2000 Audi S4

AUDI USA HAS ENGINEERING CONTROL AND WERE CONTACTED AND PRESENT DURING REPAIR. UNDER VERY ICY CONDITIONS ON STRAIGHT ROAD, DURING ACCELERATION FROM VERY SLOW SPEED, VEHICLE PITCHED INTO OVERSTEER CONDITION. NOT ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED, BUT AFTER A DIFFICULT RECOVERY, WHEN ALL SEEMED OK, IT OVERSTEERED AGAIN QUITE VIOLENTLY. THIS WAS AGAIN RECOVERED, BUT IT APPEARED THAT THERE WAS AN ABS BRAKE INPUT , CERTAINLY NOT OF MY DOING. THE THIRD CYCLE WAS MORE SEVERE, AND I LEFT THE ROAD. NEITHER THE BRAKE NOR THROTTLE WERE TOUCHED DURING THE WHOLE CYCLE, BUT STEERING INPUTS WERE POWERFUL AS I ATTEMPTED TO SAVE THE DAY. THE SEPARATENESS OF THE CYCLES ALERTED ME TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE WHEEL SPEED SENSORS HAD DETECTED A DIFFERENTIAL SPEED AND APPLIED THE BRAKES. AUDI REFUSES TO RELEASE ANY DATA ON THE OPERATION OF THEIR ABS SYSTEM, AND THE VOLATILE COMPUTER DATA HAS GONE..IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT SOME OF THE CONTROL FUNCTIONS PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, ETC, ARE NOW EMBEDDED IN THE ABS . THE S4 DID NOT HAVE A STABILITY CONTROL MECHANISM, IT NOW DOES. THIS IS A VERY POWERFUL VEHICLE SYSTEM, AND IF IT SHOULD FAIL, THE CONSUMER SHOULD BE ABLE TO KNOW THE CRITERIA UNDER WHICH IT SHOULD, COULD OPERATE AND/OR FAIL. A YEARS WORTH OF COMMUNICATION HAS PRODUCED ZERO DATA FROM AUDI. *AK

THE TIRE DID NOT 'FAIL' BUT RATHER CAUSES A PULL TO THE RIGHT THAT THE DEALER REFUSES TO CORRECT. THEY CLAIM BRIDGESTONE NEEDS TO DO THIS. FOR A $45K CAR I EXPECT TIRES THAT LAST A WHILE AND IF NOT THEN AUDI SHOULD REPLACE THEM. THE LISTED COST IS ESTIMATED REPLACEMENT COST FOR DECENT TIRES.*AK (DOT NUMBER: EJN8 TIRESIZE: 225/45R17)

CAR WAS DELIVERED ON JUNE 4TH 2000. FROM THE TIME I DROVE OFF THE LOT THE VEHICLE SLIGHTLY STEERED TOWARDS THE RIGHT. I WAS TOLD BY DIFFERENT DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENTS IT WAS EITHER THE TIRE PRESSURE OR THE CROWNING IN THE ROADS. I ASKED OGNER MOTORS IN WOODLAND HILLS TO ROTATE THE TIRES AND PERFORM FURTHER EVALUATION. THEY FOUND ONE OF MY TIRES TO BE DEFECTIVE. APPARENTLY THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE IN QUESTION FAILED. THEY ARE AWAITING A REPLACEMENT TIRE FORM THE MANUFACTURER...I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER THREE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE CONSIDERING I HAVE HEARD NUMEROUS REPORT VIA AUDIWORLD.COM THAT THESE TIRES ARE EXTREMELY SUCSEPTIBLE TO SIDEWALL (BUBBLES) FAILURE.*AK (TIRESIZE: 225/45/17)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/45/17 )