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2020 Audi S4

Gas

Compact Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

81 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 3

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 17

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 23 mpg

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2016

The 2020 Audi S4 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact sedan. The most efficient version, the S4, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 17 complaints, most often about the electrical system.

Audi S4 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Audi S4 · Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
S4	Gas	AWD	3.0L 6-cyl turbo	20	27	23	$3,550

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42221.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
S4	5 / 10	California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sedan/Saloon
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	6
Displacement	3 L
Engine configuration	V-Shaped

Engine Output

Horsepower

349 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	AWD/All-Wheel Drive
Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	8

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Parking assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert

Optional: Adaptive cruise control, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: quattro Premium Plus, quattro Prestige). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	187.8 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	72.8 in
Height	55.1 in
Wheelbase	111.0 in
Track, front	61.8 in
Track, rear	61.0 in
Curb weight	3,854 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	56/44

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 4-door Sedan. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

●moderate

Suspension

42L5

31,058 vehicles 98% reported repaired

Problem Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed. Risk Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 22V034000 reported Jan 26, 2022 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Seats

74E3

208,332 vehicles 84% reported repaired

Problem 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. Fix 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.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V874000 reported Nov 10, 2021 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Suspension

42L1

40,993 vehicles 99% reported repaired

Problem Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion. Risk A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V295000 reported Apr 26, 2021 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific S4

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2020 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Audi publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Audi’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2020 Audi S4, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

17complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2024: 1 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Electrical System 15

Back Over Prevention 12

Unspecified 5

Visibility/Wiper 1

Forward Collision Avoidance 1

Lane Departure 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

My instrument cluster and its replacements have malfunctioned multiple times. The original instrument cluster/virtual cockpit failed to boot and had a black/blank screen on 4/19/2024 at 29,687 miles and was replaced on 5/15/2024 at 29,923 mi (11/13/23 production).

Electrical System Oct 21, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11772756

The vehicle software (known as Audi MMI) has been continuously rebooting every 30 seconds after the vehicle is started. This causes the entire dashboard (and entertainment screen) to repeatedly reboot which is very distracting while driving.

Lane Departure Jul 17, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11674215

My instrument cluster and its replacements have malfunctioned multiple times. The original instrument cluster/virtual cockpit failed to boot and had a black/blank screen on 4/19/2024 at 29,687 miles and was replaced on 5/15/2024 at 29,923 mi.

Electrical System Aug 8, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11679321

The Audi MMI malfunctions and reboots randomly while driving. Possibly being a software issue. There is a TSB code that the dealer used to reference for me ( TSB 2078437/1), but I cannot find it on the NHTSA website.

Electrical System Jul 29, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11676957

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
4 DR AWD	not rated	not rated	not rated	★★★★★	10%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 940

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-25

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 925 service bulletins, 11 others, 4 service campaigns

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Unknown Or Other, Structure, Engine.

TSB_2083409_1 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
TSB_2052680_2 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
TSB_2074846_5 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Steering
This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
TSB_2065871_4 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Steering
This bulletin provides informaiton when DTC B200FF0 is stored.
TSB_2020552_15 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Visibility/Wiper
This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
TSB_2078648_4 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Structure — Body
This bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
TSB_2068573_6 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Electrical System
This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking sensor loose, rear parking sensor fault message.
TSB_2030471_9 Service bulletin
2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P0327 P0327 on Audi →	Knock sensor 1 signal too low.	Engine	1 bulletin
P0328 P0328 on Audi →	Knock sensor 1 signal too high.	Engine · Knock sensor →	1 bulletin
P0332 P0332 on Audi →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	1 bulletin
P0333 P0333 on Audi →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	1 bulletin

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

S4 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2025 A 0 0 24 mpg 2024 A 0 0 24 mpg 2023 A 0 0 24 mpg 2022 A 1 1 24 mpg 2021 C 4 2 23 mpg 2020 this page B 3 17 23 mpg 2019 A 1 2 24 mpg 2018 B 2 7 24 mpg 2016 A 0 0 21 mpg

Common questions about the 2020 S4

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2020 Audi S4 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2020 Audi S4. The most serious on file is 21V874000, covering Seats. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2020 Audi S4?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2020 Audi S4 yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it B (81/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2020 Audi S4?

For the 2020 Audi S4, the best EPA combined figure is 23 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2020 Audi S4?

Transport Canada measured it at 187.8 in long, 72.8 in wide (body, without mirrors), 55.1 in tall, on a 111.0 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,854 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2020 Audi S4?

Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Audi S4, most often about electrical system, back over prevention, unspecified. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2020 Audi S4?

The EPA smog rating for the 2020 Audi S4 is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV70, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2020 Audi S4?

The manufacturer has filed 940 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2020 Audi S4, most often covering electrical system, equipment, unknown or other. The most recent is dated 2026-09-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	1 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	1 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	3	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	17	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	1 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	940	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	13 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API

2020 Audi S4

Specs & fuel economy

Emissions & certification

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Dimensions Exterior

Engine Basics

Engine Output

Fuel Economy

Seating

Transmission

Driver assistance

Dimensions & weight

Factory warranty running out?

Recalls (3)

Suspension

Seats

Suspension

Whether any of this applies to one specific S4

Hear about a recall before the letter does

Parts & accessories for the 2020 Audi S4

Owner complaints

Most-cited components

In owners' own words

Crash ratings

Service bulletins & campaigns

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

S4 by model year

Common questions about the 2020 S4

Does the 2020 Audi S4 have any recalls?

How safe is the 2020 Audi S4?

What is the fuel economy of the 2020 Audi S4?

What are the dimensions of the 2020 Audi S4?

What do owners complain about on the 2020 Audi S4?

How clean is the 2020 Audi S4?

Are there service bulletins for the 2020 Audi S4?

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Where to go next

Sources & method