2003 Audi A4

THE CAR JACK BROKE DOWN WHILE REPLACING A FLAT TIRE, AND THE CAR FELL ON THE GROUND AFTER BEING SUSPENDED IN AIR. FORTUNATELY WHILE ALL THE BOLTS HAVE BEEN REMOVED, THE WHEEL WAS STUCK TO THE HUB OR OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. I THINK THE JACK HAS A VERY FLAWED DESIGN. WHERE THE TWO PARALLEL FRAMES CAN BE EASILY BENT OUTWARD BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT AND THEN THE SUPPORT CAN SLIDE OUT OF ITS DESIGNATED CHANNEL I HAVE PICTURES OF THE FAILED JACK. I AM REALLY CONCERNED OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MY HANDS IF NOT THE MIRACLE OF THE STUCK WHEEL WAS THERE TO PREVENT INJURY OF MY HANDS.. I HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER TO INVESTIGATE THIS FAULTY DESIGN BUT THEY RESPONDED THAT THEY RECORDED THE INFORMATION FOR THE FUTURE AND THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ENOUGH INCIDENTS YET TO JUSTIFY DESIGN REVIEW. *TR

1. EXTERIOR LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS BURNING OUT AT A RATE OF EVERY 500 MILES. AUDI WILL NOT REPLACE. 2. WIPER TRANSMISSION HAS CORRODED, SEIZED, FAILED, AND CONSEQUENTLY BURNED OUT THE WIPER MOTOR 2X NOW - ONCE AT 40,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 80,000. AUDI WOULD NOT COVER THIS UNDER THE INITIAL NEW CAR WARRANTY, AND THEY DEMAND $750+ TO FIX THIS FAULTY ASSEMBLY. 3. COOLANT AND WIPER FLUID TANKS ARE MADE OUT OF CHEAP PLASTIC. I'VE HAD 2-3 LEAKS IN EACH TANK DUE TO HOLES IN THESE TANKS ACROSS THE LIFE OF THE CAR. THE MOST RECENT COOLANT TANK LEAK WAS PUSHING COOLANT THROUGH SO FAST THAT IT BURNED UP MY ENGINE AND MY TIMING BELT SNAPPED. I HAD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR - $2,000+. THESE ARE JUST 3 PROBLEMS AMONG COUNTLESS COSTLY PROBLEMS I'VE INCURRED SINCE THE 3-YEAR WARRANTY RAN OUT ON MY AUDI. I'VE EASILY MATCHED THE $35K+ COST OF THE CAR WITH PARTS AND REPAIRS, AND THE CAR ONLY HAS 88,000 MILES ON IT. THE COIL PACK RECALL HAS BEEN AN ISSUE AT LEAST EVERY 2,000 MILES. I CANNOT MAKE A TRIP OF MORE THAN 100 MILES WITHOUT A COIL SNAPPING, A TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND AN ARGUMENT WITH SERVICE REPS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE COIL REPAIRS. 88,000 MILES LATER, THE A4 I PURCHASED BRAND NEW IS BASICALLY NOT SAFELY DRIVABLE EXCEPT TO RUN SHORT ERRANDS AROUND THE CITY. ALL OF THIS IS NOT EVEN TO MENTION THE CHEAP MATERIALS THAT WENT INTO THE CAR INTERIOR. LEATHER IS WEARING IN PLACES NO ONE EVEN SITS, AND ALL THE RUBBERIZED BUTTONS HAVE PEELED AWAY. PLEASE HELP. AUDI WILL DO NOTHING. I'VE SPOKEN TO OTHERS WHO HAVE THIS SAME MAKE AND MODEL SITTING IN A GARAGE BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. THERE ARE 2 KNOWN RECALLS ON THIS CAR, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS GOING ON WITH THE BUILD THAN JUST THE COIL PACK AND FUEL INJECTOR. MY CAR HAS STALLED AND SEIZED ON RELATIVELY SHORT HIGHWAY TRIPS DESPITE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND ATTENTION TO RECALLED PARTS. *TR

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.

I JUST EXPERIENCED A SERIOUS ISSUE OF THE GAS PEDAL GETTING STUCK AS I WAS DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. I TAPPED ON THE PEDAL A COUPLE OF TIMES THINKING IT MIGHT GET IT TO UNSTICK BUT HAD TO PRESS ON THE BRAKE TO BRING IT TO A STOP. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND COULD HEAR THE ENGINE ROAR UP AND THE TACHOMETER GO PAST 5000 RPMS. I REACHED DOWN TO THE PEDAL WITH MY HAND AND FORCED IT BACK UP TO THE RESTING POSITION. THIS HAPPENED TWICE DURING THE SHORT TRIP AND MY COLLEAGUE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHO WITNESSED WHAT HAPPENED. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL OBJECTS IN THE WAY OF THE PEDAL LIKE THE FLOOR MAT ETC. I'M TALKING WITH AUDI USA TO SEE WHAT STEPS I SHOULD TAKE TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. *TR

AUDI INTRODUCED THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) TO NEW AUTOMOBILES ABOUT 2003. THE CVT WAS TOUTED AS A HIGHLY RELIABLE TRANSMISSION IN AUDI SALES BROCHURES WITH LESS MOVING PARTS. THE TRANSMISSION CONTAINS A TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM) WHICH FAILS EARLY. I TOOK MY CAR IN WHILE UNDER WARRANTY WITH CLAIMS OF THE TRANSMISSION "HOPPING" AND AUDI TOOK NO ACTION TO CORRECT. MY CAR NOW HAS 150,000 MILES ON IT AND THE TCM HAS FAILED COMPLETELY. UPON REVIEWING SEVERAL AUDI FORUMS, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY COMMON AND AUDI HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM. MANY PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR AUDI'S IN YEAR AND WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION HAVE EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE FIX IS TO HAVE NEW TCM'S INSTALLED AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $2,500, WHICH REQUIRES THE REMOVAL OF THE TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE THE TCM. WHILE I HAVE READ MANY NARRATIVES OF AUDI OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM, I DO NOT KNOW IF ANYONE HAS FILED A COMPLAINT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT APPROPRIATE TESTING OF THE MODULE WAS NOT CONDUCTED TO A SATISFACTORY LEVEL AND COMPONENTS WERE INSTALLED WITH FLAWS. MY UNDERSTANDING FROM RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC IS THAT THE SAME CVT WAS LICENSED TO NISSAN FOR INSTALLATION WITHIN THEIR VEHICLES AND THE SAME PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A CONDITION OF MANUFACTURER RECALL AND CORRECTION AT NO COST TO THE OWNER. I HAVE ALSO HEARD OF THE PROBLEM FROM LOCAL MECHANICS. *JS

I HAVE HAD PROBLEM WITH MY CAR'S COILS AND FUEL PUMP AND LEARNED RECENTLY THAT THESE COMPONENTS WERE UNDER RECALL YET I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS. DOES THE MANUFACTURER OR DEALER HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECALLS? I HAVE PAID A MECHANIC TO REPLACE THESE PARTS AND WOULD HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER IF TOLD OF RECALL. THANK YOU

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE MECHANIC STATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. 06V017000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) AND CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO THEN ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

SUDDENLY, WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY, WENT TO LOW GEAR SPEED AND NOT ABLE TO MOVE CAR. I ALREADY CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION @ 42,000 MILES AT AUDI DEALERSHIP. THIS IS AUDI CVT TRANSMISSION. IT HAS VERY BAD RELIABILITY RECORDS. YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS, A ESPECIALLY ABOUT TCM MODULE. TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOPS JUST REFUSE TO REPAIR THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION. THE ONLY CHOICE IS AUDI DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP PRICE IS ABOUT $8,500 FOR MANUFACTURING REBUILD TRANSMISSION. HOWEVER, THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE SAFETY. I WOULD NOT LIKE THAT ANYONE WAS INJURED ON THE ROAD BECAUSE OF MALFUNCTION OF THIS TRANSMISSION. IT JUST MATTER OF TIME AND TRANSMISSION WILL BE BROKEN AND SOMEBODY GOT HURT. *TR