2013 Audi A6

I OWN A 2013 AUDI A6 AROUND 77K MILES. I GOT THE CEL AND BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER. THERE IS AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION COOLANT VALUE THAT IS PART OF THE COOLING SYSTEM AND OBVIOUSLY, THAT COMPONENT ALSO HELPS KEEP THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE IN CHECK. THE ISSUE WITH THIS DEFECTIVE PART IS THE VALVE MALFUNCTIONS CAUSING COOLANT TO PENETRATE THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE AND FROM THERE INTO THE WIRING HARNESS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IT IS A CATASTROPHIC MALFUNCTION OF THOSE COMPONENTS AND A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. WATER AND ELECTRICAL DO NOT MIX WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (AUDI STRATHAM LOCATED AT 58 PORTSMOUTH AVE, STRATHAM, NH 03885) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED UNDER THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V370000 (AIR BAG) FOR THE SAME FAILURE BUT THE FAILURE HAD REOCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

ON 3/6/2020, AUDI NORWELL, MA DIAGNOSED MY 2013 AUDI A6 WITH A PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) MALFUNCTION AND ALERTED OF A PODS SYSTEM PROBLEM BY ILLUMINATION OF THE AIRBAG MONITORING LIGHT AND BY THE STATUS OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR LIGHT. I WAS QUOTED $1,389.81 TO REPLACE/REPAIR, BUT ASKED IF THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS 'AIRBAG' RELATED ISSUE, SINCE IT HAS BEEN WELL PUBLICIZED ON THESE AUDI MODELS. UPON LOOKING UP MY VIN# IN THE RECALL DATABASE, WE DISCOVERED THE VIN# FOR THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT LISTED AS AN IMPACTED VEHICLE. HOWEVER, IT IS A 100% MATCH TO SAFTEY RECALL CODES: 74D5 OR 74D1 (SEE BELOW). I FILED A RECALL CASE WITH AUDI MANUFACTURING ON 4/21/2020, BUT THEY RESPONDED BACK ON 4/24/2020 THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO IF THE VIN# IS NOT ON THE LIST. THUS FILING MY COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. RECALL CODE: 74D5 SUBJECT: PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) AFFECTED VEHICLES: 2013 A6 DESCRIPTION: THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) CAN MALFUNCTION DUE TO STRESS/WEAR FACTORS AFFECTING AN INTERNAL CONNECTOR OR CONTACT RESISTANCE INCREASE AT BODY-SENSING MAT IN THE SEAT. IN THIS SITUATION, A FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT RISKS INJURY IN A CRASH BECAUSE A MALFUNCTIONING PODS MAY NOT MAKE THE CORRECT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT DECISION FOR THE TYPE OF OCCUPANT SEATED THERE. RECALL CODE: 74D1 SUBJECT: PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) AFFECTED VEHICLES: 2013 AUDI A6 DESCRIPTION: IN AFFECTED VEHICLES WITH CLIMATE CONTROL SEATS (HEATED/COOLED), THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) CONTROL MODULE CAN MALFUNCTION DUE TO STRESS/WEAR FACTORS AFFECTING AN INTERNAL CONNECTOR AND/OR A BODY-SENSING MAT IN THE SEAT. SHOULD A MALFUNCTION OCCUR, VEHICLE OCCUPANTS WILL BE ALERTED OF A PODS SYSTEM PROBLEM BY ILLUMINATION OF THE AIRBAG MONITORING LIGHT AND BY THE STATUS OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR LIGHT.

IN LATE DECEMBER 2017 OUT OF NOWHERE, MY CAR BEGAN TO DISPLAY THE WARNING, 'TURN OFF ENGINE AND CHECK COOLANT LEVEL' (PHOTO ATTACHED) ; THIS WAS VERY ALARMING AS I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND HAVE HAD ALL OF THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED AND HAD AN APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED AT THE DEALER. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER ON JANUARY 5, 2018 I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WATER/COOLANT PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (ATTACHED). UNFORTUNATELY, I FELT THAT THE COST WAS TOO MUCH AT THE DEALER AND I TOOK MY CAR TO A REPUTABLE MECHANIC IN THE AREA WHO REPLACED THE WATER/COOLANT PUMP. TO MY SURPRISE IN SEPTEMBER 2018, AUDI ANNOUNCED A RECALL FOR THE WATER/COOLANT PUMP. TO MY UNDERSTANDING, THIS MEANS THAT THEY ARE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGED PUMP. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD ASSUME THAT ANY ISSUES RELATED TO THE PUMP SHOULD ALSO BE COVERED UNDER THAT RECALL. AS NOTED ON MY SERVICE MEMO FROM THE AUDI DEALERSHIP WHEN I HAD MY CAR INSPECTED FOR THE WARNING 'IF NOT REPLACED, THE ENGINE'S COOLING SYSTEM WILL NOT BE OPERATING EFFICIENTLY AND AT THE PROPER TEMPERATURE RESULTING IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE.' IN FEBRUARY 2018, A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AFTER HAVING MY CAR'S WATER/COOLANT PUMP REPAIRED, THE CAR STARTED TO IDLE WHEN I TRIED TO PULL OUT OF MY DRIVE WAY. NOT EVEN A BLOCK AWAY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF AND THE CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I WAS SO SCARED, BUT RELIEVED THAT I WAS NOT HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK TO MY HOME WHERE I IMMEDIATELY HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. I DIDN'T HAVE HIM DO THE REPAIRS, BUT I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE AUDI DEALER WHO TOLD ME THE SAME THING, TO REPLACE THE ENGINE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V229000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI SHREWSBURY (780 BOSTON TURNPIKE, SHREWSBURY, MA 01545, (508) 581-5800) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.