2001 Audi A4

2001 AUDI A4 1.8 TURBO: THE TIMING BELT BROKE WHILE THE CAR WAS TRAVELING IN HEAVY, RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC CAUSING THE CAR TO BE IMMEDIATELY DISABLED AND STOPPED WITH NO OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THE CAR OFF OF THE HIGHWAY. THE 3-LANE HIGHWAY WAS BACKED UP FOR 6 MILES WHILE POLICE AND EMERGENCY WORKERS WORKED TO TOW THE CAR. THE DISABLED CAR LED TO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH TRAFFIC BACKED UP FOR OVER 1-HOUR ON A 3-LANE HIGHWAY WITH A 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT AND COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED ADDITIONAL ACCIDENTS. THE TIMING BELT FAILURE CAUSED EXTENSIVE, ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE THAT IS ESTIMATED TO COST ABOUT $5,000-$6,000 TO REPAIR. MY AUDI A4 HAS THE SAME 1.8 T ENGINE AND ITEM (TIMING BELT) AS IN THE 2001 VW 1.8 T AND THAT ITEM HAS BEEN RECALLED. THE TIMING BELT DEFECT IN THE 2001 A4 APPEARS TO BE QUITE WELL KNOWN TO THE TWO AUDI DEALERS THAT I FREQUENT. SINCE I BRING MY AUDI IN FOR SERVICE AT THE REGULAR INTERVALS - AND SINCE THE TIMING BELT ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN TO AUDI - I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THE AUDI DEALERS TO BRING THIS ISSUE TO MY ATTENTION SO THAT WE COULD HAVE REPLACED THE BELT AS PART OF REGULAR PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. THE FACT THAT THIS WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WAS NOT HANDLED IN PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE LED TO A VERY DANGEROUS TRAFFIC INCIDENT AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE. *JB

DURING 90,000 MILE SERVICE, THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT BOTH SIDE SPINDLES (STEERING KNUCKLES) WERE CRACKED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THE CAR WAS IN A POSITION TO LOOSE STEERING CAPABILITY WITH THOSE ITEMS CRACKED. THEY SAID IT'S RARE TO SEE BOTH SIDES CRACKED. TIE ROD ENDS WERE ALSO REPLACED DUE TO WEAR. I STILL HAVE BOTH SPINDLES IF NEEDED. MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH SPINDLES AND TIE ROD ENDS. THE VEHICLE IS CERTIFIED AND STILL UNDER WARRANTY FROM AUDI UNTIL THE END OF DECEMBER. THE VEHICLE HAD AN 80,000 MILE SERVICE DONE IN APRIL 2006. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY A LOST OF ALL POWER. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE ENGINE AND WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT CAUSED THE HOLE, HOWEVER A NEW ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS NECESSARY. UPDATED 5/10/2006 - *NM

I HAVE AN AUDI A4 1.8 T AND THE HYDRAULIC TIMING BELT TENSIONER LOST ITS PRESSURE WITCH MADE THE TIMING BELT SLIP, FORCING THE PISTONS INTO THE VALVES AND BENDING THEM, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BASICALLY SELF DESTRUCT AFTER ONLY 89000 MILES WHEN THE OWNER'S MANUAL ONLY RECOMMENDED CHANGING THE TIMING BELT AFTER 120000 MILES. I CALLED AUDI, AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD FIX IT FOR $5,000 AND DON'T FEEL I SHOULD BE THE ONE PAYING FOR THIS WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM. *AK

WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN GOING 5 MPH OR LESS WHEN THE LEFT FRONT AXEL ON MY 2001 A4 BROKE OFF. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY THE DEALER TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, BUT AUDI USA WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO ASSIST IN THE REPAIR OF THE DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AS I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. IF I WERE, THEY WOULD ASSIST/COVER THE REPAIR COSTS. *NM