2005 Audi A4

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 02/11/2012 AND THAT VERY EVENING WHEN I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE LIGHTS, MY RIGHT LIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER AND THEN FAILED COMPLETELY. THIS REALLY UNNERVED ME AS I WAS IN AN AREA WITH NO STREET LIGHTS. AND DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I INSTINCTIVELY TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN, AND THIS MADE THEM COME BACK ON. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES THAT NIGHT. I FEEL THIS IS A BLATANT SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY AS I HAD FAMILY MEMBERS IN MY CAR AND THEIR WELL BEING WAS COMPROMISED. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM VIA THE INTERNET AND IT APPEARS TO BE RAMPANT ON AUDI'S AND THE DEALERSHIPS DON'T EITHER KNOW WHAT TO DO OR DON'T WANT TO DO IT AS FOR THE EXPENSE OF THE PARTS.I SPOKE WITH NO LESS THAN 8 AUDI DEALERSHIPS AROUND THE PA NORTHEAST AND NO ONE COULD POSITIVELY SAY WHAT WOULD BE THE PROBLEM. I AM HAVING THE BULB REPLACED AT MY COST BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND HAVE NO WARRANTY. NOW I KNOW WHY I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE IT AT A GOOD COST. LAST OWNER WAS PROBABLY CRAZY OVER THIS. BY ALL ACCOUNTS, EVEN REPLACING THE BULB MIGHT NOT WORK. THERE ARE NO LESS THAN 4 TSB'S OUT ON THIS PROBLEM. WHY AUDI GETS AWAY WITH THIS IS A TRAVESTY AND THIS SHOULD BE REMEDIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING EITHER DURING THE DAY OR DURING THE NIGHT EITHER ONE OF THE LIGHTS WILL START FLICKERING AND THEN EVENTUALLY GO OUT COMPLETELY. WHILE DRIVING HOME ONE THE FREEWAY ONE NIGHT THE RIGHT SIDE STARTED TO FLICKER AND THEN WENT OUT COMPLETELY...I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN TURNED THEM ON AND THE LIGHT WORKED PERFECTLY FINE FOR 5 MINS OR SO AND THEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN! *TR THE NEXT DAY AS I WAS GOING TO WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING (WHILE IT WAS STILL A LITTLE DARK) THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN...BUT THIS TIME WITH THE LEFT SIDE. IT STARTED TO FLICKER AND THEN IT WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND TURNED THEM BACK ON AND THE LIGHT WORKED AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. I CALLED AN AUDI DEALER AND THEY SAID TO BRING THE CAR IN TO GET THIS ISSUE FIXED...THEY QUOTED ME AT $180 FOR THE BULB AND A GRAND TOTAL OF $450 FOR THE BULB PLUS INSTALLATION. I JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT THE CAR AND IVE BEEN READING ONLINE ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR HEADLIGHTS.... I THINK ITS ONLY FAIR TO HAVE A RECALL DUE TO A POOR DESIGN BECAUSE I DONT THINK ITS VERY SAFE FOR ME OR ANYONE TO DRIVE WITH ONE HEADLIGHT AND THEN HAVING THE CHANCE OF THE OTHER HEADLIGHT GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME!

1) HEADLIGHTS ARE THE MAIN PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS THE TYPE OF LIGHTS THAT MOVE WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL. OCCASIONALLY, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL BUT WILL REMAIN ON. THIS IS A NUISANCE BUT MAY BE RELATED TO THE NEXT, LARGER PROBLEM. THE LARGER PROBLEM IS, ALMOST EVERY NIGHT THERE WILL BE A HEADLIGHT DIP WARNING SIGNAL ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHEN THIS HAPPENS RARELY WILL THE HEADLIGHTS STAY ON ANYMORE. THEY USED TO DO SO, BUT NOW ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FREQUENTLY TURN OFF. WE USED TO BE ABLE TO OVERRIDE THIS BY MOVING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THE DASH FROM THE AUTO TO THE MANUAL MODE AND OFF MODE. HOWEVER, NOW WE HAVE TO SWITCH BACK AND FORTH MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE THE HEADLIGHTS TURN BACK ON AND IT TAKES A LOT LONGER NOW THAN IT USED TO. (THE HEADLIGHTS ARE STAYING OFF FOR LONGER PERIODS. ) ALSO, EVEN WHEN YOU LEAVE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IN THE MANUAL MODE (RATHER THAN USE THE AUTO MODE AT ALL), THE HEADLIGHTS WILL STILL DIP AND TURN OFF.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, LOST ALL POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CONTACT WAITED 20-25 MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER 20 TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER IN 2007 AND THE IGNITION COILS WERE REPLACED. IN JANUARY 2009, THE IGNITIONS COILS WERE PLACED AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE GLUE SEPARATED FROM THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WHICH ALLOWED WATER TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE AND RUIN THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND CARPET; THE TOP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,000.

"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR AND A HALF OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 20 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED, THEN BE FINE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A TIME. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM ON AT LEAST 3 VISITS, AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED/GUESSED THAT IT IS THE XENON LIGHT BULB ITSELF, HOWEVER IT HAS CHECKED OUT FINE EACH TIME, AND AS MENTIONED, HAS FUNCTIONED FLAWLESSLY AFTER EACH OCCURRENCE WITH MERELY A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS ON AT LEAST ONE VISIT. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS 2005 AUDI A4 3.2 QUATTRO." *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2005.5 AUDI A4. MY HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY FLICKER, WHICH IS DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ON AUDI-TECH FORUMS AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A REAL PROBLEM WITH MANY AUDI VEHICLES. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR, I USED TO GET A FLICKERING PROBLEM BUT THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT BY REPLACING THE BULBS. HOWEVER, I DO NOT THINK IT IS THE BULBS BECAUSE THE PROBLEM HAS APPARENTLY FLARED UP AGAIN. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS AS IT MAY BE REASON FOR A RECALL. *TR