2014 Audi S4

The contact owns a 2014 Audi S4. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, he observed multiple unknown warning lights illuminated. The EPC warning light was also illuminated. The contact stated that the “Do Not Drive" message was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel was stiff and failed to steer as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering module and rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

MY 2014 AUDI S4 HAS A EPC LIGHT THAT KEEPS TURNING ON WHILE DRIVING THAT CAR. THE EPC LIGHT WILL PUT THE CAR INTO LIMP MODE AND WILL HAVE A ROUGH IDLE AND CAN BARLEY DRIVE. WHEN THAT LIGHT TURNS ON YOU HAVE TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY AND RESTART THE CAR TO CONTINUE DRIVING AND IS A COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE ON THE FREEWAY. THE LIGHT MAINLY TURNS ON WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEEDS OF THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED AND THEY KEEP SAYING THERE IS NO ISSUE WITH THE CAR WHAT'S SO EVER. I DECIDED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR MYSELF BECAUSE THE DEALER WAS NO HELP. WHEN I LOOK IT UP HUNDREDS OF FORUMS SHOW UP TALKING ABOUT IT AND NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CAR AND EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND HOW THE DEALER IS NO HELP AT ALL. ONE PERSON SAID THEY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THERE WAS A FAULTY WIRE ON THE ECU. I THINK ITS THE ECU FAILING AND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS "NOTCHY" STEERING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, PARTICULARLY IN COLD WEATHER. AT OR ABOVE APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL TRIES TO "BOUNCE" LEFT AND RIGHT RATHER THAN MAINTAINING CENTER--EVEN WHEN TRAVELING ON A STRAIGHT, FRESHLY-PAVED SECTION OF INTERSTATE. THE DRIVER HAS TO CONSTANTLY ADJUST THE WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR TRAVELING STRAIGHT. THE STEERING FUNCTIONS NORMALLY OTHERWISE, AND THE PROBLEM DOES NOT MANIFEST ITSELF AT LOW SPEEDS. I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE PROBLEM AROUND AUGUST OF 2020. OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS: HTTPS://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/690756-NOTCHY-STEERING.

I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE PROBLEM OF AIR BUBBLE FORMATION IN MY FUEL SYSTEM (CODE 16903) WHEN READING CODES IN MY CAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FUEL PUMP ISSUE SO I REPLACED IT. I THEN REALIZED IT WASN'T JUST A PUMP ISSUE AS THE CAR KEPT READING THOSE CODES AND KEPT STOPPING. I TALKED TO A LOCAL AUDI DEALERSHIP AND SAID I WOULD HAVE TO GET THE FUEL PUMP VAPOR EXTENSION. WHEN ASKED THEY SAID THAT IT'S ONLY A TSB NOT A RECALL DUE TO IT NOT BEING A SAFETY ISSUE. NOW YOU TELL ME, MY CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AND STOPPED ONCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, AND 3 TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC 2 WEEKS LATER. I BELIEVE IT'S A SAFETY PROBLEM AS ANYONE COULD'VE RAN INTO ME AND CAUSED BIGGER PROBLEMS. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD PAY 800 DOLLARS FOR MY SAFETY. THAT PIECE SHOULD'VE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY FROM THE BEGINNING. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AND THE EVENTS THAT UNFOLDED, THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND MY CAR NEEDS TO BE FIXED ACCORDINGLY.

WHILE TRAVELING AT 75MPH, UPHILL, IN 100F WEATHER THE FUEL LOW PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM DEVELOPED A VAPOR BUBBLE THAT STALLED THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND STARVED THE MOTOR FOR FUEL. THE CAR STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND WOULD INTERMITTENTLY RESTART UNTIL THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED. THE REPAIR REQUIRED ADDITIONAL VALVES AND HOSES HE ADDED TO THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM TO COMPENSATE FOR THE POOR VAPOR MANAGEMENT DESIGN. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE THE APPROPRIATE FIX AND TSB WAS EXECUTED. TOTAL COST WAS ~$2200, $715 OF THAT TOTAL COST WERE THE NEW VALVES AND HOSES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF THE INITIAL DESIGN.

THE ENGINE MOUNTS HAVE GONE BAD. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY ARE LEAKING AND THUS HAVE FAILED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL AND SEVERAL OTHER MODELS. THE ENGINE MOUNTS FAIL AT AROUND 50000 MILES. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ENGINE MOUNTS GOING BAD THIS EARLY IN A CARS LIFE. MAYBE AFTER 100000 MILES I WOULD EXPECT FOR THE ENGINE MOUNTS TO FAIL BUT NOT AT 50000 MILES. MANY AUDI OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON FORUMS AND AUDI GROUPS ONLINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND AUDI IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THEY ARE LEAVING THEIR CUSTOMERS TO FIX A PROBLEM WHICH SHOULD NOT EXIST.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2014 AUDI S4 ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN TURNS, THE STEERING GOES FROM FEELING TIGHT TO VERY LIGHT AND BACK TO TIGHT AGAIN WITHIN A MATTER OF SPLIT SECONDS. THIS CAUSES DRIFTING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WHEN CORNERING BECAUSE YOU'RE COMPENSATING FOR THE LACK OF FEELING FOR AN INSTANT AND USING MORE INPUT THAN YOU SHOULD, THEN THE STEERING GETS TIGHT AGAIN AND YOUR CAR STEERS MORE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. NOTE THAT THE CAR GOES STRAIGHT WHEN HANDS ARE NOT ON THE WHEEL. THIS IS MOST PREVALENT AT TIMES WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN THE STRAIGHT POSITION. THIS SEEMS TO BE DUE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL THAT HAPPENS UNDER THE FORCE OF THE DRIVERS HANDS AS THE STEERING ASSIST LEVEL FLUCTUATES. THE CAR DOES NOT WANT TO STAY CENTERED WHEN GOING STRAIGHT AND HANDS ARE RESTING ON THE WHEEL. THERE SEEMS TO BE EXCESSIVE ASSIST AT OR NEAR THE TOP DEAD CENTER. NOTE THAT THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE. IT MIGHT BE DRIVING FINE, THEN I TURN OFF THE ENGINE TO FILL UP WITH GAS FOR EXAMPLE, RE-START THE ENGINE AND THE PROBLEM PRESENTS ITSELF. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER ON 14DEC2016 AT 42,430 MILES (THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR WITH APPROX. 9,000 MILES) TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. THE TECHNICIAN WHO TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE ON THAT DAY NOR THE NEXT DAY FROM WHAT THEY TOLD ME. THEY MENTION ON THEIR INVOICE THAT THEY SUSPECT IT COULD BE GROOVED ROADS CAUSING IT EVEN THOUGH I STRESSED TO THEM THAT THIS HAPPENS AT HIGH SPEEDS AND IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I WAS FORCED NEARLY INTO A TRACTOR TRAILER ON THE HIGHWAY ONE DAY AND THAT SCARED ME ENOUGH TO FINALLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. ALSO, I HAD DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH ANOTHER TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALER AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH HIS 2013 AUDI S4 AND SOLD THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE STEERING PROBLEMS. AUDI SAYS THE CAR IS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. *TR