2006 AUDI A3 Complaints

CAR SUSPENSION/SETUP LEADS TO EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR. LATEST SET OF TIRES (FALCON) ARE CUPPED AT 10,000. HAS HAPPENED TO THREE PRIOR SETS OF TIRES (TOTAL OF 4 SETS AT 80,000 MILES). DEALER CLAIMS IT IS THE WRONG TIRE COMPOSITION, BUT OFFERS NO SOLUTION OTHER THAN BUYING THE EXPENSIVE CONTINENTAL TIERS THEY SELL. *TR

THIS IS FOR A 2006 AUDI A3 2.0T WITH THE FSI ENGINE AND THE DSG TRANSMISSION. BOTH MY WIFE AND I EXPERIENCE A FEW DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHERE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED UNEXPECTEDLY AND WE LOST THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE CAR MOVE VIA THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR'S LCD GEAR SELECTOR DISPLAY THEN BEGAN TO FLASH INTERMITTENTLY TO INDICATE A TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF SOME TYPE. WE DID REGAIN 1ST GEAR AFTER A FEW SECONDS AS WELL BUT THIS PUT US AT DANGER AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR A FAMILY CAR WITH ONLY 42590 MILES ON IT. THE PROBLEM THEN RE-OCCURRED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS ABOUT 3 MORE TIMES AND EVEN FAILED WHILE DRIVING INTO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAD TO CALL A COUPLE OF DEALERSHIPS TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER AS WELL ON WHETHER THIS WAS COVERED UNDER ANY KIND OF RECALL WARRANTY AS WELL AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO TRY AND MAKE ME PAY FOR THIS UNTIL I ASKED. THE SERVICE FOR A FAILED DSG TRANSMISSION IS EXORBITANTLY PRICED AND ALSO UNACCEPTABLE FOR A CAR THAT ONLY HAS 42590 MILES ON IT AND IS DRIVEN AS A FAMILY CAR STRICTLY. NOT TO MENTION IT HAS BEEN ROUTINELY SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY AND IS NOT DUE TO ANY NEGLECT OR ABUSE. THE DEALER DID REPLACE THE FAILED MECHATRONIC UNIT AND EVEN NOTED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUIDS WERE ALL AT THE PROPER LEVELS. THE OLD PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ME TO VIEW AND I DID NEGLECT TO ASK FOR IT AS THAT IS USUALLY MY PRACTICE WHEN GETTING PARTS REPLACED. *TR

I HAVE A 06 AUDI A3 WITH ABOUT 57K MILEAS AND WHILE TRAVELING TO CALIFORNIA, ACCELERATING ON THE FREEWAY I FELT THE CAR HESITATE SEVERAL TIMES AND I LOST ALL CONTROL OF ACCELERATION. MY ONLY ACTION WAS TO STOP PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL AND DOWNSHIFT TO ANOTHER GEAR. *TR

FOR TWO DAYS IN A ROW, I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTING DOWN TO FIRST GEAR. IT OCCURS AFTER A SLOW COMMUTE OVER A PROLONGED HILL. ONCE I REACH THE TOP AND ACCELERATE, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS TO FIRST, RESULTING IN EXTREME RPMS. I HAVE TO SHIFT THE CAR DONE TO LOW GEAR THEN BACK TO D(RIVE) TO RESET IT. THE ISSUE SOUNDS EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO ISSUES ENCOUNTERED WITH THE DGS SYSTEM. MY VEHICLE IS A 2006 AND THEREFORE DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE 2007-2009 VW AND AUDI RECALL. I'M EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST I AM ABOUT TO INCUR TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION. *TR

2006 AUDI A3 REAR WHEEL VIBRATION/SUSPENSION "LOOSENESS" AND TIRE CUPPING. EXCESSIVE NOISE AT NORMAL SPEEDS. *TR

I GOT A 2006 A3 (AUTOMATIC) WITH 90K MILES ON IT. WE STARTED EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS 2 WEEKS AGO, BASICALLY WHILE DRIVING (AT ANY SPEED) TRANSMISSION WOULD SPORADICALLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL FOLLOWED BY A JOLTING/CLUNKING NOISE, AND THEN PRNDS LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF ONTHE DASHBOARD. THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED 3-4 TIMES WITHIN 1 WEEK. THE SCARY THING IS THAT DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS, SUCH I-95, MY WIFE ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY A 18-WHEELER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. TALKED TO AUDI NA COMPLAIN LINE, AND THEY MENTIONED THERE WASN'T ANYTHING REPORTED TO THEM, THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS ITEM, AND NO WILLINGS TO HELP TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING PARTS. I DON'T SEE THIS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE GAS PEDAL ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS ADDRESSING. MANY COMPLAINS OR CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON AUDI/VW FORUMS.

HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP DEFECTIVE. CAR WILL NOT MOVE WHEN GAS PEDAL IS APPLIED. VEHICLE ALSO DOES NOT ACCELERATE AT TIMES WHEN MERGING WITH TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF LACK OF COMBUSTION IN ENGINE. HAVE HAD CLOSE CALLS WHEN CROSSING LANES OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THIS. MANY TIMES THERE IS A 2-3 SECOND DELAY BEFORE ACCELERATION OCCURS. *TR

MY AUDI A3 DYNAMIC SHIFT GEARBOX, HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES FROM ABOUT 30K MILES, WHICH IN THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE ESCALATED TO A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE GEARBOX. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE AUDI SERVICE AT 48000 MILES, ABOUT: JERKINESS WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR; LACK OF ADEQUATE ACCELERATION WHEN STARTING FROM A COMPLETE STOP; CAR DIES WHEN STOPPING ON INTERSECTIONS WHILE DRIVING IN CITY CONDITIONS; SHIFTING TO INCORRECT (NEUTRAL) GEAR WHILE OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS; AUDI DOES NOT WANT TO COVER THE REPAIR COSTS UNDER WARRANTY, AND IT DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT IT HAS SHOWN NEGLIGENCE IN DIAGNOSTIC THE PROBLEM, PRIOR TO A COMPLETE MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY IS SERVICE AWAITING A REPLACEMENT OF THE DSG (MECHATRONIC AND GEARBOX) WHICH ARE ESTIMATED TO COST AT ABOUT 7000 - 10000 DOLLARS. ACCORDING TO THE FACTS AND MY SERVICE RECORDS, IT IS MY BELIEVE THAT AUDI SHOULD BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COST OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

LEFT DIPPED (LOW BEAM) HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. SPOKE WITH DEALERS AND OTHER MECHANICS. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE BULB. MAY BE THE BALLAST, BUT MAYBE NOT. DEALER HAS NO INDICATION OF PROBLEM. MANY INCIDENCES OF THE PROBLEM REPORTED ON INTERNET FORUMS. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR A TRIAL FIX. BALALSTS ARE 400+ AND BULBS 300+. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SPENT THE MONEY AND HAD NO GOOD RESULTS. *TR

INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. JUST RECENTLY THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AS WELL. WHILE DRIVING BOTH HEADLIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT! THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. THE RIGHT LIKE MALFUNCTIONS EVERY TIME I USE THE LIGHTS AND THE LEFT HAS MALFUNCTIONED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN. BUT THE FLICKERING OCCURS WITH IN MINUTES OF SWITCHING THEM BACK ON. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED I WAIT UNTIL BOTH GO OUT TO REPLACE THEM. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS. ANNECDOTAL EVIDENCE (CONVERSATIONAL, AND VIA INTERNET OWNERS' FORUMS) SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF AUDI'S MODEL RANGE AND YEARS. *TR