2009 Audi A4

"AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN." THE OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRRORS BLOCK THE DRIVER VIEW TO THE EXTENT THAT AN ENTIRE CAR IS MANY TIMES COMPLETELY HIDDEN FROM THE DRIVERS' VIEW. THEY ARE PLACED POORLY AND MAYBE ARE TOO LARGE. MAYBE IF THEY WERE LOWER, OR SMALLER OR THE DRIVERS SEAT HIGHER. I AM A FEMALE OF AVERAGE HEIGHT AND HAVE HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS. I NOW MUST RISE MYSELF UP TO SEE OVER OR AROUND THE MIRROR WHICH IS DIFFICULT WHEN DRIVING. *TR

STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AUDI DEALER ATTRIBUTED TO CUPPED TIRES. BOUGHT NEW SET OF TIRES ($864) AND SAME PROBLEM. LEARNED THROUGH INTERNET SEARCH THAT AUDI'S HAVE PROBLEM WITH LOWER CONTROL ARMS. RETURNED TO DEALER WITH TSB 2018121/3. DEALER ROAD FORCE BALANCED WHEELS AT MY EXPENSE ($70), DEALER SAID AUDI WOULDN'T PAY FOR CONTROL ARM REPLACEMENT. I CALLED AUDI TO COMPLAIN (OBTAINED CASE NO.) BECAUSE THEY VOLUNTARILY REPLACED CONTROL ARMS IN TWO LONG TERM TEST VEHICLES IN EDMONDS INSIDE LINE FLEET AFTER EDMONDS PUBLISHED ARTICLES NOTING THE STEERING PROBLEM (HTTP://BLOGS.INSIDELINE.COM/ROADTESTS/2009/07/2009-AUDI-A4-AND-S5-STEERING-VIBRATION-WRAP-UP.HTML). AUDI WOULDN'T AGREE TO REPLACE CONTROL ARMS. VIBRATION WENT AWAY FOR A TIME BUT THEN CAME BACK. CONDITION IS FATIGUING WHEN DRIVING ANY LENGTH AT HIGHWAY SPEED.

THE WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES ON MY CAR ARE HORRIBLE. THEY'RE VERY FLIMSY AND THIN. THEY DON'T DO A GOOD JOB OF CLEANING UP THE WINDSHIELD IN RAIN, AND IF THERE IS ANY SNOW OR ICE.. THEY GET STUCK ON THE BUMPS AND MISS THE GLASS. THE WIPER BLADES ARE "STORED" IN A PIT UNDER THE WINDSHIELD TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE SNOW AND ICE... EXCEPT THE PIT JUST FILLS WITH THE ICE AND SNOW AND COVERS THEM.. SO THEY ARE BEYOND USELESS NOW. THE DEFOGGER ON HIGH BLAST MAKES THE WINDSHIELD A LITTLE BETTER.. BUT IT CANT WARM THE BLADES.. SO THEY WILL STILL KEEP GETTING ICED UP AND JUST SCRAPING ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD NOT DOING ANYTHING. *TR

OEM WIPERS PROVIDED BY AUDI ON 2008.5 A4 MODEL YEAR ONWARDS FILL WITH WATER/SLUSH AND FREEZE SOLID IN THE WINTER RENDERING THEM USELESS AND CREATING SIGNIFICANT DRIVING HAZARD. AUDI HAS NO REPLACEMENT AND IS NON-RESPONSIVE. FURTHER, THERE ARE NO THIRD-PARTY REPLACEMENT WINTER-STYLE BLADES BECAUSE IT IS A PROPRIETARY BLADE-ARM CONNECTOR. *TR

PARKED IN AN INCLINE, I ATTEMPTED TO BACK OUT OF A DRIVE WAY. I PLACED MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PLACED THE CAR IN REVERSE AND REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WENT FORWARD AS IF IN NEUTRAL WITH NO RESISTANCE AT ALL. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE QUICKLY TO PREVENT FROM GOING THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR. ALTHOUGH I DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING IN REVERSE. I HAD TO GET THE ENGINE RPM UP FAIRLY HIGH TO GET THE CAR TO MOVE AT ALL. IT WAS LIKE I HAD THE PARKING BRAKE ON BUT IF I LET UP ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR WOULD AGAIN ROLL FORWARD. WHEN THE CAR REACHED THE TOP OF THE DRIVE, IT QUICKLY GRABBED AND ACCELERATED. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE QUICKLY BUT NOT BEFORE I HIT A RETAINING WALL BEHIND ME. THIS TYPE OF HESITATION HAS ALSO BEEN EXPERIENCED WHEN IN DRIVE. DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOES NOT PRODUCE IMMEDIATE RESULTS. THEN STARTS TO INCREASE RPM'S AN THEN THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD. I HAVE RETURNED IT TO THE AUDI DEALER A FEW MONTHS AGO FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. WHEN THE SERVICE MAN MOVED MY CAR HE IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE CONDITION BUT IT WAS RETURNED TO ME "WORKING AS DESIGNED". FOR THE NEXT 2-3 MONTHS, THE TRANSMISSION WAS AS RESPONSIVE AS ANY OTHER AUTO BUT THIS HAS CHANGED BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS. UPDATED IVOQ 10/26/10 *TR

I HAD JUST GONE TO THE GROCERY STORE AND WAS UNLOADING THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES WERE NOT VISIBLE THROUGH THE SLOTS OF THE SEATS ANYMORE. I TRIED TO FEEL FOR THEM AND WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE SEAT WAS TOO FAR FORWARD AND THE CURVED PART AT THE BACK OF THE SEAT WAS NO LONGER TUCKED TO THE SEAT BACK. AS I WAS TRYING TO SEE IF I COULD PUT IT BACK INTO POSITION THE SEAT COMPLETELY DISLODGED FROM THE CAR AND THE GLUE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ATTACHING THE SEAT TO THE CAR, THE WIRING AND EVEN PART OF THE CAR ITSELF WAS VISIBLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY NEW 2009 AUDI A4 WHICH HAD LESS THAN 3500 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME WHEN FIRST THE TRANSMISSION CHANGES BEGAN TO BE VERY ABRUPT. I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT AT FIRST AND TRAFFIC ON THE WESTSIDE HIGHWAY IN NEW YORK CITY WAS FAIRLY CONGESTED SO THE SPEEDS WERE NOT THAT HIGH. SUDDENLY, THE TRANSMISSION STOPS SHIFTING ALL TOGETHER AND ALL THE LIGHTS CAR'S DASHBOARD TURN ON BEFORE THE ENGINE SIMPLY SHUTS OFF I ROLL TO A HALT IN THE CENTER LANE OF THE WESTSIDE HIGHWAY AND USE THE BATTERY TO TURN ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS. I REPEATEDLY TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND IT WOULD START FOR ABOUT A SECOND BEFORE THE WHOLE CAR BEGAN TO VIBRATE HEAVILY BEFORE THE ENGINE WOULD SHUT DOWN. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND THEY ESCORTED THE TOW-TRUCK OFF THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS LOCKED IN THE TOW-TRUCK DEPOT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN IT WAS GIVEN TO THE AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY RAN TESTS AND DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD BROKEN. THEY REPLACED THE PUMP AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME A FEW DAYS LATER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 AUDI A4. WHILE TURNING AT AN UNKNOWN LOW SPEED, THE CONTACT FELT UNUSUAL VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE VIBRATIONS WERE A NORMAL OCCURRENCE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR AND BECAME EXCESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A THIRD TIME WHERE THEY REDESIGNED AND INSTALLED THE POWER STEERING HOSE. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO FUNCTION AS NORMAL BUT THE FAILURE BEGAN TO RECUR APPROXIMATELY 3,000 MILES AFTER THE NEW POWER STEERING HOSE WAS INSTALLED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE STEERING VIBRATIONS WERE A NORMAL ATTRIBUTE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SERVICED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 19,800.