2013 Audi S4

AUDI'S ELECTRONIC ASSISTED STEERING ON MY S4 EXHIBITS UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. IT HAS A "NOTCH" AT 12 O'CLOCK WHERE THE CAR USUALLY DOES NOT RESPOND TO WHEEL INPUTS UNTIL YOU TURN IT MORE THAN AN INCH IN EITHER DIRECTION. WHEN IT DOES FINALLY REACT, IT OFTEN OVERCOMPENSATES. IT DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN HOWEVER. SOMETIMES THE NOTCHINESS IS PRESENT, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT EVEN ON THE SAME STEERING SETTINGS/SAME SPEED. I CAN NOT KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT AT TIMES. THE SLIGHTEST MOVEMENT TO THE RIGHT STEPS IT OVER INTO WHAT FEELS LIKE THE NEXT GROOVE AND I START SLIGHTLY HEADING OFF THE ROAD TOO THE RIGHT, TRY TO CORRECT AND IT STEPS A NOTCH OVER TO THE LEFT AND I START SLOWLY CHANGING LANES THAT DIRECTION. *TR

MY STEERING IS UNABLE TO KEEP A STRAIGHT LINE AT TIMES. THE STEERING WHEEL FEELS LIKE IS IN NOTCHED LIKE A GEAR WOULD BE. MY CAR WILL START MOVING TOWARDS THE LEFT LANE LIKE THE ALIGNMENT IS OFF. WHEN I TRY TO CORRECT THIS THE STEERING MAKES A NON FLUID MOVEMENT TO NEXT LANDING NOTCH TO THE RIGHT, THEN THE CAR STARTS MOVING OFF TO THE RIGHT LANE. I HAVE TO MOVE BETWEEN THESE TWO LANDING NOTCHES EVERY FEW SECONDS TO REMAIN WITHIN MY LANE. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND IS VERY CONCERNING! I TODAY STARTED RESEARCHING THIS AND IT APPEARS THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE NEWER AUDI'S BUT NOT FIX IS BEING RELEASED. *TR

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) RANDOMLY GETS A "NOTCHY" FEELING AND LOSES ITS TRUE CENTER. THE WHEEL CANNOT BE HELD AT A PERFECT "12 O'CLOCK." IT IS EITHER AT 11:57 OR 12:03, SO GOING STRAIGHT DOWN A ROAD REQUIRES CONSTANT CORRECTION ON THE PART OF THE DRIVER. THESE NOTCHES PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STEERING WHEEL. IN OTHER WORDS, BY MAKING A HARD LEFT, THE WHEEL WILL PASS THROUGH 8-10 DIFFERENT NOTCHES. AT SOME POINT, THE PROBLEM WILL THEN GO AWAY AND DISAPPEAR. *TR

STARTING AROUND FEBRUARY 2, 2013 MY VEHICLE STARTED DISPLAYING INTERMITTENT BIZARRE STEERING BEHAVIOR. THE ISSUES WERE TWO FOLD. FIRST, WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED BUT MOST COMMONLY OVER 50 MPH THE STEERING EXHIBITED A "SLIP AND CONNECT FEELING" WHERE THE STEERING WOULD FEEL DISCONNECTED (OR VERY LOOSELY CONNECTED) TO THE WHEELS. LARGE DRIVER STEERING INPUTS RESULTED IN ONLY MINOR CORRECTIONS. ONLY WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL ABOUT TWO INCHES IN EITHER DIRECTION WOULD THE STEERING GRAB AND FEEL NORMAL AGAIN. THIS PHENOMENON HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL NEAR MISS ACCIDENTS WHERE THE CAR SWERVES INTO THE ADJACENT LANE. THE SECOND ISSUE IS A STEERING NOTCHINESS WHICH OCCURS AT ANY SPEED AND MOST APPARENT DURING TURNS. I CAN BEST DESCRIBE THIS AS IF THE STEERING, WHICH IS ELECTRONIC, CHANGES FROM HIGH TO LOW TO HIGH BOOST WHILE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. ALTHOUGH NOT AS MUCH A SAFETY CONCERN AS THE FIRST ISSUE, IT REQUIRES VIGILANT ATTENTION TO ENSURE CAR CONTROL. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY MANY AUDI DRIVERS ON SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS. THE FOLLOWING THREAD HAS OVER 850 POSTS FROM CONCERNED AUDI DRIVERS, MANY WITH THESE SAME ISSUES. HTTP://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/513862-STEERING-ISSUES-2013. *TR

MY 2013 AUDI S4 EXHIBITS AN ALARMING TENDENCY TO WEAVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT A STEERING INPUT. THIS OCCURS WITHOUT A CHANGE IN STEERING WHEEL POSITION, VEHICLE SPEED, OR CHANGE IN ROAD SURFACE OR PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION. IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHEN WHEEL IS CENTERED AT 12 O'CLOCK BUT DOES OCCUR AT ALL SPEEDS AND STEERING VECTORS. AUDI DEALERSHIP NOTES THE PROBLEM AND BLAMES THE NEW ELECTRIC STEERING SYSTEM BUT STATES IT IS A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE SYSTEM AND IS NOT A DEFECT. I DISAGREE AND FEEL ANY DIRECTION CHANGE IN A VEHICLE WITHOUT A DRIVER INPUT OR A EXPLAINABLE EXTERNAL FACTOR CONSTITUTES A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR