2014 Audi A4

WHILE IN A TURNING MOTION THRU A WATER PUDDLE, THE STEERING DEFECTIVE WARNING LIGHT CAME UP ON THE DASH AND THE STEERING WAS VERY STIFF AT SLOW SPEED. ERROR WAS ANALYZED AS A DEFECTIVE ELECTRIC STEERING RACK AND PINION. ONE YEAR AGO THIS SAME PROBLEM AROSE AND IT WAS CORRECTED WITH A USED RACK, BECAUSE A NEW ONE COULD NOT BE FOUND, SUCH IS THE CASE AT THE CURRENT TIME, ONLY USED RACKS ARE AVAILABLE, WHICH DID NOT WORK OUT WELL THE FIRST TIME AND THE LEAD TIME ON A NEW RACK IS 3 MONTHS. I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT NUMBER: 11300855 ON THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM A YEAR AGO. I FEEL AUDI NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE RACK P/N 8K1 423 055BA OR ANY OTHER THAT FIT THIS DESCRIPTION. THE INTERNET HAS PLENTY OF AUDI FORUMS ABOUT THIS MOISTURE PROBLEM, SINCE THE RACK IS CONDUCIVE TO WEATHER RELATED CONDITIONS THAT SHORT OUT CONTROL MODULE, LEAVING THE RACK WITH NO ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST. THE MODULE IS INTEGRATED INTO THE RACK WITH NO WAY TO JUST REPLACE JUST THAT PART, LEAVING YOU WITH A $3000.00 BILL.

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE AUDI SERVICE CENTER AND THEY EXPRESSED TO ME THAT MY ENGINE COOLANT PUMP WAS NOT WORKING AND THAT IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT TELL ME IT WAS APART OF A RECALL. HAD I KNOWN THIS, I FEEL AS THOUGH I SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED APPROXIMATELY $2,300 TO GET IT FIXED WHEN IT WAS RECALLED FROM SOMETHING OUT OF MY CONTROL.

VEHICLE ALL OF A SUDDEN HAD A WARNING LIGHT WITH THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING AND WHEEL STOPPED TURNING. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION EVENTUALLY STARTED TURNING BACK AFTER I STOPPED THE CAR AND PUT ON HAZARDS AND KEPT PLAYING WITH STEERING BUT WAS STILL VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. HAD TO TOW VEHICLE TO AUDI AND TOOK A WEEK AND A FEW DAYS WITH THE CAR. NOW AFTER I GOT IT FOR ONLY A FEW DAYS MY OIL SENSOR HAS GONE BAD AFTER I ASKED THEM TO CHECK EVERYTHING. I FIND THIS VERY STRANGE

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, I GET AN 'ALTERNATOR FAILURE - BATTERY MIGHT NOT BE CHARGING' WARMING, FEW SECONDS LATER THE CAR ALMOST COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES SUPER STIFF, CAN'T ACCELERATE, I ALMOST HIT A CAR NEXT TO ME WHILE TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE ROAD AND PARK IN A SAFE PLACE! LUCKILY WAS A 35 MPH ZONE, IN THE HIGHWAY WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY DANGEROUS! I TOWED TO A SHOP AND YES, IS THE ALTERNATOR. THE CAR SHOULD GIVE AN EARLIER WARNING AND DEFINITELY NOT SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING!

MY CAR STARTED BURNING OIL MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AFTER IT HIT 120K MILES. THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON TO ADD A QUART OF OIL EVERY 1500 MILES. THE CAR NOW HAS 145K MILES ON IT AND THE OIL LIGHT COMES ON AFTER 500-600 MILES, WHICH SEEMS MUCH TOO FREQUENT. THE CAR IS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD AND I WOULD EXPECT IT TO LAST ANOTHER 50K MILES BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE THAT'S CAUSING IT TO BURN SO MUCH OIL SO QUICKLY. *TR

THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WERE MAKING NOISE @ 76,756 MILES, WHILE DRIVING ON THE OPEN ROAD, SO BOTH WERE CHANGED OUT. UPON CHECKING THE INTERNET I FOUND TSB NO. 401548 REFERRING TO THE PROBLEM IN MANY AUDI MODELS FROM 2009-2016. WITH THIS EXTENSIVE PROBLEM, A RECALL SHOULD BE ENFORCED. A MONTH LATER @ 78998 MILES THE ELECTRONIC RACK AND PINION STEERING STARTED TO MAKE A RUBBING NOISE WHEN TURNED, SITTING OR TRAVELING AND AN ON BOARD RED NOTICE CAME UP INDICATING STEERING PROBLEM SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP. THE UNIT WAS ELECTRICALLY DIAGNOSED WITH A FAILED AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING AND AN ELECTRONIC STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY. THE CODES WERE ENTERED AND THE RACK AND CLOCKSPRING WERE REPROGRAMMED TO THE VEHICLE ONCE INSTALLED, SOLVING THE PROBLEM. THIS ALSO SEEMS TO BE AN INHERENT PROBLEM IN THIS VEHICLE, SINCE THE MECHANIC HAD KNOW OF TWO OTHER ALREADY THIS YEAR. THE CAR DID DRIVE FINE WITH THE OLD RACK AND PINION IN IT.