HID LIGHT ON LEFT SIDE FLICKERS THEN CAN FAIL AND GO TO A DIPPED STATUS DISPLAYING IN THE CONSOLE. TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS AND BACK ON WILL RESTORE THEM. FORUMS CANNOT ISOLATE THE ISSUE TO BULB-FLASH UPDATE FOR HEADLIGHTS-OR BALLAST. JUST GOOGLE AUDI DIPPED OR HID FLICKER. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE LIGHT MAKE OTHER DRIVERS THINK YOUR FLASHING THEM. ITS A DISTRACTION TO OTHER DRIVERS. FAILURE IN A CORN…
2006 audi A4 lighting problems
moderate 144 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $250
Complaints
144
Recalls
0
Crashes
1
Avg fix
$250
What owners are reporting 14 most recent
2006 AUDI A4 HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION OCCURS DAILY AND SOMETIMES THREE OR FOUR TIMES DURING A 45 MINUTE COMMUTE. THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH HAS TO BE MOVED TO THE OFF POSITION THEN BACK TO ON AND USUALLY THAT RESTORES THEM, OTHERWISE CAR MUST BE STOPPED AND SHUT OFF THEN TURNED BACK ON. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR
INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR AND A HALF OF OWNERSHIP, BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHTS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED (FLICKERED AND THEN TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT/RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VI…
THE XENON HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2006 AUDI A4 QUATTRO HAS THIS ANNOYING -- AND DANGEROUS -- PROBLEM: 1. THE LEFT OR RIGHT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER (THE LEFT ONE WAS RECENTLY FIXED) 2. AFTER FLICKERING THE HEADLIGHT WILL SHUT OFF 3. THE MESSAGE "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" OR "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARS 4. THE MESSAGE IS CHANGED TO A SIGN INDICATING THAT THE LIGHTBULB HAS FAILED. IF I TURN THE LIGHT C…
WHILE DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS ON AUTO A WARNING LIGHT FOR LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHTS CAME ON. I TURNED THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND THE WARNING WENT AWAY. THIS HAPPENED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND TURNING LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON MADE THE WARNING GO AWAY. NOW THE PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSED TO THE POINT THAT I LOSE BOTH LEFT OR RIGHT HEADLIGHT ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR…
THE LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND TURNS OFF. CHANGING THE BULB DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND NEITHER DID CHANGING THE BALLAST. I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SETTLED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HOWEVER THEY SAID THAT THE LAWSUIT EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR HEADLIGHTS TO 5 YEARS. THE LAWSUIT WAS SETTLED IN 2013 AND MY CAR IS A 2006 MODEL SO I AM NOT SURE HOW IT COULD EVER HELP ME.
LEFT AND RIGHT DIPPED LIGHT INDICATOR EVEN AFTER HAVING THEM REVIEWED AND ADJUSTED AND ULTIMATELY REPLACED. AUDI WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR COST DUE AS WE WERE SLIGHTLY OVER THE 50000 MILEAGE ALLOWANCE. ENDED UP PAYING ALMOST $300 FOR THE REPAIR. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE "DIPPED LIGHT" PROBLEMS. *TR
IT HAS HAPPENED SINCE I FIRST GOT THE CAR IMPLYING THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. CONSTANTLY WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AS SOON AS I TURN ON ONE OF MY HEADLIGHTS I GET A "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" ERROR AND MY HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND GOES OUT. THE BULB FIRES AND IGNITES JUST FINE, BUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER SEEMS TO FLICKER AND GO OUT, ALWAYS GET THE ERROR AS SOON AS THEY TURN ON. THE DEALERS WON'T FI…
THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER ON AND OFF, AND HAVE TO BE MANUALLY TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS OF LIGHTS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. COMPLETE REMOVAL OF THE XENON BALLAST AND SEALING THE BALLAST SEEMED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, AND SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BALLAST THAT CAUSES MOISTURE TO INVADE, AND SHORT THE HEADLIGHTS OUT.
SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED 2006 AUDI A4 2.0 THE LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERED AND TURNED OFF, RESULTING IN A DASHBOARD ERROR MESSAGE "LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONTINUED AND FREQUENTLY CONTINUES TO OCCUR TO THIS DAY. WHEN IT DOES OCCUR I HAVE TO TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AND THEN TURN THEM BACK ON; LEAVING ME IN THE DARK WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. I HAD THE AUDI SERVICE CENTER CHECK…
Common questions
How serious is the lighting problem on the 2006 audi A4?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 144 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $250 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the lighting typically fail?
Mileage data is limited for this issue. Owners report failures across a wide range, suggesting cause is more about driving conditions and maintenance than mileage alone.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $250 for lighting repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to lighting?
No active recalls currently cover lighting issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Other problem areas on this vehicle
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities.
Repair cost estimates are independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area.
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