2006 Audi A4

"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT (OR RIGHT) 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 APPROX. 40 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED OR CLEAR IF THE HEADLIGHT IS TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON. IT WILL THEN BE FINE FOR DAYS OR WEEKS AT A TIME. IT HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY GETTING MORE FREQUENT AND WORSE. AT TIMES, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WILL TURN OFF BY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND QUICK ACTION TO AVOID INJURY OR DEATH. THEN RANDOMLY TURN BACK ON. MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS HAVE 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, OR BALLAST. ANNECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS." *TR

OUR 2006 AUDI A4 HAS A REOCCURRING ISSUE WITH THE FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT. IT WILL REGULARLY BEGIN TO FLICKER FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE COMPLETELY SHUTTING OFF. THE CAR WILL TELL US WE HAVE A "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF AND THEN BACK ON WILL FIX THE ISSUE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE THE FLICKERING STARTS AGAIN AND REPEATS THE CYCLE. THIS HAD OCCURRED AS MANY AS 5 TO 6 TIMES BEFORE THE HEADLIGHT WILL STAY ON. EVEN THEN IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN LATER IN THE EVENING. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT AUDI DEALERSHIPS AND BOTH SAY THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS PROBABLY JUST A BULB GOING BAD. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN THE FALL OF 2008 AND THE BULB HAS BEEN GOING "BAD" FOR 3 YEARS. I'VE ASKED THAT THEY SWITCH THE BULBS TO TEST THEIR THEORY AND THEY WOULD DO IT BUT FOR $100. A REPLACEMENT BULB WOULD COST UPWARDS OF $500. BOTH VISITS OCCURRED WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD, UNFORTUNATELY FOR US WE ARE NO LONGER WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURNING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IS MOST CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE. THE FACT THAT AUDI HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM AND FIX THIS ISSUE IS MOST DISCONCERTING. *TT

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHTS GO OUT AND A "DIPPED HEADLIGHT" WARNING LIGHT SHOWS UP ON THE DASH. TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS OFF THEN BACK ON WILL BRING THEM BACK ON MOMENTARILY UNTIL A VIBRATION KNOCKS THEM OUT AGAIN. IT'S USUALLY ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER BUT SOMETIMES BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME. NO FAULT CODES ARE STORED WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *TR

THE LEFT HEADLIGHT OF MY 2006 AUDI A4 QUATTRO REGULARLY FLICKERS, THEN TURNS ITSELF OFF, THEN INDICATES A "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" ALONG WITH AN INDICATOR THAT THE LIGHT BULB HAS FAILED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, INTERMITTENTLY. IF I TURN THE LIGHT OFF (NOTE: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRIVING AT NIGHT HERE) AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT WILL BECOME NORMAL AGAIN, FOR ABOUT A FEW MINUTES AND THEN THE CYCLE REPEATS ITSELF. I HAVE TAKEN IT INTO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAVE SAID THAT AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT -- CHANGING THE LIGHT BULB DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

MY HEADLIGHTS SEEMS TO BE TURNING ON AND THEN OFF. SOMETIMES IT WILL SAY " LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT " AND THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE PICTURE WILL GO UP. SOMETIMES ITS " RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT ". SOMETIMES BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. THE AUDI TECH'S. CAN'T SEEM TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND IT'S STARTING TO COST ME MONEY. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I DON'T HAVE THE VISIBILITY I SHOULD AT NIGHT PLUS I AM DISTRACTED AS I HAVE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF UNTIL IT WORKS. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS REGARDING AUDI VEHICLE MODEL A4 FROM YEAR 2006-2008. THE ISSUE IS CONCERNING THE HID XENON HEAD LIGHT THAT I HAVE ON THE VEHICLE AND THIS HEAD LIGHT IS THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT THAT AUDI PUTS IN THE VEHICLE, WHICH IT FLICKERS AT TURN OFF IT SELF WHEN DRIVING AND SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION. I THINK IT IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OFF AT NIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN, LIKE 5 TIMES A NIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT IS OFF, THE VEHICLE GIVES A WARNING SO TURNING IT OFF AND ON WILL TEMPORARILY PUT THE LIGHT ON. I FIGURED ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE CENTER FOR THREE TIMES AND MENTION THE ISSUE TO THEM AND THEY JUST STATE THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH HEADLIGHT. *TR

LEFT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND THEN GOES OUT RANDOMLY ON MY 2006 AUDI A4 WHILE I AM DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS ALMOST DAILY. THE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT YOU ARE DRIVING WITHOUT A HEADLIGHT. TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, YOU HAVE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN. TO DO THIS, YOU HAVE TO STOP THE CAR SO WHEN YOU TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF TO RESET THE LEFT LIGHT, YOU WON'T BE DRIVING WITHOUT HEADLIGHT. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT AGAIN WITHIN A FEW MINUTES AND SOMETIMES IT IS OK.

PROBLEM STARTED SOME 3-4 MONTHS AGO, AT THE BEGINNING MY RIGHT BI-XENON HEADLIGHT STARTED JUST FLICKERING, BUT NOW, AFTER THEY FLICKER, THEY TURN OFF. I RECEIVE A MESSAGE ON THE DASH STATING "DIPPED RIGHT HEADLIGHT." AFTER I TURN OFF BOTH HEADLIGHTS ON THE SWITCH, THEY WORK AGAIN FINE FOR SOME PERIOD BUT THAN AGAIN, THEY START FLICKERING AND SHUTTING DOWN AGAIN. MY BOTH BI-XENON BULBS LOOK FINE, AND THE LIGHT IS VERY BRIGHT AT NIGHT SO I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS THE BULBS. IN ADDITION, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THEY GO OFF MORE FREQUENTLY IN THE WINTER MONTHS AND AFTER HITTING A BUMP. THE RIGHT LIGHT SEEMS TO BE ONLY AFFECTED.