1997 AUDI A4 Complaints

WET BRAKING. BRAKES FAILED TO GRAB IN A TIMELY FASHION, MAJOR DELAY IN BRAKING ACTION LED TO MY HITTING THE BRAKE HARDER CAUSING VEHICLE TO SKID SIDEWAYS ON A SLIPPERY ROADWAY INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE.*AK

WET BRAKING DELAY. BRAKE ROTORS SEEM TO GATHER WATER ON HIGHWAY -EVEN IN LIGHT RAIN, AND CAUSE DELAYED STOPPING. WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN IT CAN TAKE A COUPLE SECONDS FOR THE BRAKES TO REPOND, CAUSING AN UNSAFE CONDITION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.*AK

THE BRAKES DON'T GRAB WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN, SNOW, SLEET ETC. THERE'S A "LAG" OF A SECOND OR TWO BEFORE THE CAR BEGINS TO STOP. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU ATTEMPT TO STOP THE CAR IN THESE CONDITIONS REGARDLESS OF SPEED. THERE ARE NO BRAKE BACKING PLATES ON THE FRONT ROTORS FROM THE FACTORY. THE ROTORS ARE OBVIOUSLY GETTING GLAZED WITH WATER AND THE PADS ARE INEFFECTIVE UNTIL THE ROTORS ARE CLEARED OF WATER. MAKES FOR A VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION IN INCLEMENT WEATHER! *AK

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN ENGINE STALLED. THEN, VEHICLE WAS TOWED, AND A TECHINICIAN SAID IT WAS A BROKEN TIMING BELT. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THIS WAS TOO EARLY TO HAPPEN. *AK

I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE CONTROL ARMS ARE FAILING BECAUSE AUDI DIDN'T PROVIDE FOR LUBRICATION POINTS.. THEY HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE LOSS OF THE ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS, AND COULD NOT RESPOND WHEN I SAID I HAD NEVER OWNED A CAR THAT HAD LOST IT'S ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS.. OBVIOUSLY THIS HAS ALSO GOT TO BE A PROBLEM CAUSED BY POOR DESIGN AND ENGINE VIBRATION.. THESE BOLTS SHOULD BE SAFETY WIRED TO PREVENT THIS PROBLEM. I THINK AUDI SHOULD COVER THE COSTS OF REPLACEMENT OF THE CONTROL ARM AND ENGINE MOUNT, BUT THE DIFFERENTIAL PROBLEM COULD BE DUE TO WEAR, ALTHOUGH AGAIN I DON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM ON MY JEEP OR OTHER VEHICLES. *AK

STALLING AT LOW SPEEDS AND IDLED. HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE EARLY MAY, WITH NO SUCCESSFUL REPAIR. VEHICLE STALLING IN TRAFFIC IS A SAFETY HAZARD. AUDI AMERICA CONTACTED, DEALER WORKING ON CAR FOR 30 DAYS. CAR STALLS AND IT TAKES UP TO 6 CRANKS OF UP TO 30 SECONDS EACH TO RESTART.*AK

OPERATION OF THIS A4 CONFIGURATION AT SPEEDS LOWER THAN 8 M.P.H. REQUIRES EITHER THAT THE OPERATOR LUG THE ENGINE (I.E., RUN AT LESS THAN THE RECOMMENDED 1500 R.P.M. IN FIRST GEAR) OR NOT CLOSE THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY. THIS DESIGN DEFECT HAS LEAD TO EXCESSIVE CLUTCH WEAR, REQUIRING TWO REPLACEMENTS IN LESS THAN 52,000 MILES AND TWO INCIDENTS OF CLUTCH OVERHEATING, WITH SMOKE. A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD EXISTS IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED AT LESS THAN 4 M.P.H. FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD (E.G., MORE THAN 30 MINUTES) AS MAY BE EXPECTED IN CERTAIN METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC JAMS. THE CLUTCH DESIGN IS ALSO UNSUITABLE FOR DYNAMIC BRAKING, SHOWING EXCESSIVE WEAR, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO PREMATURE FAILURE AND THE FIRE HAZARD. THE A4 IS OTHERWISE A VERY FINE AUTOMOBILE. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD CORRECT THIS DESIGN DEFECT ASAP THROUGH PROVISION OF A LOW GEAR, SIX-SPEED OPTION, ADJUSTMENT OF RATIOS OR SIMILAR REMEDY. *AK

DISC BRAKES ARE NOT ADEQUATELY SHIELDED FROM WATER WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN OR SNOW, RESULTING IN NO BRAKING EFFORT FOR APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST TWO SECONDS OF BRAKE APPLICATION. THE BRAKES ARE FINE IN DRY WEATHER, BUT ALWAYS CATCH ME BY SURPRISE IN THE WET, WHEN YOU STEP ON THE PEDAL NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL THE WATER IS SHED FROM THE BRAKE DISCS. NLM

LACK OF STOPPING WHEN BRAKES ARE WET. AT 1000 MI REPLACED ALL PADS WITH GERMAN SPEC OEM PADS. WET BRAKING PROBLEMS NEGLABLE. DID NOT NEED TO WASH UNDERWARE AS OFTEN.

THE A4, UNLIKE ALL OTHER CARS I'VE EVER OWNED, DOES NOT HAVE 'SPLASH SHIELDS' INBOARD OF THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS. IN THE RAIN, THIS CAUSES A QUITE ALARMING PERIOD, WHEN THE BRAKES ARE INITIALLY APPLIED, OF SHEER TERROR, BECAUSE THE CAR IS NOT STOPPING! THIS HAS BEEN MADE A MANDATORY RECALL ALL ACROSS EUROPE, AND THERE, INSURANCE COMPANIES WON'T COVER YOU IF YOU REAR-END SOMEONE AND DON'T HAVE THE SHIELDS ON. I SEE NO REASON WHY AUDI WON'T ALSO CARRY THIS TO THE US, UNTIL THEY GET SUED WHEN SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF IT. SWITCHING TO GAS-SLOTTED BRAKE ROTORS HELPS THIS SITUATION, BUT DOES NOT ELIMINATE IT. THANKS, AND I HOPE THIS GETS TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE I HIT SOMEONE! OH, EVERY SINGLE PERSON WITH AN A4 THAT I KNOW HAS THE SAME PROBLEM.