2003 Audi RS6

The contact owns a 2003 Audi RS6. The contact stated that after adding fuel to the vehicle, he noticed that fuel had leaked, and there was a puddle of fuel on the ground on the rear driver's side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred routinely when adding fuel in the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V267000 (Fuel System, Other) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

THIS WAS NOT A BLIZZAK LM-25. IT WAS A BLIZZAK LM-60. TWICE WITHIN A YEAR, I'VE HAD MY REAR TIRE TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE BEADS, SPLITTING ALL THE WAY AROUND ON THE INNER AND OUTER SIDEWALLS. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON THE PASSENGER REAR WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 75 MPH. IT BLEW OFF AND WENT ROLLING BESIDE AND BEHIND THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER. THE CAR WAS PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY WITH SOME DAMAGE OCCURRING TO THE INNER TIRE WHEEL WELL. THE SECOND TIME OCCURRED DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL ROAD, AFTER RECENTLY EXITING THE FREEWAY. THIS TIME IT WAS THE DRIVER'S REAR. WHILE IT SEPARATED, I HEARD AND FELT IT AND PULLED TO THE CURB. THIS TIME THERE WAS DAMAGE DONE TO THE WHEEL WELL AS WELL AS THE BODY TRIM THE GOES FROM THE FRONT TO THE REAR WHEEL WELLS BENEATH THE DOORS. I HAVE PICTURES.

FUEL TANK LEAK FROM TIP OVER VALVE. THERE IS A RECALL ON IT. AUDI RECALL 20L8/JY WAS PERFORMED ON 5/16/2012. BUT THE VALVE STARTED LEAKING AGAIN RECENTLY. I CALLED AUDI OF AMERICA (AOA) THEY HAD ME TAKE THE CAR TO AUSTIN NORTH AUDI DEALER FOR CONFIRMATION AND TAKING PHOTOS. AFTER THE DEALER CONFIRMATION THEY DENIED MY REQUEST TO COVER THE FUEL TANK REPLACEMENT. THEIR REASON WAS: CAR IS TOO OLD, I AM SECOND OWNER, AND THERE IS NO BRAND LOYALTY (THIS IS MY FIRST AUDI). HERE ARE THE AUDI OF AMERICA CASE DETAILS: VIN: [XXXXXX] AUDI RECALL CODE 20L8/JY AUDI CASE #: [XXX] AUDI OF AMERICA REP: SHEMONA (1-800-822-2834 EXT. 43444) CURRENT OWNER: [XXX] OWNER PHONE: [XXX] PLEASE ADVISE IF AOA IS LIABLE FOR REPLACING THE TANK WHEN RECALL DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE OF TIP OVER VALVE LEAK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI RS6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING AND WAS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE DAILY BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT AND BACK SHOCKS ABSORBER, THE TUBING AND THE VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI RS6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BOUNCED VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER A VOLUNTARY RECALL ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER PERTAINING TO THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

TRANSMISSION WOULD OCCASIONALLY SLIP TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC I HAD TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER AS I COULDN'T ACCELERATE. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE CAR THAT HAS MUCH MORE POWER THAN MOST VEHICLES SO UNDER NORMAL OPERATIONS ACCELERATION SHOULD BE QUICK & FAST. THIS FIRST STARTED WITH ONLY 35~40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. ALL RS6 OWNERS BEGIN TO LEARN THAT THE ONLY TWO WEEK POINTS IN THE CAR ARE THE SUSPENSION AND THE TRANSMISSION. THANKS TO THE NHTSA THE VEHICLES WERE FINALLY RECALLED FOR SUSPENSION FAILURES. NOW WE ARE LEFT WITH A SUBSTANDARD TRANSMISSION DESIGN. I RECENTLY PAID $5000 TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT BY A SHOP THAT GUARANTEES TO FIX THE FACTORY DRAWBACKS. PREVIOUSLY I TOOK IT TO THE AUDI DEALER TO NO AVAIL. *TR

2003 AUDI RS6 (A6 4.2 V8 BITURBO) FUEL TANK DEFECT: THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REGARD TO MY 2003 AUDI RS6 SEDAN. AFTER NOTICING A STRONG SMELL OF FUEL AND FUEL VAPOR IN MY GARAGE THE MORNING AFTER FILLING UP SAID CAR, I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER TO HAVE THE CAR INSPECTED AND DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT THE CAR'S FUEL TANK IS BROKEN AT THE TOP WHERE THE ROLL OVER VALVE IS BONDED TO THE TANK. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A 7 YEAR OLD VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE SUCH A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS PROBLEM SUCH AS A LEAKING FUEL TANK. IN MY RESEARCH I HAVE NOW FOUND THAT A SIMILAR PROBLEM EXISTS WITH OTHER AUDI A6 BASED MODELS - AND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL SAFETY RECALL (08V-157) FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, HOWEVER ONLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE SMALLER 18.5 GALLON FUEL TANK. THE 21.7 GALLON TANK IN THE AUDI RS6 (4.2 BITURBO QUATTRO) IS MADE OF THE SAME DEFECTIVE MATERIALS AND APPEARS TO HAVE FAILED IN THE SAME WAY AS THE OTHER A6 BASED VEHICLES LISTED IN THE REFERENCED SAFETY RECALL. THIS ISSUE APPEARS TO BE QUITE PREVALENT IN ALL B5 AUDI A6 BASED MODELS (REGARDLESS OF TANK SIZE OR VENT LINE MATERIALS) AND I BELIEVE THAT THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE ALL COMPLAINTS AND RECALL ALL 2001-2004 AUDI A6 BASED VEHICLES (INCLUDING THE RS6) AS THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS FAILURE THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IN VEHICLE SYSTEM THAT IS CRUCIAL TO SAFETY. I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE FUEL AND VAPOR LEAK DIS NOT IGNITE AS IN MY GARAGE IS MY HOMES GAS STORAGE WATER HEATER. *TR

FUEL TANK LEAK- THE PLASTIC ROLL OVER VALVE OF THE FUEL TANK CRACKS AND LEAKS FUEL. I AM NOW ON MY 4TH GAS TANK SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR NEW IN JAN/04. THE GAS TANK WAS REPLACED AS RECOMMENDED ON EACH INCIDENT. THE REPAIR IS A SIGNIFICANT REPAIR JOB DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE FUEL TANK. MY FIRST REPAIR WAS AT 47K MILES, SECOND REPAIR AT 87K MILES, AND MOST RECENT AT 132K MILES. *TR