2006 Audi A3

FRONT LIGHT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND THEN GOES OFF. CAN COME BACK ON BY MANUALLY TURNING OFF AND ON THE LIGHTS. GOES BACK OFF WITHIN 10 SECONDS. HAVE GONE FOR REPAIR MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER AND WARNED BY POLICE. HELP US-IF YOU GOOGLE THIS PROBLEM THOUSANDS OF OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE DUMPED HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY INTO THE VEHICLE WITHOUT REPAIR. *TR

THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED USED - SO IT MAY HAVE BEEN A PREVIOUS ISSUE. HOWEVER, INITIALLY, THE DASHBOARD PANEL INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT." THEN THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE WOULD SWITCH TO THE LEFT AND IT WOULD HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY. FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME IF I TOGGLED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD BACK AND FORTH - THE LIGHTS WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HOWEVER, NOW THE ISSUE DOES NOT RESOLVE ITSELF BY DOING THIS. AND, ON OCCASION IN THE DARK - BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT COMPLETELY. I HAVE RESEARCHED PUBLIC FORUMS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMUNITY ISSUE WITH SOME AUDI VEHICLES. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM AND SOMEONE IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO GET HURT OR WORSE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THIS IS A FORUM LISTING YEARS OF COMPLAINTS FROM SEVERAL AUDI DRIVERS: HTTP://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/ARCHIVE/INDEX.PHP/T-332613.HTML *JS

2006 AUDI A3 2.0T WITH DSG. TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING SOMETIMES ON ACCELERATION, SOMETIMES WITH STEADY DRIVING. STEPPED ON ACCELERATOR AT STOP LIGHT AND TRANSMISSION ENGAGED FOR ABOUT 5 FEET, THEN CAR LURCHED TO A STOP, THEN TRANSMISSION CAUGHT AND IT ACCELERATED FORWARD AGAIN. ISSUE REPEATED TWO MORE TIMES WITHIN THE HOUR. TODAY I WAS CRUISING AT A STEADY 70 MPH, 6TH GEAR, ABOUT 2800 RPM, AND THE TRANSMISSION LET GO AND RPMS DROPPED TO ABOUT 2200 BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION RE-ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN AT 2800 RPM. HAPPENED ONCE PER MILE AFTER THAT, AND THEN TWICE AGAIN ON SURFACE STREETS IN 4TH GEAR. APPEARS TO MATCH EXACTLY THE SYMPTOMS OWNERS EXPERIENCE WITH RECALLED 2007-2010 VEHICLES WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION. *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 ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING DOWNSHIFTED AND THEN ALL PRNDS LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLASH. I WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE CAR TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. IT APPEARED TO HAVE ONLY ONE FORWARD GEAR (3RD). I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO A PLACE FOR TOWING. EVEN REVERSE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THIS TRANSMISSION WAS RECENTLY SERVICED. I HAVE KEPT THE CAR WELL MAINTAINED AND IT WAS ONLY DEALER MAINTAINED UNTIL RECENTLY. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS RIDICULOUS. HAD THE TRAFFIC NOT BEEN LIGHT, 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 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 REQUEST NHTSA INVESTIGATE. *TR

VEHICLE GOES OUT OF GEARS WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY FOR ABOUT 20MINS IN HOT WEATHER, THIS WAS GOING ABOUT 70 MPH. THE "PRNDS" LIGHT FLASH FOR A QUICK SECOND AND BACK INTO GEAR AGAIN. I HAVE VARIOUS ISSUES WITH HARSH SHIFTS UP AND DOWN, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER GEARS. WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP THE VEHICLE HAS A HOT TIME GOING IN TO SECOND GEAR AND SOMETIME FIRST. IT MAKES A VERY NOTICEABLE CLUNK SOUND WHEN IT DOES. FROM A STOP, GIVING JUST A BIT OF GAS AND THE CAR DON'T SEEM TO MOVE THEN IT WILL SURGE UNTIL THE SPEED COMES UP. WHILE GETTING UP TO SPEED IT WILL TRY TO GET INTO THE HIGHEST GEAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I WOULD BE IN 6TH GEAR WHILE ONLY GOING 35MPH. THERE ARE SOME SAFETY ISSUES INVOLVED AND THAT IS WHY I'M TAKING THE TIME TO FILE. *TR

THE CAR SWIVELS SIDEWAYS EVEN ON GOOD, FLAT ROADS AND AT LOW SPEEDS. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING QUITE FREQUENTLY AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT, KNOWING THAT IT CAN SHIFT TO THE SIDES AND CAN HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME. I'VE HEARD THIS IS A CUPPING OR FEATHERING EFFECT AND I'VE READ THAT THIS PARTICULAR BRAND AND MODEL IS PRONE TO DEVELOPING SUCH ISSUES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO JUMP ABNORMALLY BEFORE STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHO INFORMED HIM THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT FOR THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE MECHATRONIC UNIT WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 91,000. UPDATED 10/22/13 *CN

I HAVE AN AUDI A3 2006. SEVERAL YEARS AGO (END OF 2009/BEGINNING OF 2010), I STARTED FEELING AND HEARING A CLUNKING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULD LUNGE FORWARD A FEW INCHES WHEN APPROACHING STOP SIGNS OR RED LIGHTS AND DOWNSHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR. THIS WOULD HAPPEN PERIODICALLY AND HAS BEEN INCREASING IN STRENGTH. I WAS TOLD BY AUDI THAT IT WAS A DUE TO A FAULTY MECHATRONIC SYSTEM, WHICH IS LIKE THE BRAINS OF THE CAR. AUDI SERVICE QUOTED ME A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $2500 TO REPLACE THE MECHATRONIC SYSTEM. I HAVE READ ON MANY FORUMS THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MANY AUDI A3 OWNERS AND THAT THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. GIVEN THE FREQUENCY OF THE ISSUE, I THINK THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY AUDI AND RECALLED. *TR