1999 Audi A4

MY ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY A MONTH AGO AND GRADUALLY GOT MORE FREQUENT. NOW THEY ARE ON ALMOST ALL THE TIME. WHEN I TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT I WAS TOLD THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WOULD NEED TO BE CHANGED WHICH WOULD COST ME A BUNDLE (POSSIBLY OVER $2000). MY VEHICLE ACTUALLY HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED REALLY WELL SO I AM VERY UPSET THAT AUDI WILL NOT FIX OR PAY FOR THIS. *JB

ON 9/28/04 I WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT WHERE ANOTHER DRIVER IN A SUBURBAN FAILED TO YIELD THE RIGHT AWAY, TURNED IN FRONT OF ME, I HIT HER WITH MY 1998 AUDI AVANT WAGON. THE COMBINED SPEEDS OF THE TWO VEHICLES COMBINED WITH WHERE I HIT THE SUBURBAN, FLIPPED THE SUBURBAN. THIS DRIVER WAS TRAPPED IN HER VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS INVOLVED IN LIFTING HER VEHICLE OFF OF HER ARM. SHE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF STITCHES IN HER ARM. IN CONTRAST, I SHATTERED MY RIGHT WRIST SCAPHOID BONE. THIS REQUIRED A RATHER MAJOR SURGERY INVOLVING BONE GRAPH AND TITANIUM SCREW IN 11/04. THE BONES NEVER FUSED, AND I AM LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL SURGERY. PLEASE NOTE THAT MY AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED IN THIS ACCIDENT, AND MUCH OF THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT I SUSTAINED WAS IN MY RIGHT WRIST/ARM. I AM ALSO RIGHT HAND DOMINANT. *JB

1999 AUDI A4 ABS CONTROL MODULE SYMPTOMS. ABS LIGHT ON CONTINUOUSLY. BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING. UPON THE FIRST INSPECTION THE AUDI DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO ASCERTAIN THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE WAS LATER DIAGNOSED CORRECTLY BY THE DEALERSHIP. TESTING THE ABS SYSTEM AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS, I FOUND THAT THE ABS SYSTEM DID NOT ENGAGE. I LEARN OF MANY CASES OF THIS EXACT FAILURE IN AUDI??S AND VW??S WITH THE BOSCH 5.3 ABS CONTROL MODULE: ONE PROMINENT SITE BEING HTTP://TECH.BENTLEYPUBLISHERS.COM. THE DEALERSHIP MAY HAVE MISDIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CONTROL MODULE MAY BE UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CAR??S COMPUTER UPON FAILURE. ALSO, IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT FOR SOME PERIOD BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE. THE WARNING LIGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR PRIOR TO COMPLETE FAILURE. IT SEEMS THE FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT SOME POINT BEYOND 60,000 MILES. THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE RELATIVELY LOW OCCURRENCE, BUT WOULD PORTENT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF A MUCH GREAT NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES WITH TIME. AN UNWARY DRIVER MAY NOT BE COGNIZANT OF THE FAILURE AND THEREFORE NOT EXERCISE THE CAUTION NECESSARY TO AVERT A COLLISION. ONE FUTURE ISSUE EXACERBATES THAT CONCERN: THE ABS LIGHT AND THE BRAKE LIGHT WARNING SIGNALS DISAPPEAR UNDER 32 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR THEREABOUT. SO, AS WE NEAR WINTER AND THE POSSIBILITY OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE CHANCES OF A TRAGEDY INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY. I HAVE CONTACTED AUDI WITH MY FINDINGS. AUDI STATED THEY HAVE NOT SEEN EVIDENCE OF MASS FAILURES. THEY STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT ACT ON THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE OBTAINED. THERE ARE COPIOUS POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CONTACTED AUDI. SURPRISINGLY, SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS PROFESS THAT AUDI PAID FOR THE REPAIR IN CASES OF OUT-OF-WARRANTY, HIGH-MILEAGE VEHICLES. I BELIEVE THAT AN AUDIT OF THE NUMBER OF THE BOSCH 5.3 ABS CONTROL MODULES BEING ORDER AS REPLACEMENT PARTS WILL ILLUMINATE THE GRAVITY OF THIS PROBLEM. *NM

THE ABS MODULE IS CAUSING THE PANEL BRAKE LIGHT TO BLINK AND THE ABS LIGHT TO BE ON STEADY. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE CHARGE TO REPAIR THIS IS ESTIMATED AT $750 INCLUDING $250 LABOR FROM OUR LOCAL AUDI DEALER. THERE IS NO GOOD REASON FOR THIS FAULT TO OCCUR, AND THE REPAIR IS QUITE EXPENSIVE. I AM WAITING FOR AUDI TO ORDER A NEW BOARD, SO I AM DRIVING WITH BAD ABS BRAKES, AND IT IS ALMOST DECEMBER. *JB

AUDI A4 THE ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND WARNING BUZZER STAY ON WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE ABS MODULE IS DEFECTIVE. AUDI SAID IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM BECAUSE THE BRAKES STILL FUNCTION THOUGH NOT THE WAY THEY WERE DESIGNED TO WORK. I PRAY THAT I DO NOT HURT ANYONE WHILE I'M RELEARNING TO DRIVE MY CAR WITHOUT THE ABS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1998 AUDI A 4 WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THERE WAS A COMMUNICATION ERROR BETWEEN THE ABS UNIT AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT HAD THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. THE PARTS NEEDED TO FIX THE PROBLEM WAS ON BACK ORDER. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT ORDERED ANY PARTS TO FIX THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. THE VEHICLE HAD A WARNING LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IT WAS THE WARNING LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND THE CONSUMER FILED A COMPLAINT WITH VOLKSWAGEN.*AK