1998 Audi A4

MY ABS LIGHT STARTED BLINKING IN MY 1998 AUDI A4. I WENT TO A MECHANIC AND HAD IT DIAGNOSED; FOUND THAT IT WAS A LIGHT FAILURE; I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A LOT OF MONEY TO PULL OUT THE ELECTRONICS AND MOST LIKELY NOT EVEN SOLVE THE PROBLEM. LATER I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT MY ABS WAS NOT ENGAGING PROPERLY AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL (WHICH IS NOW THE CASE), I FILED COMPLAINTS WITH AUDI AND BOSHE ABOUT THIS BUT THEY TOLD ME THERE COULD BE NO RECALL BECAUSE ABS IS NOT A TRAFFIC CONCERN. RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND MAKING A 98 DEGREE TURN NOT TERRIBLY FAST; THERE WAS NO STOP SIGN, AND I ENDED UP DOING A 360 TO A STOP. I FOUND THIS NOT ONLY A SCARY EXPERIENCE, BUT ONE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE; IM DRIVING THE HONORABLE QUATTRO. I DECIDED TO LOOK FURTHER. I FOUND MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SPECIFICALLY W/ MODELS IN 1998. IM A FAIRLY GOOD DRIVER IN FACT I DID A DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS AT INFINEON RACEWAY SO I WAS STILL CONFUSED HOW I LOST SO MUCH TRACTION IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. I FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE QUATTRO ITSELF. THE ELECTRONIC BRAKING, TRACTION SYSTEMS, AND VARIOUS OTHER VEHICLE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS ARE ALL DEPENDENT ON THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. ALL THE TEST UP TO THEN SHOWED NO LINK TO ABS CONTROL UNIT; I WAS MADE TO BELIEVE THAT MY CAR JUST HAD A LIGHT FAILURE. I STARTED RESEARCHING THE CONTROL UNIT AND I FOUND THAT THERE IS ALREADY A RECALL ON THE PART BUT NOT FOR AUDI BUT FOR VOLKSWAGEN! THE CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER IS 02V031000. I TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO WERE OWNERS OF VOLKSWAGENS WHO GOT THE RECALL AND MANY OF THEM HAD ALMOST IDENTICAL PROBLEMS TO MINE. SOME EVEN SAID THE UNIT CAUGHT FIRE. SO HERE I AM TOLD I HAVE A LIGHT PROBLEM, THEN TOLD AUDI CANT DO ANYTHING FOR ME EXCEPT GET A WHOLE NEW ABS SYSTEM AT MY EXPENSE. NOW I FIND THE TRUTH IS ONE CONTROL MODULE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LACK OF CONTROL IN MY CAR AS WELL AS A POSSIBLE CAR FIRE. PLEASE HELP: I AND MANY OTHERS NEED A NEW UNIT. *NM

MY ABS LIGHT STARTED BLINKING IN MY 1998 AUDI A4. I WENT TO A MECHANIC AND HAD IT DIAGNOSED; FOUND THAT IT WAS A LIGHT FAILURE; I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY A LOT OF MONEY TO PULL OUT THE ELECTRONICS AND MOST LIKELY NOT EVEN SOLVE THE PROBLEM. LATER I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT MY ABS WAS NOT ENGAGING PROPERLY AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL (WHICH IS NOW THE CASE), I FILED COMPLAINTS WITH AUDI AND BOSHE ABOUT THIS BUT THEY TOLD ME THERE COULD BE NO RECALL BECAUSE ABS IS NOT A TRAFFIC CONCERN. RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND MAKING A 98 DEGREE TURN NOT TERRIBLY FAST; THERE WAS NO STOP SIGN, AND I ENDED UP DOING A 360 TO A STOP. I FOUND THIS NOT ONLY A SCARY EXPERIENCE, BUT ONE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE; IM DRIVING THE HONORABLE QUATTRO. I DECIDED TO LOOK FURTHER. I FOUND MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SPECIFICALLY W/ MODELS IN 1998. IM A FAIRLY GOOD DRIVER IN FACT I DID A DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASS AT INFINEON RACEWAY SO I WAS STILL CONFUSED HOW I LOST SO MUCH TRACTION IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. I FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE QUATTRO ITSELF. THE ELECTRONIC BRAKING, TRACTION SYSTEMS, AND VARIOUS OTHER VEHICLE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS ARE ALL DEPENDENT ON THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. ALL THE TEST UP TO THEN SHOWED NO LINK TO ABS CONTROL UNIT; I WAS MADE TO BELIEVE THAT MY CAR JUST HAD A LIGHT FAILURE. I STARTED RESEARCHING THE CONTROL UNIT AND I FOUND THAT THERE IS ALREADY A RECALL ON THE PART BUT NOT FOR AUDI BUT FOR VOLKSWAGEN! THE CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER IS 02V031000. I TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO WERE OWNERS OF VOLKSWAGENS WHO GOT THE RECALL AND MANY OF THEM HAD ALMOST IDENTICAL PROBLEMS TO MINE. SOME EVEN SAID THE UNIT CAUGHT FIRE. SO HERE I AM TOLD I HAVE A LIGHT PROBLEM, THEN TOLD AUDI CANT DO ANYTHING FOR ME EXCEPT GET A WHOLE NEW ABS SYSTEM AT MY EXPENSE. NOW I FIND THE TRUTH IS ONE CONTROL MODULE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LACK OF CONTROL IN MY CAR AS WELL AS A POSSIBLE CAR FIRE. PLEASE HELP: I AND MANY OTHERS NEED A NEW UNIT. *NM

1998 MANUAL AUDI A4. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 32 DEGREES F OR BELOW. THE CONDITIONS WERE STEADY SNOW AND WET/ICY/SLUSH ROADS. I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BREAK FAILURE WHEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY TO A REST AREA. I PUMPED THE BREAKS AND REGAINED SOME BREAKING POWER TO FINALLY SLOW THE VEHICLE. I COMPLETELY MISSED THE PROPER EXITING LANE DUE TO LACK OF BREAKING. NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE RESULTED. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT OF LOSS OF BREAKING POWER. *NM

ABS WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENT. RESEARCH UNCOVERED THE FACT THAT THE ABS CONTROLLER IN THE AUDI AND VW PASSAT IS FAULTY. AUDI CUSTOMER CARE HAS REPLACED THE ABS CONTROLLER FOR OTHER CUSTOMERS. SEE THIS DISCUSSION THREAD HTTP://TECH.BENTLEYPUBLISHERS.COM/THREAD.JSPA?THREADID=3409&START=0&TSTART=0. IF THIS ARTICLE\AD (HTTP://CGI.EBAY.COM/EBAYMOTORS/ABS-BOSCH-5-3I-ABS-CONTROLLER-REPAIR_W0QQCMDZVIEWITEMQQCATEGORYZ111105QQITEMZ4601089179QQRDZ1QQSSPAGENAMEZWDVW) IS TRUE AND THE PROBLEM IS A COLD SOLDER JOINT THEN IT IS TRULY A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *JB

1998 AUDI A4 2.8 QUATTRO ABS CONTROL MODULE, PART#[XXX]OR N VIN: [XXX]. *JB CONTROLS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING FEATURE. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME DEFECT AT VARIOUS MILEAGE POINTS, EVEN RANDOM AUDI A4 OWNERS THAT I HAVE MET IN PERSON. IT NEARLY CAUSED ACCIDENT ON 2 OCCASSIONS AS BRAKES LOCKED-UP PREMATURELY. PART IS BEING REPAIRED. UPDATED 07/09/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ABS CONTROL MODULES (BOSCH 5.3) ON ALL EARLY MODEL 98-01 AUDI A4 AND IT'S SISTER CAR THE VW PASSAT 98-01 WILL AND DO FAIL AT SOME POINT. CONTROL MODULE IS COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE MOST TIMES WHILE DRIVING. MAY START WORKING SPORADICALLY AND THEN QUIT AGAIN. COMMON PROBLEM ON FORUMS (AUDIWORLD.COM). I HAVE BEEN A VW / AUDI TECHNICIAN FOR 7 YEARS NOW AND HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OF THESE. WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THAT THIS SAFETY FEATURE IS GOING TO WORK WHEN NEEDED. VW / AUDI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS JUST RELEASED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ALERTING THAT THE CONTROL MODULE MAY NOW BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY FROM THE HYDRAULIC UNIT. THIS CONTROL MODULE AT MY COST (CONSIDERABLE DISCOUNT SINCE I WORK FOR THE COMPANY) IS $1495.00. PLEASE HELP MYSELF AND OTHER AUDI / VW OWNERS GET OUR CARS STOPPING SAFELY. *JB