1998 AUDI A4 Complaints

1998 AUDI A4 FWD / 101,000 MILES / BROKEN DRIVERS SIDE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM / FRONT SUSPENSION COMPONENT (LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARM) SNAPPED AT BUSHING AS I WAS PARKING. CAR WAS RENDERED LIMP AND COULD NOT BE TOWED DUE TO PROBABLE FENDER DAMAGE THAT WOULD BE CAUSED BY DRAGGING LIMP WHEEL. HAD THIS COMPONENT BROKEN AT HIGHER SPEEDS A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNAVOIDABLE.

UPON STARTING VEHICLE THE IGNITION GETS STUCK IN THE CRANK POSITION. WHENEVER THIS HAPPENS WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING. VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL 00V317000. *AK

IN VERY COLD WEATHER, THE ENGINE STICKS AND HOLDS A SPEED OF 6,000 RPM. THIS CONDITION LASTS FOR AT LEAST 40 MINUTES DURING WHICH TIME THE CAR IS NOT CONTROLLABLE. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN FOUR TIMES. I HAVE INVOLVED THE LOCAL AUDI DEALER AS WELL AS AUDI OF AMERICA. THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM FOUR TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. AUDI OF AMERICA IS REFUSING TO EITHER ACKNOWLEDGE OR TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS ON JAN 16, 2003. THE LAST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED WAS JAN 16, 2004. *JB

THROTTLE STICKING ON ACCELERATION IN SUB-ZERO DRIVING TEMPERATURES. BRAKES ENABLED ME TO STOP CAR AND SHUT OFF ENGINE. IF I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, THE CAR RE-ACCELERATED TO THE STUCK POSITION. ONCE THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF, ENGINE HEAT EVIDENTLY MELTED THE ICE AND IDLE SPEED RETURNED TO NORMAL. HAVE SPOKE TO OTHER AUDI OWNERS AND THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR STUCK THROTTLE PROBLEMS IN SUB-ZERO DRIVING TEMPERATURES. INDEPENDENT AUDI REPAIRMEN HAVE SUGGESTED THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BECAUSE THERE IS NO SOURCE OF HEAT (EXHAUST HOSE ROUTING OR ENGINE COOLING ROUTING) NEAR THE THROTTLE PLATE AND THERE IS NO FIX OR REPAIR TO THIS DESIGN PROBLEM. IF A CRASH OCCURS, THE ENGINE HEAT MELTS THE ICE BUILDUP BEFORE A CAUSE OF ACCIDENT CAN BE DETERMINED. WHEN I CONTACTED AN AUDI DEALERSHIP TO ASK IF THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH OTHERS AND TO GET REPAIR ADVICE, THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM TYPE AND JUST SAID TO BE VERY CAREFUL DRIVING. I ALSO CONTACTED AUDI CUSTOMER SERVICE TO FILE A REPORT AND THEY ALSO SAID THEY ARE UNAWARE OF THIS BEING A PROBLEM BUT DID GIVE ME A CASE NUMBER (881108347). IT IS -9 DEGREES TODAY AND -18 IS FORECAST TONIGHT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR IN SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES. NEXT TIME I MIGHT NOT BE ON A BACK COUNTRY ROAD WHEN THE THROTTLE STICKS. *LA

SUDDEN & CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF BEARING/PULLEY OF MAIN TIMING BELT, WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. VEHICLE HAD FEWER THAN 55K MILES ON ODOMETER AND WAS WELL MAITAINED.*AK SUCH FAILURE CAN CAUSE INSTANTANEOUS DESTRUCTION OF THE ENGINE, WITH RESULTANT LOSS OF CONTROL AND/OR SUDDEN AND RAPID DECCELERATION, POSSIBLY CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC COLLISION. THE LOSS OF THE BEARING CAUSES THE MAIN TIMING BELT TO SHIFT POSITION AND/OR TO SNAP, CAUSING THE ENGINE VALVES TO MOVE OUT-OF-SYNC WITH THE ENGINE PISTONS OR TO STOP MOVING ALTOGETHER. THE PISTONS THEN COLLIDE WITH THE VALVES, CAUSING ENGINE DESTRUCTION. FAILURE OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING AND INSTANTANEOUSLY. THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF IMPENDING FAILURE THAT ONE CAN OBSERVE DURING A VEHICLE INSPECTION. IN MY CASE, ENGINE FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR, BUT THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE DIRECTLY TO A DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE TECHNICIAN WHO DID THE REPAIR SAID THAT, IN MY CASE, I WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY AND THAT ONLY SLIPPAGE HAD OCCURED, AND THAT THE SLIPPAGE WAS JUST BELOW THE POINT AT WHICH ENGINE DESTRUCTION WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THIS TECHNICIAN WAS FROM GERMANY (AS WAS THE VEHICLE), AND HE SAID THAT PREMATURE FAILURE OF THIS BEARING (AND/OR ASSOCIATED WATER PUMP) IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. HE ALSO SAID THAT IN GERMANY A RECALL WAS ORDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT AS THEY CONSIDERED THE FAILURE PREMATURE, FREQUENT, AND THAT IT COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH, AS THE ENGINE COULD EASILY DESTRUCT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, CAUSIG A COLLISION. AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS DOZENS OF REPORTS OF PREMATURE FAILURE OF THIS BELT/PULLEY/WATER-PUMP SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE. (1998 AUDI A4 2.8L QUATTRO AUTOMATIC)

IGNITION SWITCH FAILS TO RETURN TO RUN FROM START AFTER STARTING CAR. IF THE THE KEY IS NOT RETURNED FROM START MANUALLY, THE ACCESSORIES (I.E WINDOWS, LIGHTS, RADIO, FAN, ETC) WILL NOT RUN AND THE STARTER WILL CONTIUE TO RUN POTENTIATING THE FAILURE OF THAT PART. RECALL NOTICE #00V31700 COVERS MODEL YEAR 1997 FOR CARS MANUFACTURED THROUGH 8/97. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED 8/97 BUT IS MODEL YEAR 1998. AUDI USED THE MODEL YEAR LIMITATION TO DENY REPAIRNG THE FAULTY PART AND SHOULD INCLUDE ALL CARS MANUFACTURED WITHIN THE TIME FRAME.*AK

1998 AUDI A4 1.8T FULLY MAINTAINED TIMING BELT FAILURE CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. SERVICE MANUAL CALLS FOR TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT AT 90,000 MILES. FAILURE OCCURRED AT 76,000 MILES. AUDI USA REFUSAL TO GATHER SERVICE INFO OR COMPENSATE FOR LOSS AND PROVIDED NO AVENUE FOR APPEAL OR ESCALATION OF THE CASE. AUDI USA HAD MADE NO EFFORT TO INFORM DRIVERS OF THIS PROBLEM. *LA

THE ABS SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. THE ABS MIL WOULD COME ON AT RANDOM AND STAY ON. NOW IT IS ON ALL THE TIME THE IGNITION IS TURNED ON. *LA

MY HEATER RECENTLY QUIT BLOWING HOT AIR. THE VEHICLE HAS 75K000 MILES AND IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD. I AM TOLD IT IS THE HEATER CORE. THIS SEEMS ODD AS A HEATER CORE SHOULD NEVER GO BAD OVER A 5 YEAR PERIOD. THE LABOR IS 14 HOURS OR ABOUT $1,200. THEN, I WAS MADE AWARE THAN THE AUDI DEALER STOCKS HEATER CORES. THIS SEEMS EVEN MORE ODD AS IT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ENOUGH FOR THE DEALER TO WANT TO STOCK THE PART. I HAVE HAD OTHER THINGS GO WRONG ON THE CAR AND THEY ALMOST NEVER STOCK THE PART. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAPPENS AND AWFUL LOT. THIS PART SHOULD NOT HAVE THAT TYPE OF FAILURE RATE.*AK

I DISCOVERED A SIGNIFICANT ENGINE OIL LEAK IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AT 50K MILES. *NLM