- The problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2000-2001 Audi TT Coupe, TT Roadster, 2000-2002 A4, and S4 vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver Air Bag Inflators (NADI) that do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
- The risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag may not properly protect the occupant, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69CJ.
Vehicle safety record
2001 Audi TT Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 130 complaints about the 2001 Audi TT with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (72) and the engine & cooling (11). Those complaints describe 4 crashes, 3 fires and 2 injuries. It is covered by 5 recalls, the latest in June 2021 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2000 has 73 and the 2002 has 38.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical TT year, for its age
#78 most complained-about 2001 vehicle
- Complaints
- 130
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
- 2
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2001 Audi TT problems
Share of all 130 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2001 Audi TT recalls 5
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2000-2001 TT Roadster, 2000 TT Coupe, 1999 Audi A8, 1998-2000 Audi A6, and 1999-2000 Audi A4 vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver air bag Inflators (NADI) that do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
- The risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag may not properly protect the occupant, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator when the parts become available, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed September 21, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BT.
- The problem
- The Gates Corporation (Gates) is recalling certain aftermarket Tru-Flow Water Pumps, part number TFW 41127, sold at certain NAPA Auto Parts and/or installed by automotive service technicians after November 1, 2013 (and manufactured August 2013 through October 2013) that have a black-colored pulley/sprocket or do not have 'US9377' stamped on the water pump housing. These service replacement parts were sold for use in model year 1999-2005 Audi A4, 2000-2006 Audi TT, 1998-2005 Volkswagen Beetle, 1999-2006 Golf, 1999-2008 and 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2000-2005 Volkswagen Passat. In the affected water pumps, the pulley or sprocket that turns the timing belt may develop microfractures causing the timing belt to fail.
- The risk
- A failure of the timing belt may cause the engine to shut down, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Gates will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began during May 2014. Owners may contact The Gates Corporation at 1-303-744-1911.
- The problem
- Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. The seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid.
- The risk
- Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. The recall began during april 2007. Owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780.
- The problem
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Moisture could enter the rear track control arm's mounting bushing and bolt combination and cause corrosion.
- The risk
- Corrosion could impede the free movement of the control arm.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the track control arms. Owner notification began april 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact audi at 1-800-822-2834.
What owners say
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130 complaints about the 2001 Audi TT
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 6.
While driving on a city street in Ann Arbor Michigan, the manual transmission shift lever snapped off. The lever detached at the base right above the spring assembly that allows the shifter to be moved into reverse. I was stuck in third gear and had to feather the clutch and keep the revs high in order to get through a traffic light and pull into a parking garage. The part required a complete replacement (completed myself).
The contact owns a 2001 Audi TT. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer causing significant damage to the front end. During the crash, neither the front driver side nor passenger side air bags were deployed. The driver sustained an injured neck and lower back which required medical treatment. The front seat passenger was not injured. The vehicle was later towed to the home. No police report was taken. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 94,000.
Headlights just stopped working again for the umpteenth time. Park light and high beams work fine. This is a reoccurring problem with the low beams. Can be driving along fine and cut car off and start back up and low beams just won't come on. If it was 1 at a time I could see it as being no problem but they both stop working at the same time. Keep replacing switch and headlights...Thinking this would alleviate problem to no avail. See this is an ongoing problem with audi owners. Also see that it's a recall on the newer models but not the late models.
My vehicle has be taken by a woman that was fraudulant to me by trading another persons vehicle to me and I believe my vehicle is in the hands of a car thief who claimed to be a notarty, because the title of the vehicle given to me was frudulant. The phone number of this woman is how I found out that she was not who she said she was. Being that I found out she was not the true owner of the traded vehicle. I found out her true identity by looking up the described name from the phone id check and then by facebook....
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The law inforcment officers that I had talk to are not wanting to help me report my car stolen to get my car back instead they are telling me to sign a release of ownership so then I wont be held responsible for what happens to it. So far I have recived toll charges caused by the frudulant woman that has affected my license. And in order to take care of these toll bills I need I stolen vehicles report to show that it wasnt me who caused the toll bills. Therefore I am making this report so I can be heard that this car thief needs to be stopped. And she needs to return my vehicle, but I just dont know why y vehicle cant be reported as stolen.
"Takata recall" intermittently has no power the rpm rev high with no power in accelerator this has happened on and off the highway and while merging into traffic the car becomes powerless. There have been no stalling just all of a sudden has no power and the rpm's rev high but you're going nowhere. It's not sputtering just becomes powerless there is no specific gear
Electrical issue with gauge cluster, fuel gauge inaccurate (runs out of gas in middle of hwy), low oil pressure light comes on (manual says to stop immediately when light comes on), air bag light comes on! Everything I have read states these are all problems with the gauge cluster (cost over $1000 to have replaced!) Audi usa knows about problem but refuses to do anything about it. Audi has a recall in the uk for this problem, why not here in the u.S. ?? This is a serious safety issue!
This is a know problem with audi. They refuse to recall, but I wanted to just add to the list of people having an issue here. The gauges are flickering (gauge cluster). There should be a recall.
Purchased the car new in 2001, the airbag light started coming on intermittently in 2003 had the cluster replaced in 2004 (15k miles) under warranty, shortly after it was repaired the airbag light came on again intermittently for another 2 years until it stayed on permanently. I brought it back to another dealer they reset something and the airbag light went out again for about a year. In 2010 I brought it back to the dealer again for a cluster recall, they replaced the cluster all was fine then about a year late...
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the airbag light came on again. Brought it back to the dealer and was told it was the airbag module. Spent $1500 to have the airbag module replaced ( think this was the issue all along). After having the airbag module replaced the seat belt light no longer comes on. Was told it is the cluster. The car has 37,000 miles on it this will be the 4th cluster in the car. The dealer wants $1500 to replace again with no guarantee. Audi accepts there is a problem and will pay a few hundred towards the repair. I will be responsible for about $1200, I have tried contacting the audi manager (#248-754-3686) handling the case and my attorneys office has tried contacting them several times and they have refused to return any calls. I am without a seat belt warning indicator. I am concerned that I will have my grandson in the car and not know if his seat belt is properly engaged, or if my airbag is working properly. This has been a constant issue since I bought the car new and have put very low miles on the car, have always garaged it and never drove it in bad weather and the cluster remains an issue going on the 4th one. *Js
ESC
Clock keeps resetting itself and so does the mileage indicator. *Tr
Failure of the "air bag control module" on our 2001 audi tt. This failure , if not repaired, will lead to the air bag system on the car not working audi refuses to help with the repair, which is over $1000. We feel this safety issue should be repaired by audi. *Tr
Audi tt, 2001, roadster. The glove box lock failed without reason. This failure does not allow the passenger side air bag to be disconnected for children as required by law. My car is not the only one with this defect. It is a design failure creating a safety hazard to small passengers. This failure is common to audi tt 2000 thru 2005. Needs to be corrected via a recall, an improved glove box lock system. Repairing with the same system only leads to recurrent failures. *Tr
Third instrument cluster on a 2001 audi tt roadster. Fuel gauge at first showed too much fuel. After a new cluster the fuel gauge shows low when its not. Apparently the sending unit is the cause but audi is ignorant of the issue and does not have a repair solution. I dare say audi does not care about its cars, their problems and their customers. *Tr
2001 Audi tt convertible: the horn just stopped working one day, the instrument cluster display started to not display clearly then the car seem to lack power when starts up, car then would not start in the mornings, then the car would not start after being left for more than 20 minutes, and the car would often totally shut off while stopped at a red light then automatically turn back on again all by itself. The brake lights also stayed on at all times even when the car was completely shut off. Ignition coils also...
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caught on fire after check engine light was on for only a few hours. The convertible top warning light is flashing on the instrument cluster, and there is a rattling noise coming from the convertible top latch area while driving. Consequences: dangerous life threatening situations, fear, stress, financial burden/hardship, time consuming, and extreme inconvenience. Repairs: horn was repaired, instrument cluster was replaced, convertible top rattle and warning light not repaired, brake system was replaced, and coils all replaced. *Tr
I have a 2001 audi tt. I bought it threw a dealership out of state online. Went and pick it up and was fine but a couple of weeks went by and started having problems with instrument panel no gas gauge speedometer temperature gauge or dash lights. They will go out just riding up the road and does it more since its colder weather so I started looking in to this matter and this is a major problem with audi and I think they should make this right and plus its a major safety issue to me thank you for your assistance in this matter. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 audi tt coupe. While driving approximately 30 mph she began to roll down the front passenger side window and smoke started to come out of the passenger side door panel. The vehicle was pulled over and shut off. It was then taken to an authorized dealer where the window motors were replaced. The failure occurred five times. When the failures occurred the vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer to be repaired. The failure mileage was 5,000 and the current mileage was 48,000.
The brakes failed on the 2001 audi tt sportscar. The first time the car crashed. The audi dealer said there was nothing wrong with the brakes. A few months later the brakes failed again, and fortunately the car did not crash. Again, audi insists the brakes are fine, but obviously, something is seriously wrong. I am afraid to drive the car. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 audi tt. While driving 45 mph up an incline the contact noticed that the vehicle began to shutter, the contact then applied the brakes and noticed that they would not engage. In order to stop the vehicle, the contact had to apply the emergency brake. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vacuum pipe needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages was 68000.
On our audi tt 2001 convertible, the electrical outlets underneath the dashboard caught on fire. The fire department was called and after an investigation, found no known cause of fire. Also, prior to this fire, the tip of the spark plug fell into the engine cylinder block, causing us the owners to pay in full for a new engine head to be replaced....Lots of money (approximately $8000). We replaced it through a well known professional audi shop auto haus munich in san diego. Hazardous lights needed to be replaced professionally because it interfered with the signal lights. Much money & time spent, and many headaches experienced while owning this beautiful yet troublesome car. *Tr
I am driving a manual 6 gear audi tt roadster 2001. In 2008, approx 2 months after I bought it used I shifted gear and all of a sudden held the shift in my hand, it had cleanly broken off the gear box. The lever was fixed and it cost me about 600.- To have that part repaired. *Tr
2001 Audi tt, air bag light stays on. Purchased the car new in 2001, light came on at 15k miles, had cluster replaced took care of problem for a week, brought back to dealer had fixed again. Lasted about 2 weeks. At 30 k miles brought car back to dealer for recall of cluster, problem fixed for about 500 miles. The car now has 31k miles light is still on. I searched the internet and this is a major problem with most early audi tt from 2000 to 2004 and some after. No one has mentioned a valid solution only that they...
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keep bringing the car back to the dealer, spending a lot of money and only having a short term fix. This is a major safety issue and audi should take responsibility to resolve. Drivers don't know if the airbags will work properly during a crash. *Tr
My audi tt quattro 2001 fuel pump and rollover valve tubing is completely corrosive, when you touch the tubing it crumbles.I called audi about the problem and they where not aware of corrosive gas tubing. Plus the wiring for the fuel pump was bear, all the wire covering had crumble which cause it to short out and not work. This is all inside a full tank of gas, it seen very dangerous. *Tr
Audi tt instrument cluster shows abnormal temperature reading, when actual temperature is fine (reported through air conditioning diagnostic code 49c). Dealer repaired dead cluster in 2002, and installed a still defective cluster that shows wrong temperature. I later became aware that the new cluster is also faulty. Dealer quotes approx $1000 for repair. Audi corp refuses free repair. *Tr
2001 Audi tt 1.8 Quattro abs module. Poor pump and abs fails around 80k miles. Huge repair price and many complaints. I feel as though they did a really poor job at putting this module together. *Tr
Instrument cluster failure on 2001 audi tt roadster. *Tr
Audi TT: every year compared
All TT years2001 Audi TT vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Audi TT | 130 | 5 | F | |
| 2001 Audi A4 | 130 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2001 Audi A6 | 113 | 7 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi S4 | 87 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi A8 | 17 | 2 | D | Compare |
| 2001 Audi Allroad | 17 | 3 | F | Compare |
| 2001 Audi Quattro | 11 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2001 Audi 100 | 6 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2001 Audi S6 | 1 | 1 | B | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2001 Audi TT
Does the 2001 Audi TT have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2001 Audi TT: inflator module (June 2021); inflator module (January 2020); engine (March 2014); master cylinder (March 2007) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Audi TT?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the electrical system (72), engine & cooling (11), transmission & drivetrain (11).
How many complaints has the 2001 Audi TT had?
130 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on September 23, 2000 and the latest on May 17, 2024. Of these, 4 describe a crash and 3 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2001 Audi TT a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 1 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Audi TT year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Audi TT years have the most complaints?
2001 (130), 2000 (73), 2002 (38). See every Audi TT year compared.
What should I do if my 2001 Audi TT has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data