2014 AUDI S4 Complaints

FOR THE PASSED 2.5 YEARS, THE HEATING SYSTEM SMELLS, BURNS MY EYES, GIVES ME A HEADACHE, AND MAKES ME NAUSEATED. REPEATED VISITS TO DIFFERENT AUDI DEALERSHIPS WITH NO CHANGE. ISSUE REMAINS, DEALERSHIPS STATE NO ISSUE. I WAS TOLD THAT EXHAUST IS PROBABLY ENTERING VIA THE AIR SYSTEM.

WHILE DRIVING, A SUDDEN BRAKE FOLLOWED BY A QUICK ACCELERATION LEADS TO BUCKING WITH ACCELERATION AND THE ENGINE REMAINING REVVED UP. WITH BRAKING, THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD. THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE IT IS BY SHUTTING THE CAR OFF ENTIRELY. HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 7 TIMES IN PASSED 2.5 YEARS. RESEARCH INDICATES A FAULTY MECHATRONICS UNIT, BUT 2 NY DEALERSHIPS CONTINUE TO STATE NO ISSUE.

2014 AUDI S4 HAS DANGEROUS STEERING BEHAVIOR. THE STEERING SLIPS AT THE CENTER POSITION, WILL NOT GO STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY, AND REQUIRES CONSTANT STEERING INPUT. THIS IS FURTHER EXACERBATED BY A CONSTANT NOTCHY FEELING AT ANY SPEED BETWEEN THE 10 AND 2 OCLOCK POSITION. IT IS PARTICULARLY BAD IN LONG SWEEPING TURNS WHERE YOU CAN DISTINCTLY FEEL A NOTCH. WHEN IN ONE OF THESE TURNS YOU WILL HAVE CONSTANT LINEAR STEERING FOLLOWED BY A NOTCH THAT WHEN SURPASSED RESULTS IN A LARGE STEERING INPUT WHICH IS UNEXPECTED AND DESTABILIZING TO THE VEHICLE IF AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM IS WORSE DURING COLD TEMPERATURES. THIS IS INTERMITTENT BUT REPEATABLE AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON ALL 2013+ S4 & S5 MODELS WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. AUDI SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO COME UP WITH A PERMANENT AND SAFE SOLUTION AS THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. ALSO, AUDIS DRIVER STEERING RECOMMENDATION (DSR) MAKES THE PROBLEM WORSE. DSR IS AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAM THAT DETECTS WHEN THE CAR IS STARTING TO SKID AND THE STEERING'S ECU PROVIDES A PROMPT TO THE DRIVER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL MOVE SLIGHTLY (BUMP). THIS I PARTICULARLY BAD IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE CAR HAS LIMITED TRACTION DUE TO SNOW AND ICE AND RESULTS IN CONTINUOUS BUMPING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. COMBINING DSR WITH THE STEERING SLIP + NOTCHY ISSUES RESULTS IN A VERY DANGEROUS STEERING SYSTEM WHICH NEEDS IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION.

BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON AND PADS ARE WORN AND ROTORS ARE WARPED AT ONLY 16,000 MILES. HAD THE AUDI DEALER IN WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA REPLACES BOTH PADS AND ROTORS. SEVEN MONTHS AND 8,000 MILES LATER, WHILE DOING THE MAINTENANCE OIL CHANGE, A DIFFERENT AUDI DEALER IN WOODLAND HILLS, CA NOTIFIED THAT BRAKE PADS ARE WORN AT 4MM AND ROTORS ARE WARPED. THIS WEAR OUT PATTERN IS BEYOND THE MINIMUM EXPECTATION OF THE LIFE OF THE BRAKES UNDER AVERAGE DRIVING CONDITION. BRAKES PADS ARE WORN TOO SOON, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE ROTORS ARE ALSO WARPED AND NEEDED REPLACING TOO FREQUENT. I LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WITH NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION, 60% FREEWAY AND 40% SURFACE STREET, I HAVE NEVER HAD BRAKES WORN OUT THIS QUICKLY IN ALL OF MY PREVIOUS 5 CARS. AUDI DEALER AUTOMATICALLY BLAME MY DRIVING CONDITIONS AND SAID THIS IS A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM. I FEEL THEY SOLD ME A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND THIS CAR IS A LEMON, BUT AUDI REFUSE TO TAKE IT BACK.

STEPPED IN MY CAR TO GO OUT, STARTED CAR AS I PUSHED THE CLUTCH DOWN. CLUTCH PEDAL SNAPPED TO THE FLOOR. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. PART THAT FAILED WAS SLAVE CYLINDER. CAR ONLY HAS 12,200 MILES. CAR IS USED TO COMMUTE TO WORK AND BACK, NO UNUSUAL STRAIN OF ANY KIND ON THE CAR. I WAS LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THE CYLINDER FAILED. I WOULD BEEN UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS TO SAFELY STOP THE CAR. PERHAPS I COULD HAVE PULLED IT OUT OF GEAR BUT I AM NOT SURE HOW I WOULD HAVE REACTED. MY COMMUTE TO WORK HAS ME TAKE A HIGHER WITH LOTS OF FAST MOVING CARS (RTE 17, NORTHER NJ). I COULD HAVE HIT THE BRAKES AND FORCE THE ENGINE TO STALL. IN THAT SCENARIO, I WOULD LOST POWER ASSISTED FUNCTIONS. THAT WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION. CAR IS NOW AT THE DEALER AND IS EXPECTED TO BE THERE FOR ANOTHER WEEK OR SO. REPLACEMENT SLAVE CYLINDER IS ON BACK ORDER FROM GERMANY. AGAIN, IN MY CASE I WAS LUCKY BUT IF THIS PROBLEM IS A RECURRING ONE IN THIS MODEL, THAT WOULD PRESENT A SAFETY PROBLEM. I AM SUBMITTED THIS NOTE OUT OF CONCERN FOR ANY OTHER DRIVER THAT MAY RUN INTO THIS ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL . I HAVE OWNED MANUAL CARS MY WHOLE LIFE AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FAILURE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 AUDI S4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE STOP CAR STEERING SYSTEM DEFAULT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,900.