2001 Audi A4

FAILURE OF ABS CONTROLLER IN 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT ENGINE HEAT MELTS SOLDERING IN UNIT. $1,300 ESTIMATED REPAIR ($1,000 FOR PART ALONE). INTERMITTENT FAILURE LIGHT AND BEEP WHEN DRIVING, ABS NOT ACTIVE WHEN LIGHT IS BLINKING. I'VE READ ON AUDI WEBSITES THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE THAT AUDI OF AMERICA REFUSES TO TAKE STEPS TO RECTIFY EITHER MONETARILY OR THROUGH REDESIGN OF THE CONTROLLER TO PREVENT FUTURE FAILURES.*AK

MALFUNTION INDICATOR HAD BEEN ON BEFORE I DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AND WAS STILL ON WHEN I CAME BACK. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALOR FOR THE $50,000 MILE SCHEDULED MAINT. LESS THAN 2 MONTHS LATER, I STARTED THE CAR AT A STORE AND HEARD A LOUD POP, THE ENGINE STARTED IDLING HARD AND WAS VERY NOISY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IN FIRST GEAR THE TWO BLOCKS TO MY HOUSE BUT THE CAR WAS VERY SHAKY. THE SPARK PLUG HAD SHOT OUT, THERE WAS OIL AND GRIME ALL OVER IT AND THE THREADS OF THE CYLINDER WERE STRIPPED. MY FRIEND IN THE CAR, WHO HAS WORKED ON PORSHES BEFORE, SAID I WAS LUCKY THIS HAPPENED WHEN IT DID BECAUSE IF I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGH SPEED, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT IN AN ACCIDENT. THE COST OF REPAIR IS ESTIMATED AT $5100 AND THE DEALOR SAID THAT THERE WAS NO TAMPERING WITH THE SPARK PLUGS FOR ALMOST A YEAR SO THIS "JUST HAPPENED" DUE TO "WEAR AND TEAR." THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD AND MOST THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY MILES DUE TO SEVERAL TRIPS CROSS COUNTRY. I AM NERVOUS TO THINK WHAT WILL GO WRONG WHEN THE CAR GETS A LITTLE OLDER. *AK

I OWN A 2001 AUDI A4 AVANT 1.8T THAT I TOOK DELIVERY IN AUGUST 2000. LATE LAST YEAR, AUGUST-OCTOBER 2003, I NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER'S CENTER LCD DISPLAY STARTED TO FADE ON THE TOP PART. LATER ON I FIGURED OUT THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN UNDER THE HEAT OF THE SUN FOR A WHILE. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE I FIGURED IT'S JUST MY CAR AND I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH MY WARRANTY PERIOD (4 YEARS/50,000MILES) AS MY CAR ALREADY HAVE 70K MILES ON IT. THEN I STARTED HEARING FROM FELLOW AUDI OWNERS THAT I MET THAT IT'S HAPPENING TO THEIR CARS TOO. ONE HAS A 2001 AUDI A4 SEDAN WITH 30K MILES AND THE OTHER WITH A 2001 S4 SEDAN, BOTH REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. ANOTHER IS A 2002 AUDI TT, BUT HE'S LUCKED OUT BECAUSE HE HAS MORE THAN 50K MILES TOO (OUT OF THE WARRANTY). WHAT I'M CURIOUS IS WHETHER THERE'S BEEN ANY REPORTED SIMILAR CASE? I FEEL THAT THE DAMAGE IS NOT CAUSED BY THE WEAR AND TEAR OF THE LONG-DISTANCE DRIVEN CAR. MAYBE THIS IS A TYPE OF DEFECT?

I WAS PULLING INTO A CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT. AS I PULLED INTO THE SPACE IN FRONT OF THE STORE AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, RATHER THAN SLOWING DOWN THE CAR PICKED UP SPEED. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE THE CAR DID NOT STOP. IT SUDDENLY SHOT FORWARD. THE CAR HIT A BRICK WALL OF THE COVENIENCE STORE ,- CRACKING THE BRICKS AND DAMAGING THE FRONT OF MY CAR. I WAS IN THE CAR WITH MY TWO DAUGHERS. THE CAR SHOR FORWARD SO QUICKLY, MY DAUGHTER THOUGHT WE WERE HIT FROM BEHIND.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER AT WHICH TIME THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE BRAKE FLUID WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKE SYSTEM TO FAIL. *NM *JB