2006 Audi A3

2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN JUST A FEW DAYS. I WANT TO START DOCUMENTING EVERY TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. I WAS PULLING INTO FAST MOVING TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND THE CAR HESITATED PUTTING ME INTO THE WAY OF ON COMING TRAFFIC AT 50 MPH. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE I WAS ACCELERATING TRYING TO REACH 50 MPH COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED ONLY GOING ABOUT 10 MPH.

FROM A STOPPED POSITION ON A SIDE STREET IN A LEFT HAND TURN LANE I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE THEN IMMEDIATELY HAD A LOSS OF POWER IN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ONTO A MAJOR STREET. THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD THEN HESITATED. IT IS REALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT CAN SURPRISE PEOPLE AND CAUSE CARS TO CRASH INTO ME. IT HAS DONE THIS A FEW OTHER TIMES. I FEEL GIVEN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

NO ACCIDENT HAS HAPPENED YET, BUT IS ONE JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND AFTER A ROLL STOP. THE ACCELERATOR HAS TO BE COMPLETELY DEPRESS AND WAIT A FEW SECONDS IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO START ROLLING. IF I WOULD NEED TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AFTER A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION THERE IS A GREAT RISK OF A CRASH SINCE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO EQUALIZE THE SPEED OF INCOMING TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO AFFECT MANY, MANY OF THESE VEHICLES YEAR AND MODEL ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FROM OWNERS FORUMS. OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BRAND NEW AND AUDI HAVE DISREGARDED THE COMPLAINTS. ACCORDING TO OWNER'S FORUMS THE MECHATRONIX UNIT INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION IS AT FAULT, AND A SIMPLE SOFTWARE REFLASH FROM AUDI WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE IGNITION PROBLEM RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN GM VEHICLES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND THE SELECTOR LEVER ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE SIDE, THE ENGINE STALLED, AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V333000 (POWER TRAIN). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

TODAY MY AUDI A3 2.0T WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. WE WERE MERGING FROM I-80 TO I-55. WITHOUT WARNING OR ANY INDICATOR LIGHTS WE LOST POWER. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND THE SHIFTER IN D-DRIVE BUT NO POWER WAS GOING TO THE WHEELS. WE WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC ON THE RAMP BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL WITH THE CAR BEHIND US ALMOST HITTING US. THE CAR EXHIBITED THE SAME PROBLEM ABOUT A HALF HOUR BEFORE AT A GAS STOP BUT I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THE CAR FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE DASH INDICATORS FLASHED DNRS WHEN WE TRIED TO MOVE AGAIN. WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK I LOOKED UP RECALLS AND IT SEEMS THE 2007-2009 A3 HAVE RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE AS DO OTHER AUDI MODELS WITH THE SAME DSG TRANSMISSION. THERE ARE DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. WHY IS NOT THE 2006 RECALLED AS WELL? THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT PUT MY WIFE AND I IN HARMS WAY. EVEN MORE DISTURBING IS THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE09035, RECALL NUMBER: 09V333000 I HAD EXACTLY THE SAME TYPE OF ISSUE OCCUR ON MY 2006 AUDI A3. THIS A3 HAS A 2.0T ENGINE AND 6 SPEED DSG TRANSMISSION. TODAY WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN ON A VERY BUSY STREET, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING DOWNSHIFTED AND THEN ALL PRNDS LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLASH. I WAS STUCK IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND GOT INTO THE CENTER LANE WHERE I EVENTUALLY MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. IT APPEARED TO HAVE ONLY ONE FORWARD GEAR (1ST). I HAD TO DRIVE IT HOME 20 MILES AWAY WITH NO REVERSE AT 15 MPH AND 3500 RPM. I HAVE KEPT THE CAR WELL MAINTAINED AND IT WAS ONLY DEALER MAINTAINED UNTIL RECENTLY. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS RIDICULOUS. HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER, I WOULD HAVE LIKELY HAD AN ACCIDENT. THE DOWNSHIFT WAS ABRUPT AND CAUSED A VIOLENT JERKING IN THE CAR. THE CAR HAS NOT DISPLAYED ANY EVIDENCE OF HARDER SHIFTING OVER TIME. THIS IS THE SAME GEARBOX SYSTEM AS IN THE RECALLED LATER MODEL YEARS. THE RECALL MUST BE ADJUSTED TO INCLUDE EARLIER MODELS WITH THE SAME SYSTEM. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC DEFECT. I HAVE FOUND THIS ISSUE ACROSS NUMEROUS AUDI OWNER FORUM WEBSITES COVERING WIDER MODEL YEARS THAN LISTED ON THIS RECALL. I CONTACTED AUDI OF AMERICA AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY; TOO BAD. THE CLOSEST DEALER IS 150 MILES AWAY. I REQUEST NHTSA INVESTIGATE. *TR