2005 Audi A6

I PURCHASED A 2005 AUDI A6 3.2 QUATTRO IN AUGUST OF 2008 WITH 37,000 MILES. IN DECEMBER 2008 I TOOK THE CAR TO THE AUDI DEALER IN PASADENA BECAUSE THE LEFT REAR TAILLIGHT, LEFT REAR REVERSING LIGHT, AND LEFT REAR FOG LIGHT WERE SHORTING OUT OFF AND ON. SOMETIMES THEY WOULD WORK, SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T. THE DEALER SAID THE CONNECTORS TO THAT LEFT TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLY WERE MELTED AND IT WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. THE FOLLOWING SUMMER, 2009, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THIS TIME IN SANTA MONICA, CA FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND AN OIL CHANGE WHERE ONCE AGAIN THEY SAID THE CONNECTORS TO THE LEFT REAR TAIL LAMP, REVERSING LIGHT, AND FOG LIGHT WERE MELTED. I REFUSED TO PAY AND TOOK CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THEY SAID THE VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORT AND COULDN'T FIX IT. A WEEK OR TWO LATER, THE LIGHTS WERE WORKING AGAIN. THAT WAS SUMMER/FALL 2009. BY APRIL 2010, THE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR INTO ANOTHER AUDI DEALER THIS TIME IN DOWNTOWN, LA. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM SAYING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS SENDING TOO MUCH ELECTRICAL CURRENT TO THAT SIDE OF THE CAR AND IS CAUSING THE WIRING TO BURN AT THE CONNECTION POINT TO THE TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLY. I REFUSE TO PAY FOR SERVICE THAT WAS ALREADY REPAIRED I SAID JUST 15 MONTHS AGO AND ASKED WHY THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING TO THAT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 385.00 TO FIX IT. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT SHOP THIS WEEK AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE CAR BECAUSE THERE ARE BURN POINTS IN THE TRUNK WHERE THE WIRING IS FAULTY AND THAT AUDI SHOULD FIX THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE AS IT WILL JUST KEEP HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I'VE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDOW SWITCHES NOT WORKING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, AND THE LIGHTS SHORTING OUT IN THE CENTER CONSOLE. THIS IS NOT ONLY A BIG NUISANCE BUT I AM WORRIED THAT THIS COULD CATCH FIRE. PLEASE HELP IN THIS SITUATION, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

DURING A RECENT RAIN STORM I WENT TO START THE CAR TO DISCOVER 6 INCHES OF WATER IN THE BACK SEAT. REAR AIRBAG AND SOME ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD BEEN FRIED. WHEN I CONTACTED AUDI THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE THAT IT WAS MY FAULT. THAT A LINE UNDER THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT HAD BEEN CLOGGED BY PINE NEEDLES CAUSING THE WATER TO FLOW INTO THE CAR THROUGH THE AIRCONDITIONING SYSTEM. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY AUDI. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON - AUDI STATED THE REAR LEFT SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED. I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A TICKING SOUND COMING FROM THIS FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. NOW THERE ARE SAYING THE SAME BELT'S LOCKING MECHANISM IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WHEN IT IS 'OUT OF WARRANTY" . *TR

MY ABS LIGHT, PARKING BRAKE FAILURE, AND ESP LIGHTS ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING MY 2005 AUDI A6 4.2 S-LINE MODEL THROUGH A SUDDEN SNOW STORM IN COLORADO. MY ABS IMMEDIATELY FAILED AND MY BRAKES LOCKED, CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE, AND FORTUNATELY I AVOIDED A CRASH (I WAS AT LOW SPEEDS). THE QUATTRO ALL WHEEL DRIVE WAS ALSO DISABLED AT THIS TIME AND I WAS UNABLE TO GAIN TRACTION ON THE ICY ROAD. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DEVASTATING CRASH RESULTING IN INJURIES IF I HAD BEEN GOING THE SPEED LIMIT THAT NIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE ON 12/2/09 AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO HAVE THE ABS MODULE REPLACED AT A COST OF AROUND $1600. WHY WAS THIS NOT A RECALLED PART? ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE TECH AT STAMMLER AUDI IN BOULDER, CO IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 MODEL YEAR BECAUSE IT IS THE FIRST YEAR TO HAVE SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED IN THE VEHICLE'S DRIVING SYSTEMS. I AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO BUT PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A DEFECTIVE PART, THAT AUDI ALSO AGREES WITH, JUST TO DRIVE SAFELY ON THE ROADWAYS. *TR

1. CERTIFIED PREOWNED CAR (CERTIFIED AT 30K MILES) UNDER NORMAL USAGE (20K MILES IN 18 MONTHS). NO SPECIAL EVENTS LEADING TO THE FAILURE. 2. ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE CANNOT BE RELEASED. CAR IS DISABLED AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN. OCCURRED 2 TIMES. CORRODED ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE WIRES AND CONNECTORS. 3. ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE WIRE HARNESSES AND CONNECTORS WERE REPLACED. *TR

THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH DUAL ZONE AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL. THE CENTER I.P. VENTS BLOW COLD AIR WHILE ALL OTHER VENTS BLOW VERY HOT AIR. THIS OCCURS ALMOST ANY TIME THE AIR CONDITIONER IS USED. DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD, DID NOT ATTEMPT TO FIX. AUDI RELEASED A TSB IN 12/08 DETAILING THE CAUSE TO BE DEBRIS LEFT IN THE ENGINE BLOCK DURING PRODUCTION. AUDI REFUSES TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *TR

I DROVE MY AUDI A6 FROM THE TRAIN STATION CARPARK ON TO THE INTERSTATE RAMP AND ACCELERATED ON TO THE HIGHWAY. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK TO THE FLOOR AND COULD NOT BE PRISED UP WITH MY FOOT. I APPLIED THE BRAKE BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AT FULL THROTTLE. I WAS IN BUSY TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT MOVE OVER TO THE HARD SHOULDER SO HAD TO SWERVE IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC TRYING TO AVOID COLLISION. I CONTINUED TO PICK UP SPEED, WHILE PUMPING THE BRAKES AND EVENTUALLY CUT THROUGH THE TRAFFIC TO THE HARD SHOULDER WHERE I PUMPED THE BRAKES UNTIL THE CAR EVENTUALLY STOPPED. AT ONE POINT THE CAR WAS DOING WELL NORTH OF 100 MPH AND CARS WERE TOOTING THEIR HORNS AS I SWERVED IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC. I AM LUCKY NOT TO HAVE CRASHED THE CAR AND KILLED MYSELF OR OTHER MOTORISTS. AFTER THE CAR CAME TO A HALT, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND CHECKED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO ENSURE NOTHING WAS JAMMING THE ARM OF THE PEDAL, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD RELEASED. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE ON THE BACK ROADS AT A VERY SLOW PACE OF ABOUT 20 MPH AND THE ISSUE DID NOT REPEAT ITSELF. I CALLED AUDI TO TOW THE CAR FOR INSPECTION. THEY MENTIONED THAT THIS ISSUE HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE BUT WOULD INVESTIGATE. AFTER SURVEYING, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES AND DECIDED TO BRING ANOTHER INVESTIGATOR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE FINDINGS WERE THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THIS WHOLE INCIDENT IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DEATH. THE DEALERSHIP ASKED ME TO RETURN MY LOANER CAR AND PICK UP MY VEHICLE DUE TO THEIR FINDINGS. I WILL NOT ACCEPT RETURN OF THIS VEHICLE AND AM AWAITING SOME A CALL FROM CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS TO DISCUSS. I WILL ALSO NOT ACCEPT THEM REDISTRIBUTING THIS VEHICLE TO ANOTHER OWNER AS I DO NOT WANT SOMEONE TO HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS ME. I AM WRITING TO YOU AS I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS DESIGN DEFECT WILL RESULT IN A SERIOUS IF NOT FATAL ACCIDENT AND WOULD LIKE THE ISSUE TO BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. *TR

1) NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO FAILURE. 2) THE ELECTRONIC TRUNK LATCH FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. ABOUT 90% OF THE TIME THE TRUNK WILL NOT LATCH, MEANING THE CAR IS UNSECURABLE AND THE TRUNK LID WILL FLY OPEN WHILE DRIVING EVEN ON MINOR BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE, AS NOT ONLY CAN I NOT SECURE MY CAR OR US THE TRUNK, BUT WHEN THE LID FLIES OPEN IT IMPAIRS REARWARD VISIBILITY, BLOCKS THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT FOR DRIVERS BEHIND ME, AND DUE TO UNSECURABLE ITEMS PUTS DRIVERS BEHIND ME AT RISK OF ACCIDENT. 3) TOOK THE CAR TO STAMMLER IMPORTS (AUDI DEALER) IN BOULDER CO. THEY STATED "THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM ON ALL OF THE CURRENT AUDI MODELS AND THE PARTS ARE ON BACKORDER FROM GERMANY." THEY ARE UNABLE TO TELL ME EVEN AN APPROXIMATE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THE CAR MIGHT BE REPAIRED. THEY ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A TEMPORARY FIX TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY ISSUES. THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE A LOANER CAR THAT I CAN SAFELY USE UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED. IT HAS NOW BEEN ALMOST 2 MONTHS SINCE I FIRST BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO FIX THE ISSUE WHICH REMAINS UNRESOLVED. THE DEALER'S CURRENT SOLUTION REMAINS THAT I DRIVE AROUND WITH THIS TRUNK SAFETY ISSUE INDEFINITELY. I ALSO CALLED AUDI AMERICA CUSTOMER RELATIONS AT 800-822-2834 TO HELP RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE NAMED BRANDON. I INFORMED HIM OF THE ONGOING TRUNK SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE AND EXPRESSED HOW IT ALSO REPRESENTS A HUGE LIABILITY FOR AUDI IF THERE WERE TO BE AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE. HE STATES AT THIS TIME HE IS UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN CALL THE DEALER AND ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION. HE STATES HE IS UNABLE TO AUTHORIZE THE DEALER PROVIDE A LOANER CAR UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED. HE STATES AUDI AMERICA IS UNABLE TO PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED. HE STATES HE IS "IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION AS AUDI AMERICA DOES NOT HAVE MUCH LEVERAGE WITH ITS DEALERS" AND IS UNABLE TO OFFER ANY RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. *CN