2001 AUDI A4 Complaints

MALFUNTION INDICATOR HAD BEEN ON BEFORE I DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AND WAS STILL ON WHEN I CAME BACK. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALOR FOR THE $50,000 MILE SCHEDULED MAINT. LESS THAN 2 MONTHS LATER, I STARTED THE CAR AT A STORE AND HEARD A LOUD POP, THE ENGINE STARTED IDLING HARD AND WAS VERY NOISY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IN FIRST GEAR THE TWO BLOCKS TO MY HOUSE BUT THE CAR WAS VERY SHAKY. THE SPARK PLUG HAD SHOT OUT, THERE WAS OIL AND GRIME ALL OVER IT AND THE THREADS OF THE CYLINDER WERE STRIPPED. MY FRIEND IN THE CAR, WHO HAS WORKED ON PORSHES BEFORE, SAID I WAS LUCKY THIS HAPPENED WHEN IT DID BECAUSE IF I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGH SPEED, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT IN AN ACCIDENT. THE COST OF REPAIR IS ESTIMATED AT $5100 AND THE DEALOR SAID THAT THERE WAS NO TAMPERING WITH THE SPARK PLUGS FOR ALMOST A YEAR SO THIS "JUST HAPPENED" DUE TO "WEAR AND TEAR." THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD AND MOST THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY MILES DUE TO SEVERAL TRIPS CROSS COUNTRY. I AM NERVOUS TO THINK WHAT WILL GO WRONG WHEN THE CAR GETS A LITTLE OLDER. *AK

I OWN A 2001 AUDI A4 AVANT 1.8T THAT I TOOK DELIVERY IN AUGUST 2000. LATE LAST YEAR, AUGUST-OCTOBER 2003, I NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER'S CENTER LCD DISPLAY STARTED TO FADE ON THE TOP PART. LATER ON I FIGURED OUT THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN UNDER THE HEAT OF THE SUN FOR A WHILE. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE I FIGURED IT'S JUST MY CAR AND I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH MY WARRANTY PERIOD (4 YEARS/50,000MILES) AS MY CAR ALREADY HAVE 70K MILES ON IT. THEN I STARTED HEARING FROM FELLOW AUDI OWNERS THAT I MET THAT IT'S HAPPENING TO THEIR CARS TOO. ONE HAS A 2001 AUDI A4 SEDAN WITH 30K MILES AND THE OTHER WITH A 2001 S4 SEDAN, BOTH REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. ANOTHER IS A 2002 AUDI TT, BUT HE'S LUCKED OUT BECAUSE HE HAS MORE THAN 50K MILES TOO (OUT OF THE WARRANTY). WHAT I'M CURIOUS IS WHETHER THERE'S BEEN ANY REPORTED SIMILAR CASE? I FEEL THAT THE DAMAGE IS NOT CAUSED BY THE WEAR AND TEAR OF THE LONG-DISTANCE DRIVEN CAR. MAYBE THIS IS A TYPE OF DEFECT?

I WAS PULLING INTO A CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT. AS I PULLED INTO THE SPACE IN FRONT OF THE STORE AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, RATHER THAN SLOWING DOWN THE CAR PICKED UP SPEED. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE THE CAR DID NOT STOP. IT SUDDENLY SHOT FORWARD. THE CAR HIT A BRICK WALL OF THE COVENIENCE STORE ,- CRACKING THE BRICKS AND DAMAGING THE FRONT OF MY CAR. I WAS IN THE CAR WITH MY TWO DAUGHERS. THE CAR SHOR FORWARD SO QUICKLY, MY DAUGHTER THOUGHT WE WERE HIT FROM BEHIND.*AK

AUDI A4 1.8T OIL PUMP FAILURE CAUSES CAM ADJUSTER FAILURE, CAUSING POSSIBLE $8000 IN DAMAGE TO CAMS IN 1.8T MOTOR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER AT WHICH TIME THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE BRAKE FLUID WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKE SYSTEM TO FAIL. *NM *JB

WHILE DRIVING 60-65 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITH THE DASHBOARD FLASHING. THE CONSUMER BEGAN SMELLING BURNT WIRES AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND OPENED THE HOOD. UPON DOING SO, FLAMES SHOT OUT. *JB

LOCATION OF CUP HOLDER ON THE DASH IS A DEFECT IN DESIGN, SHOULD OF BEEN PLACED LOWER ON THE DASH. OPEN SPRITE CAN SPILLED ONTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CLIMATE CONTROLS, AND THE CONTROLS NOW STICK. EITHER YOU CAN PUSH THEM HARD AND GET THEM TO TURN ON, BUT IF YOU DO, THEN THEY WON'T RELEASE. POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR ACCIDENT AS FRONT AND REAR DEFOGGER WILL NOT OPERATE. *LA

THE BRAKE SQUEALS 90% OF THE TIME BEING APPLIED, IT HAPPENED SINCE A FEW MONTHS AGO. BROUGHT TO A LOCAL DEALER A FEW TIMES FOR THE PROBLEM AND REPORTED WITH "CANNOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM" AND "NOISE IS NORMAL FOR SOME BRAKES", WHILE THE PROBLEM IS ACTUALLY GETTING WORSE AND NOW THE BRAKE IS MAKING THE SQUEALING NOISE EVEN AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKE AND LAST FOR ONE OR TWO SECONDS - IT HAPPENED ESPECIALLY AFTER THE FOOT BRAKE WAS APPLIED FOR MORE THAN 15 SECONDS AND THEN BEEN RELEASED (E.G. AFTER WAITING AT A RED LIGHT).*AK

I LEASED AN A4 2001 AUDI IN DECEMBER 2000. MY LEASE RUNS OUT IN MARCH 2004 AND I'M LOOKING AT WHAT MY RIGHTS ARE AS A CONSUMER. OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS, I'VE HAD MY CAR TOWED AND REPAIRED TWICE FOR IGNITION COIL FAILURE AS WELL AS MY TIRES REPLACED FROM OUT OF WHACK ALIGNMENT. TODAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AND I WILL DROP IT OFF AT THE AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THIS MONDAY FOR MAINTENANCE REVIEW. FORTUNATELY, THE ONLY COSTS I'VE INCURRED ARE REPLACEMENT OF THE 2 FRONT TIRES. IT CURRENTLY HAS 33,000 MILES ON IT.

CAR FIRE THAT TOTALLY DESTROYED THE VEHICLE, WITH ONLY 4000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS A 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T. *AK