin proides service information when there is a prompt to take over the steering wheel (hands...
- This bulletin provides information when the starter battery is discharged or malfunctioning.
- This bulletin provides information when there is an Audi pre sense warning, warning jolt, or brake...
- This bulletin provides information to aid in diagnosing the vehicle locking system.
- This bulletin provides information when the engine is not runing smoothly; all gas engines.
- This bulletin provides information on VIN plates, Safety Certification labels, and ordering procedures.
- This bulletin provides infomraiton when the exterior lights have moisture accumulation.
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
- This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has...
2018 Audi S4 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 21 | 30 | 24 |
What 2018 Audi S4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My 2018 Audi S4 has a catastrophic engine failure issue and this is common with the EA839 engine. There is a knocking in the motor that is caused by internal engine parts (rocker arms needle bearings) becoming loose and dislodged. The metal shavings travel in the motor oil and destroy the engine from the inside. Hendrick Audi northlake examined the car on February 26, and recommended a new engine be installed at a cost of $32,000. I contacted Audi customer care and they reviewed the case only to offer me no assistance with the new engine expense. My Audi S4 is a 2018 with less than 47k miles, and I am the fifth owner. I have been reading a lot of threads on Audi forums as well as Reddit about this problem, and this is not rare. This should be a class action lawsuit against Audi for making and selling a defective product. The EA839 engine from 2017 to 2020 is a ticking bomb from day one, almost engineered to fail prematurely. And Audi does nothing to remedy the problem. That is why I would like for the federal safety agency to get involved in this situation. Please look into this and let me know what I can do to assist with this. I can be reached at [XXX] or [XXX] . Thank you!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
PCV housing and lines failed. Caused pressure to build up thus shooting off the oil cap shooting oil everywhere! in addition to that it is a huge fire hazard considering the turbo is right next to it.
Audi Dealer inspection revealed Rear spring is broken and mounts are deteriorating. Dealer states not common and would result in accident if not repaired. Research indicates broken springs common with certain Audi vehicles (A4/S4, Q5 & Q7), especially 2018 model year. See Audi World forum website. It would appear these springs are defective and will result in accident, injury and death. Audi refuses to acknowledge issue and issue recall.
The vehicle's pre sense auto-braking and braking alert jolt has been activating erroneously and have almost caused accidents at speed. The system cannot be permanently disabled, it deactivates upon ignition restart. The system has erroneously and aggressively jolted the breaks on several occasions on curves, especially when cresting a hill with vehicles parked on the downward sloap. Clearly, it is mistaken the parked vehicles for a potential impact, either aggressively jolting the breakers and/or breaking. This is not only very frightening but on a slippery surface, would have caused an accident. This feature also activated on the highway at 65+ MPH while safely changing lanes, and almost LED to my vehicle being rear-ended. There should be a way for a driver to permanently disable or customize this feature to better adapt to environmental and/or unique driver conditions. As is, this feature has been dangerous!
There are two large "underride guard" panels on the underside of the vehicle that are fastened by small, loose-fitting plastic clips. There is also felt sound-deadening material on the exterior side of this panel. When the vehicle is driven in rain or snow, the panel collects snow or water under normal driving conditions and breaks free unexpectedly, causing the panel to contact the road and drag on the ground. This dragging causes a "rudder effect," pulling the vehicle rapidly and unexpectedly in an unpredictable direction. The vehicle is in motion at varying speeds when this occurs; it has occurred at approximately 30 miles per hour, 40 miles per hour and 65 miles per hour.
When driving in manual mode and transition from on the throttle to off-throttle, there is a 1-2 second delay before the engine stops accelerating and transitions to deceleration. Especially in first gear, this means that the vehicle continues to accelerate for that period of time. I drove another model of audi with the same engine/transmission (2018 s5) and it exhibits the same behavior. Since the car does not have a physical throttle cable, this would seem to be caused by the throttle not closing as commanded by the ecu or there being a delay in the throttle being commanded to close. This has not caused a collision but easily could.
Compare the 2018 Audi S4
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Questions about the 2018 Audi S4
Is the 2018 Audi S4 reliable?
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2018 Audi S4, fewer than a typical S4 model year.
What is the 2018 Audi S4 year score?
The 2018 Audi S4 scores 88 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Audi S4: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Audi S4?
Engine and cooling, with 4 complaints. Next is acceleration (1).
How many recalls does the 2018 Audi S4 have?
2 recalls, covering air bags.
What year does the Audi S4 have bad engine?
The Audi S4 model years with the most engine complaints are 2004 (15 complaints), 2010 (15 complaints) and 2001 (11 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2018 Audi S4 get?
Official estimates for the 2018 Audi S4 range from 24 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, AWD) gets 21 city and 30 highway.
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