2005 AUDI A4 Complaints

I OWN AN AUDI A4 2.0. THIS CAR HAS A PROBLEM OF LOCKING UNEXPECTEDLY AND LEAVING THE DRIVER STRANDED. THE FIRST 2 TIMES I WAS CHECKING MY MAIL AT THE TOP OF THE DRIVEWAY BUT FOUND LOCKED OUT OF THE CAR WHEN I RETURNED TO THE CAR. FORTUNATELY BEING NEAR THE HOME, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DUPLICATE KEY AND GET IN. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR AND LEFT THE ENGINE RUNNING TO WARM THE CAR WHILE SHE WAS CLEANING THE SNOW. FORTUNATELY A POLICEMAN STOPPED AND HELPED HER UNLOCK THE CAR BUT THE SITUATION WAS BAD AND COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS. EACH TIME I TOOK THE CAR, THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY MALFUNCTION. THE MOST RECENT ONE WAS A VISIT TO THE DEALER TODAY. THEY SAID THAT AUDI IS AWARE OF A PROBLEM AND HAS PUT OUT A BULLETIN JUST NOW, ON 02/05/10. CHANGING THE ENTIRE LOCKS FOR THE CAR AT $1,500 WAS THE RECOMMENDED SOLUTION. NOW THE CARE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY BUT THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WHEN IT WAS WITHIN THE 50K WARRANTY PERIOD. I CHECKED ON GOOGLE. WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR "LOCKED-OUT AUDI" YOU SEE NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF LOCK MALFUNCTION. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND SHOULD BE FIXED IRRESPECTIVE OF THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED OR ELSE A DRIVER CAN GET STRANDED IN A VERY UNFORTUNATE UNSAFE SITUATION. *TR

PRIOR TO STALLING, THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A LOW NOISE, WHICH I HAVE HEARD BEFORE AS A NORM ON COLD DAYS TO WARM UP. *TR

DIPPED HEAD LIGHT MESSAGE WITH HEADLIGHT FLASHING ON AND OFF THEN GOES OUT.....IF YOU TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AND PUT THEM BACK ON IT WORKS AGAIN. WAS JUST ON AN AUDI FORM WEB SITE AND I'D SAY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO FIX FROM AUDI. IT IS NOT SAFE TO HAVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

"INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION. OVER THE COURSE OF A FOUR MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". 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 30 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED OR THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THEN COULD BE FINE FOR A WHILE. NOW THAT IT IS COLD OUTSIDE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH WORSE. HAVEN'T TRIED REPLACING PARTS YET SINCE INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND AFTER MUCH EXPENSE THE PROBLEM JUST COMES BACK OR IS NOT RESOLVED. STILL LOOKING FOR THE CORRECT SOLUTION. ANECDOTAL 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

HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005.5 AUDI A4 EQUIPPED WITH XENON HEADLIGHTS SUFFER FROM INTERMITTENT FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING HEADLIGHTS CAN BEGIN TO FLICKER FOR NO APPARENT REASON. FLICKERING CAN GET WORSE AND ONE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. A WARNING READING EITHER "LEFT OR RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARS ON THE CAR. THE OTHER HEADLIGHT THAT DID NOT FAIL TYPICALLY REMAINS ON AND CONTINUES TO FUNCTION PROPERLY ALTHOUGH IT HAS ALSO FAILED LEAVING THE CAR WITH NO FUNCTIONAL HEADLIGHTS ON TWO OCCASIONS. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE CYCLED OFF THEN BACK ON THE HEADLIGHTS TURN BACK ON AND MAY FUNCTION PROPERLY OR MAY FLICKER AND FAIL AGAIN. THE PROBLEM BEGAN UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS VERY INFREQUENT. THE PROBLEM NOW OCCURS 50% OF THE TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIR NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. TYPICALLY WHILE EXPERIENCING THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS I FIND THAT THE SAFEST WAY TO DRIVE IS ONE FAILED HEADLIGHT AS THERE IS THEN NO FLICKERING OF HEADLIGHTS WHICH I WOULD ASSUME IS HIGHLY DISTRACTING TO OTHER DRIVERS. A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR LEFT OR RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT RETURNS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RESULTS WITH NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVING TROUBLE GETTING AUDI TO CORRECTLY REPAIR THE PROBLEM. AS THE XENON HEADLIGHTS ARE OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT ON THE CARS THE PERCENTAGE OF CARS WITH XENON BULBS AND HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS MIGHT BE FAIRLY HIGH. *TR

ENGINE WAS STARVED OF FUEL ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. APPARENT FUEL PUMP FAILURE WITH NO WARNING. POLICE HAD TO DIRECT TRAFFIC UNTIL VEHICLE COULD BE TOWED. $600 REPAIR TO REPLACE AUDI OEM FUEL PUMP. I KNOW OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BY LOOKING AT CARFAX REPORTS. PUMP WAS PREMATURELY DEFECTIVE. MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT FUEL FILTER WAS CLEAN AND FUNCTIONING (NOT CHANGED). ALSO, CAR NOW SHOWS FAULTY FUEL LEVEL READINGS (MAYBE UNRELATED). INCIDENT DATE 12/21/2009. *TR

2005 AUDI A4 QUATTRO. "RIGHT DIPPED LIGHT". RIGHT BULB GOES OUT AND I GET THE WARNING. ITS BEEN HAPPENING RANDOMLY AND WILL NOT STOP. TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS AND BACK ON SOMETIMES CORRECTS THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT TIME. *TR

HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY GO OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. A WARNING MESSAGE COMES UP SAYING "LEFT/RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CAN BE CORRECTED BY TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON MY 2005.5 AUDI A4 QUATRO 3.2 SINCE ABOUT 24 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. I HAVE ASKED MULTIPLE DEALERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH NO RESOLUTION. DEALER SAID NO CODES ARE IN THE SYSTEM. *TR

MY CERTIFIED PRE OWNED 2005 A4 HAD THE XENON HEADLIGHTS CHANGED 3 TIMES IN 1.5 YEARS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. SIX MONTHS AFTER THE 50,000 WARRANTY, THE LIGHTS STARTED FLICKERING AND THEN DIMMED AND FLICKERED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH NO WARNING ON THE DISPLAY. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND BOTH HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $430 FOR THE TWO LIGHTS AND $236 DOLLARS INSTALLATION COST. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR ~ 1.7 YEARS AND HAD FIVE NEW HEADLIGHTS. I AM NOT AUDI'S QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT. I ALSO WAS ABLE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON TO GET THEM BACK ON AND ITS VERY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. ITS IS SCARY TO SAY THE LEAST. *TR

HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 AUDI A4 SEDAN VIBRATE AND FAIL, SENDING AN ERROR MESSAGE READING "DIPPED HEADLIGHT FAILURE". THIS HAPPENS MORE WHEN IT'S COLD OR WET. VARIOUS ITEMS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT. NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR, IF THE DEALER IS CAPABLE OF REPAIRING. I'M LEARNING THAN MANY OTHER AUDI OWNERS HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR