2005 AUDI A4 Complaints

DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. GOOGLE "DIPPED HEADLIGHT AUDI". CAUSES RAMPANT FLICKERING THAT BLINDS EVERYONE ON THE ROAD OR TURN OFF YOUR HEADLIGHT AND DRIVE IN THE DARK AT NIGHT. CHANGED BULB DOES NOT FIX IT. CHANGED BALLAST DOES NOT FIX IT. *TR

CAR VIN#: [XXX] 2005.5 A4 2.0T QUATTRO DEFECTIVE DESIGN TRUNK LATCH PART THAT AUDI SHOULD RECALL. SEE THREAD AT FORUM: HTTP://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/329499-DIY-FAULTY-TRUNK-LATCH AUDI OWNER COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE ALL AGREED THIS IS A SAFETY DESIGN DEFECT THAT AUDI REFUSES TO RECALL BUT SEEM TO HAVE A TSB FOR THIS WELL KNOWN ISSUES. REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH PART #4F5-827-505-D NOT SURE OF THE LONGEVITY OF THIS NEW PART. $50 PART + 1 HOUR LABOR THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED. ITS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN YOUR TRUNK DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY AND POTENTIALLY POPS UP DURING DRIVING. IF THIS HAPPENS ON HIGHWAY DRIVING WITH TRUNK WIDE OPEN AND THINGS FLY OUT OF YOUR TRUNK AS YOU BLINDLY PULL OVER, ITS POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IS VERY HIGH. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AT NIGHT, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT BEGINS TO FLICKER AND THEN SHUTS OFF WITH AN ERROR, "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". IT OCCURS EVERY NIGHT, WHICH IS DANGEROUS AND HAZARDOUS AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE AND OBSCURES THE VIEW TO DRIVERS OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS PROBLEM IS BEING SUFFERED BY A LARGE NUMBERS OF OWNERS AND IT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

MY 2005.5 AUDI A4 QUATTRO FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCES HID HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS, TYPICALLY STARTING WITH A RAPIDLY FLICKERING HEADLIGHT AND THEN FOLLOWED BY THE HEADLIGHT(S) EXTINGUISHING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THERE IS A RIGHT OR LEFT DIPPED BULB FAILURE INDICATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE HEADLIGHTS CAN BE RESTORED BY CYCLING POWER. THIS PROBLEM IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY; CURRENTLY IT OCCURS AT LEAST EVERY 30 MINUTES AND SEEMS TO BE TRIGGERED WHEN BRAKING THE CAR TO A STOP, GENTLY ACCELERATING IN LOWER GEARS, OR WHEN TURNING WHILE CLIMBING OR DESCENDING STEEP HILLS. WHEN THIS CONDITION IS EXPERIENCED, THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER RAPIDLY AND EVENTUALLY EXTINGUISH. RESTORING THE AFFECTED HEADLIGHT REQUIRES ME TO EITHER PULL OFF THE ROAD AND CYCLE POWER OR TO MANUALLY TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS UNSAFE, PROBABLY ILLEGAL, AND VERY ANNOYING TO THE DRIVER AND OTHERS IN TRAFFIC. I HAD THIS CONDITION REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY UNDER WARRANTY (40K MILES), BUT IT HAS RECENTLY RETURNED AND WORSENED. MY AUDI NOW HAS 92K MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM SURPRISED THAT AUDI HAS NOT OFFERED A COST-FREE RECALL ACTION TO FIX THIS SAFETY PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY GIVEN ITS PREVALENCE IN AUDI A4'S. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT IS HIGH AND APPARENTLY COULD INVOLVE REPLACEMENT OF THE HID BULBS, IGNITERS, AND SENSORS. *TR

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM DRIVE TO SECOND GEAR ON ITS OWN AND ERRATICALLY. DEALER DIAGNOSES FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, REPLACED. AND, AT APPROX 90,000 MILES, THE REAR WINDOW DETACHED FROM THE CLOTH TOP. DEALER EXPLAINED IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. TOP WAS REPLACED. *TR

OVER THE COURSE OF NEARLY TWO YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT AND LEFT HEADLIGHTS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "RIGHT/LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 7-8 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED, THEN BE FINE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A TIME. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM ON AT LEAST 3 VISITS, AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE SAID ERROR. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED/GUESSED THAT IT IS THE XENON LIGHT BULB ITSELF, HOWEVER IT HAS CHECKED OUT FINE EACH TIME, AND AS MENTIONED, HAS FUNCTIONED FLAWLESSLY AFTER EACH OCCURRENCE WITH MERELY A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS ON AT LEAST ONE VISIT. GIVEN THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ONLINE AND BY WORD OF MOUTH FROM OTHER FELLOW AUDI OWNERS, THIS PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST MY CASE. I WOULD LIKE AUDI TO STEP UP AND ADDRESS THIS ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR THEIR OWN PR, BUT FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY. *TR

2005 AUDI A4 S-LINE'S PROBLEMS: DIPPED HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING & INTERMITTENTLY GOING OUT AND CONDENSATION IN HEADLIGHTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, LOST ALL POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CONTACT WAITED 20-25 MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER 20 TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER IN 2007 AND THE IGNITION COILS WERE REPLACED. IN JANUARY 2009, THE IGNITIONS COILS WERE PLACED AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE GLUE SEPARATED FROM THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WHICH ALLOWED WATER TO GET INTO THE VEHICLE AND RUIN THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND CARPET; THE TOP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,000.

EXCESSIVE MOISTURE IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS. DEALER STATS THAT AN "O" RING HAS FAILED AND INFERS THAT THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM. STATES THAT MOST HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES WILL CLEAR UP WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. MINE HAVE SO MUCH MOISTURE IN THEM THAT I HAVE WATER DRIPS. THIS CAUSES THE LIGHT OUTPUT TO BE VERY DIM. AUDI HAS A TSB THAT STATES THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY SHOULD NOT BE REPLACED, AND HAS NO OTHER REPAIR SUGGESTION (JUST LIVE WITH THE PROBLEM I GUESS). ALSO, IT APPEARS THAT THIS HAPPENS ON THE 2002-2005 MODELS AS WELL AS THE 2005.5 - 2009 MODELS OF THE A4. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT AUDI DOESN'T SEEM TO WANT TO ADDRESS. DEALER HAS ESTIMATED THE "O" RING REPLACEMENT TO BE ABOUT $250 (FOR A $1 PART!). *TR

HEADLIGHTS WILL TURN OFF FOR NO REASON. FOGLIGHTS WILL ALSO CYCLE ON AND OFF. NO SOLUTION. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR