2013 Audi A4 Allroad

The rear carrier frame has rusted through. There are trim pieces that are attached to the frame , they trap and hold moisture and salt like a cup under the frame, not visible during a regular inspection. My car only has 95k has been garage kept and taken through car washes in the winter with undercarriage wash (to no avail). After some investigation it seems that Volkwagon /Audi corp. has known about this issue since 2009 , but has kept it internally and not made owners aware of this. It would have been so simple to just remove these trim pieces and I wouldn’t have this hole in my car frame, which has basically made it unsafe as this frame holds my suspension and rear differential. There has been a class action lawsuit filed in The NJ District Court by an owner but it is only for Q5 and S5 thus far. In looking for a frame it seems that A4 shares this same frame. One of the guys in service told me, Audi knows about this, they stopped using the trim because of it and they might help you out. The bill from Audi to repair my car is $7417.00 they offered to give me $500 off( gee thanks) My car hasn’t been driven much the last three winters ( RV travel) and had someone notified me my car would have been in the 12 year unlimited mileage corrosion warranty period, now it is just outside of that. There is an article that I read about the Lawsuit and it says that it’s not so much the rust issue as it is the fact that they’ve been handling it internally for over a decade to avoid a recall. I’m really bummed out, I love this car that looks amazing but basically has cancer. No warning lamps, I’ve been told not to drive it by the dealer (Audi Stratham) because it’s a Safety issue. My son found it when the trim piece fell off ( because the bolt rusted out of the frame, resulting in a hole the size of my fist) No other symptoms, this rust didn’t just start it’s been brewing for years . I had an independent shop tell me that it’s a known problem and to take it to the dealer.

The contact owned a 2013 Audi A4 Allroad. The contact stated that while parked and occupied in the vehicle, after starting the vehicle, her friend heard a puff noise coming from under the vehicle. No warning light illuminated however, after starting the vehicle, the electronic power control illuminated. In addition, the contact's friend lifted the hood of the vehicle, and he noticed smoke and flames coming from the engine. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. The fire was extinguished by the contact and her friend. A fire department arrived at the scene however the fire was already extinguished upon their arrival. The fire report was unknown. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to Accu-Tech Auto Body. The vehicle engine was destroyed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by her insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Audi installed plastic covers over sections of the subframe on allroad, Q5 models, and other models. These covers held in water and salt causing severe rusting and corrosion of the rear subframe. Subframes of these models are seriously structurally compromised and also hidden from view due to these plastic covers. It’s seems Audi is repairing some under their 12 year rust/corrosion/penetration warranty, but the response varies based on dealership (some people are being told this warranty only applies to body panels, others are told that they are ineligible due to not regularly servicing their vehicles at the dealer). Many others are past the warranty timeline. This issue requires immediate attention and a full recall. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, VEHICLE'S RPM WOULD GO UP, BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WITH THE INCREASED ACCELERATION. STRONG SMELL OF BURNT CLUTCH FLUID. AND SOME SMOKE WAS COMING FROM ENGINE BAY. DRIVING VEHICLE HOME, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED IN EVERY GEAR. VEHICLE STRUGGLED TO GET UP TO SPEED AND RPM WOULD RISE AND FALL WITH THE PRESS/DEPRESS OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. VEHICLE HAS 80K MILES, NEVER ABUSED AND HAS ALL RECALLS COMPLETED.

ENGINE AT 39,600 MILES. HAD AN OIL CHANGE PERFORMED AT 37,000 MILES. CAR THREW ROD INTO ENGINE BLOCK RESULTING IN TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. REMEDY IS A NEW ENGINE VALUED ROUGHLY AT $4,000 AND LABOR VALUED AT $4,000 BEFORE TAXES. CAUSE OF FAILURE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED BY AUDI BUT THERE WAS SUFFICIENT OIL. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING STRAIGHT AT 65 MPH ON THE FREEWAY AT TIME OF INCIDENT.

THE STEERING WHEELS PRESENT TEMPORARY PROBLEMS SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW, SHOWING NOISES (LIKE A PRESSURE VALVE AIR LEAKING), AND CHANGE IN RESISTANCE TO STEERING THE VEHICLE. I'VE ASKED THE DEALER TO CHECK IT SOMETIMES, BUT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. LAST SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2019, AFTER STOPPING THE CAR, THE STEERING WHEEL LOST ALL POWER, STOP WORKING, AND SEND A MESSAGE NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. I TOW IT TO A DEALER WHICH RECOMMEND CHANGE THE STEERING RACK AND MADE ALIGNMENT ($2900). THE CAR IS IN THE DEALER RIGHT NOW. READING THIS SITE, I REALIZE IT MAY BE A MORE GENERIC PROBLEM, WITH SERIOUS SAFETY IMPLICATION, ON THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF AUDI. I HAVE TO SYA THAT OTHERWISE IT IS AN EXCELLENT CAR.

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CAR STOPPED RUNNING--WAS UNABLE TO START IT. AUDI DEALERSHIP SERVICE IDENTIFIED IT TIMING TENSIONER FAILURE AT JUST 70000 MILES. REPAIR COST ESTIMATED AT $3100. RECENT CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT IDENTIFIES THIS AS A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH AUDI/VW BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY VIN. HOWEVER, THIS IS IDENTICAL ISSUE AS OTHER AUDI UNDER RECALL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. IN ADDITION, "DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE, STEERING WHEEL FAILURE" APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT CALLED AUDI WEST HOUSTON (LOCATED AT 15865 KATY FWY, HOUSTON, TX 77094, (855) 627-2941) AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

WHEN THE VEHICLE AS AT A STOP OR MOVING FORWARD VERY SLOWLY AND THE GAS PEDAL (ACCELERATOR) IS DEPRESSED THE TRANSMISSION (WHICH IS IN DRIVE) DOES NOT ENGAGE - THE ENGINE WILL SIMPLY REV AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THE TRANSMISSION WILL ULTIMATELY ENGAGE WITH A RATHER SEVERE JOLT. THIS PRESENTS A SUBSTANTIAL SAFETY ISSUE, AS THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE UPON COMMAND. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION THIS HAS PUT ME IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IN ONE INSTANCE, A CAR WAS STALLED AHEAD OF ME ON A VERY BUSY FREEWAY. I STOPPED MY CAR ABOUT 15 FEET BEHIND THE STALLED VEHICLE. IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT I BE ABLE TO TURN INTO THE ADJOINING LANE AND BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY WHILE DOING SO, AS TRAFFIC IN THAT LANE WAS BUSY AND MOVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. WHEN I DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR THE CONDITION I DESCRIBED OCCURRED AND I WAS FRANKLY LUCKY TO AVOID A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER DOES NOT INDICATE ANY MALFUNCTION, AND THE DEALER ASSURES ME THAT THIS IS A NORMAL OPERATING FEATURE OF THIS AUTO.