1997 AUDI A4 Complaints

RECALL 00 V 317 000/IGNITION SWITCH: DEALER CAPISTRANO VOLKSWAGEN; CAPISTRANO, CA; PHONE# 949/493-4843 REFUSED TO HONOR RECALL NOTICE. ASKING NHTSA TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. *AK

HEATED DRIVER SEAT ACTIVATED FOR LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES WITH OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE LESS THAN 20 DEGREES.. SMOKE FILLED CAR AND PORTION OF SEAT MELTED (VINYL) WHILE TRUNK WAS BEING LOADED WITH LUGAGE. TURNED HEATER OFF AND AIRED OUT CAR.*AK

PRIOR TO RECALL,VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, CONSUMER STATED THAT IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED TWICE AND IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM HAS RESURFACED AGAIN, DEALER CLAIMS TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE RECALL.*JB

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH VEHICLE STALLED, EITHER TIMING BELT OR TIMING BELT TENSIONER WAS CAUSE FOR STALLING. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE ALL BY ITSELF GAVE FULL SPEED AFTER BEING ACCELERATED SLOWLY BEYOND THE SPEED ONTO THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND ANYMORE TO THE USUAL SWITCH OFF COMMANDS OF THE SYSTEM, CONSUMER PUSHED THE RESUME BUTTON BUT VEHICLE STEADILY ACCELERATED FURTHER TOWARDS FULL SPEED, DEALERSHIP INVESTIGATED THE DEFECT, AND STATED A LOOSE SCREW OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM AS THE PROBLEM, WHICH MOVED IN A SUCH A WAY THAT BLOCKED THE ROPE OF THE ACCELERATOR AT FULL SPEED.( CONSUMER WRITING FROM OVER SEAS, ZUM MORGENGRABEN 6, 65835 LIEDERBACH GERMANY, PHONE#0049-69-318541)*JB

THE VEHICLES IGNITION SWITCH IS FAILING INTERMITTENTLY, THE KEY WILL NOT RETURN TO BE DISENGAGED FROM THE STARTER CAUSING THE LIGHTS, WIPERS AND TURN SIGNALS TO BE INOPERATIVE, THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING THAT AUDI HONOR RECALL 00V-317 AND REPAIR THE VEHICLE. NLM

TRANSMISSION PREMATURELY FAILED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING DUE TO A PIECE OF METAL INSIDE TRANSMISSION THAT SHREADED OFF.*AK *SLC

CONTROL ARM BUSHING STARTED SQUEAKING INDICATING FAILURE - DID NOT KNOW THAT THE VEHICLE'S INSTABILITY AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND INABILITY TO TRACK IN A STRAIGHT LINE WERE ALSO DUE TO WORN CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. SEARCHED WWW.AUDIWORLD.COM SITE OF AUDI OWNERS, FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS REPORT DRIVEABLILTY ISSUES WITH WORN CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. AUDI OF AMERICA AND AUDI DEALER STATES THAT BUSHING PROBLEM IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, HOWEVER BASED ON THE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON AUDIWORLD.COM, THIS IS NOT TRUE. OWNERS REPORT HAVING TO CHANGE CONTROL ARMS EVERY 35K MILES OR SO AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1,500 FOR EACH SIDE SINCE THER ARE 4 CONTROL ARMS ON EACH SIDE THAT COST APPROXIMATELY $300 EACH PLUS LABOR. BASED ON NTSA SEARCH, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM; WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET A RECALL OF THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEM? BRAKE PROBLEM IS ONLY WHEN DRIVING IN WET CONDITIONS. BRAKES DO NOT RESPOND NORMALLY - APPARENTLY WATER COMES IN CONTACT WITH ROTORS EASILY. THIS PROBLEM COULD EASILY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS IN THE NTSA DATABASE AS WELL. THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE PROBLEM IS A REOCCURRING ONE WHERE THE ENGINE WILL STALL AT IDLE, OR WILL NOT IDLE AT ALL. WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AS THE ENGINE SOMETIMES DIES WHEN THE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED AS YOU PREPARE TO STOP. OBVIOUSLY THIS RESULTS IN A LOSS OF POWER BRAKING AND STEERING WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME REGARDING ANY OR ALL OF THESE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS AFFECTING MY CAR. OBVIOUSLY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE RECALLS ON ALL THREE ISSUES AND WILL PROVIDE WHATEVER ASSISTANCE I CAN TO ENSURE THAT THIS HAPPENS. THANKS.*AK

AT 31700 MILES I NOTICED A BULGE IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. I REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES WITH THE IDENTICAL BRAND. AT 41239 MILES, I AGAIN NOTICED A LARGE BULGE IN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE IN THE SIDEWALL. I AGAIN WILL HAVE THE TIRES REPLACED BEFORE I HAVE A BLOW-OUT. I HAVE READ OTHER REVIEWS ON THIS TIRE AND IT SEEMS MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. IT COULD BE QUITE HAZARDOUS IF I DIDN'T CATCH THE PROBLEM BEFORE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK (TIRESIZE: P205 55 16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P205 55 16 )

LEFT AND RIGHT LOWER CONTROL ARMS (2 ON EACH SIDE FOR A TOTAL OF 4) WERE SEVERLY WORN, AND HAVE BEEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME PRIOR TO MY HAVING THE DEFECT INSPECTED. WITH THE CAR ON LIFT, THE BALL JOINT COULD BE PULLED OUT OF IT'S SOCKET WITH LITTLE EFFORT. HAD I HIT A BUMP AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL. I AM CONTACTING AUDI AS WELL, BUT HAVEN'T AS OF THIS WRITING. *AK