2003 Audi A4

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND SWITCHING LANES, ANOTHER VEHICLE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE OTHER VEHICLE THEN SPUN AROUND AND CRASHED INTO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IMPACTING THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THE FRONT PASSENGERS SIDE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE REAR PASSENGERS SEAT BELT RESTRAINED A CHILD PASSENGER TIGHTLY WHO THEN RECEIVED ASH MARKS AND LIGHT ABRASIONS FROM THE IMPACT. THE DRIVERS HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL THAT CAUSE EXTENSIVE HEAD ACHES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CHILD PASSENGER AND THE DRIVER WERE TAKEN FOR MEDICAL TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEN TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK CAR INTO AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD IT IS A WIRING PROBLEM AND THE FRONT SEAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED TO MAKE THE REPAIRS. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE MANY REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. EVEN MORE SHOCKING IS THAT AUDI SELLS A REPAIR KIT FOR $60-$70 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. SO AUDI MAKES A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT THAT AFFECTS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE AND INSTEAD OF RECALLING THE CARS AND FIXING THE PROBLEM FOR FREE THEY SELL A REPAIR KIT AND PROFIT FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE. HOPE THE GOVERNMENT WILL REMEDY THIS SITUATION. IF YOU SEARCH THIS MODEL AND YEAR CAR YOU WILL SEE IT HAS A KNOWN TIMING BELT DEFECT, A KNOWN OIL PROBLEM, PLUS THE CAR IS DEFECTIVE IN OH SO MANY PARTS. HELLO NATIONAL SAFETY TRANSPORTATION BOARD- WAKE UP! *TR

MY AUDI WOULD NOT START. HAD CAR TOWED TO CAR REPAIR SHOP NEAR. THE REPAIR SHOP CHARGED MY BATTERY AND IT STARTED PROMPTLY. MECHANIC LEFT ENGINE RUNNING FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD BOOOOM, IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT. SMOKE IMMEDIATELY STARTED COMING FROM THE CABIN OF THE CAR. THE AIRBAGS (DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE) HAD DEPLOYED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED AND ENGINE RUNNING... NO IMPACT. I FILMED THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE EXPLOSION...THE VIDEO IS HERE HTTP://YOUTU.BE/WBCNXZAYGP0 I CALLED AUDI AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO JIM ELLIS AUDI (ATLANTA). THEY "RESEARCHED THE ISSUE" AND SENT THEIR FINDINGS TO AUDI NORTH AMERICA WHO ARE SAYING THAT THEY WILL NOT FIX CAR DUE TO CORROSION IN THE AIRBAG MODULE. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN FLOOD DAMAGED AND I HAVE NOT MADE A HABIT OF LEAVING SUN ROOF OPEN SO THAT THE INTERIOR IS DRENCHED IN WATER CAUSING ELECTRICAL ISSUES. THIS AS A MATTER OF POOR DESIGN AND AUDI IS SHIRKING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY OF DESIGNING CERTAIN COMPONENTS SAFELY (I.E. NO RISK OF CORROSION) SO THAT AIRBAGS DO NOT DEPLOY BY THEMSELVES. I COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 80 AND CRASHED INTO A WALL OR A SEMI-TRUCK HAD THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING. MANY OTHER PEOPLES LIVES COULD BE AT RISK DUE TO THIS VERY ISSUE. I WAS FORTUNATE. THIS IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL AND AUDI SHOULD DESIGN THEIR CARS BETTER ESPECIALLY FOR COMPONENTS THAT HAVE LIFE AND DEATH IMPLICATIONS. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A4. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE OUTSIDE METAL OF THE AIR BAG SENSOR AND CIRCUIT BOARD WERE SEVERELY CORRODED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE AIR BAG SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE PASSENGER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT, BUT MINOR INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE FACTORY STEREO WIRING WAS ENTANGLED WITH THE AIRBAG WIRING WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

AFFECTED VEHICLE: 2003 AUDI A4 SEDAN. AIR BAG FAILURE LIGHT REMAINED ON, NO PRIOR ACCIDENT OR EVENT THAT CAUSED THE FAILURE LIGHT TO REMAIN ON. HAD PROBLEM DIAGNOSED BY AUDI DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS FOUND TO BE CAUSED BY A FAULTY AIRBAG IGNITER IN THE STEERING WHEEL. IGNITER REPLACED WITH A NEW PART FROM AUDI BUT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY OR RECALL. TRANSPORT CANADA HAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM FOR THE SAME VEHICLE, 2003 AUDI A4. TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL # IS 2002221 AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND ON: (HTTP://WWW.TC.GC.CA/ROADSAFETY/RECALLS/RECALL_E.ASP?RECNO=10276&). TRANSPORT CANADA REPORTS THAT CANADIAN AUDI DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIRBAG UNITS ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. NHTSA HAS A SIMILAR RECALL FOR THE 2003 AUDI A6 AND THE NHTSA RECALL ID IS 02V275000 AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND ON: (HTTP://WWW.AUTOMALLUSA.NET/2003/AUDI/A6/RECALLS.HTML). NHTSA REPORTS THAT AUDI USA DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAGS ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. *JB

OUR BRAND NEW 2003 AUDI A4 WAS REAR-ENDED BY A FORD F-550 TRAVELING AT APPROX. 55 MPH. THE FORD F-550 DID NOT BRAKE BEFORE IMPACT AND HIT THE AUDI WITH SUCH FORCE THAT IT IMPACTED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT WHICH HIT THAT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT. ALL WERE STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY WIFE, THE ONLY OCCUPANT AND DRIVER, HAD TO BE CUT OUT OF THE AUDI. SHE SUFFERED PERMANENT BRAIN INJURY AS A RESULT OF HITTING THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR AND WINDSHIELD. SHE ALSO SUFFERED NUMEROUS OTHER INJURIES. SHE HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH SUCH FORCE AS TO BEND THE BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL INWARD. MY COMPLAINT...THE DRIVER AIR-BAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR-BAG DID DEPLOY. HAD THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR-BAG DEPLOYED, SHE MAY HAVE NOT SUFFERED BRAIN INJURY FROM THIS EVENT. I'VE CONTACTED AUDI SEVERAL TIMES FOR AN EXPLANATION WITH "BS" ANSWERS. I FINALLY TOLD THEM THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST GIVEN HER A NEW CAR. PERHAPS I'M A BIT NAIVE. IN ANY EVENT, I'M CERTAIN THAT THE AIR-BAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED HAD IT BEEN WORKING PROPERLY. *NM