2000 AUDI S4 Complaints

WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS CAME ON. THE OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS DEFECT CAN CAUSE THE OTHER CONTROLLERS TO DO DAMAGE AND EFFECT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. IT CAN ALSO EFFECT THE ENGINE CONTROLLER. THE OWNER ALSO CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WHO DID NOT THINK THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS OF NEEDED INTEREST. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL." I PURCHASED A 2000 AUDI S4 QUATTRO WITH 39K MILES ON IT FROM A NON-AUDI DEALER IN MARCH OF 2002. AT APPROXIMATELY 50,600 MILES MY ABS CONTROLLER FAILED. THIS IS INDICATED BY A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) IN THE VEHICLE'S ECU (COMPUTER) AS WELL AS 3 LOUD BEEPS WHEN YOU START THE CAR AND THE ABS LIGHT STAYING LIT AND THE RED BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING CONSTANTLY. THIS PART HAS FAILED ON MULTIPLE AUDI S4'S OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR THAT I KNOW OF. AUDI WOULD NOT WARRANTY MY PART AS MY FACTORY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AT 50,000 MILES. THE PARTS ALONE COST APPROXIMATELY $1200 PLUS THE ADDITIONAL COST OF THE LABOR TO INSTALL THE PART. THE RESULTS OF THE ABS CONTROLLER'S MALFUNCTION IS THAT ESSENTIALLY, I DO NOT HAVE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING IN THE CAR, CAUSING UNDER HARD BRAKING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCKING THE BRAKES. THIS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. AUDI OF AMERICA HAS BEEN NOTIFIED BY NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS OF THIS PARTICULARLY COMMON PROBLEM ON THE 2000 S4S, HOWEVER, TO DATE, NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN MADE." *JB

MY ABS CONTROLLER APPEARS TO BE FAILING. ABS WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON AND GO OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. I HAVE 48,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. SINCE THE ABS SYSTEM ACTS AS A PROPORTIONING VALVE BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELS, THE REAR WHEELS WILL LOCK UP UNDER MODERATE BRAKING WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON. I CANNOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM PROPERLY DUE TO THE RANDOM NATURE OF THE WARNING LIGHT. MANY SIMILAR REPORTS ON AUDIWORLD.COM ON THIS FAILURE. *JB

ABS WARNING LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING. DIAGNOSED BY DEALER AS ABS CONTROLLER UNIT; PRICE TO FIX $1287. HAVE NOT FIXED YET.*AK

FAILED ABS CONTROLLER UNIT. ABS IS NONFUNCTIONAL. IN POOR WEATHER, MY BRAKES WILL LOCK UP. *JB

THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD INITIALLY FLASHED AND BEEPED INTERMITTENTLY, BUT NOW ARE ON CONSTANTLY. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, I'VE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM EXPERIENCED MY MANY OTHER MY2000 S4 OWNERS. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE, AS THERE IS THE RISK THAT BRAKES MAY LOCK UP (EVEN WHEN RELEASING THE PEDAL) UNDER BRAKING WHEN EXPERIENCING THESE SYMPTOMS. PLEASE TAKE ACTION ON THIS ISSUE. I KNOW MANY OWNERS WHO HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO HOLD OFF ON THE REPAIR DUE TO THE AMOUNT BEING CHARGED BY DEALERS TO REPLACE THE PART (~$1700.00), EVEN THOUGH THE MOST LIKELY CULPRIT OF THE PROBLEM IS WIRING BETWEEN THE CONTROLLER AND THE ECU (<$1.00). *JB

FAILURE OF ABS?ECU CONTROL MODULE...NO ABS BRAKES,POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. CAR HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES. *AK

IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AMONG B5 PLATFORM AUDI A4 VEHICLES, WHERE EITHER THE ABS CONTROLLER IS APT TO FAIL PREMATURELY, OR THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CONTROLLER AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILS. DUE TO THE HIGH FREQUENCY OF FAILURES, IT SEEMS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THE ABS CONTROLLER IS AT FAULT AND PRONE TO SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE. WIRING TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SEEM TO BE THE MORE LIKELY CAUSE, YET DEALERS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY DECIDE TO POINT TO THE CONTROLLER, WHICH COSTS UPWARDS OF $1200. THIS CONDITION IS UNDOUBTEDLY RISKY AND DANGEROUS. A MALFUNCTIONING ABS CONTROLLER CAN CAUSE THE REAR WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE TO LOCK UP UNDER HARD BRAKING, EVEN WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE. *JB

ABS CONTROLLER ON A 2000 AUDI S4 FAILED AFTER 58K MILES. THE BRAKE FLUID PUMP AND ABS CONTROLLER UNIT ARE ALL IN ONE, AND THE COST FOR REPAIRS IS ABOUT $1700. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS UNIT SHOULD NOT FAIL AFTER SUCH LOW MILEAGE. THE CAR IS UNDER FULL WARRANTY UP TO 50K MILES OR 4 YEARS, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST, BUT THESE UNITS ARE KNOWN TO FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST 60K MILES, AND IN OTHER VEHICLES THEY LAST MUCH LONGER.

OUT OF THE BLUE, WITH 64,000 MILES ON THE CAR, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT COME ON, FOLLOWED BY 3 LOUD BEEPS. WHEN THE BEEPS STOP, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT BLINKS CONTINUALLY. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT, THIS NOW HAPPENS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS WILL GO OUT AND STAY OUT FOR 5-10 MINUTES, FOR THE WHOLE THING TO START OVER AGAIN. WHEN THESE LIGHTS ARE ON, THE ABS DOES NOT WORK. I HAD A PANIC STOP TO AVOID A DEER AND THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP. THE CAR SKIDDED BUT I DID NOT CRASH. DEALER SAYS THAT THE ABS CONTROLLER COMPUTER MUST BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF $1300. THIS IS APPARENTLY VERY COMMON ON 2000 S4 AND A4 AUDI'S. I CONTACTED AUDI OF AMERICA, THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, DENYING THAT IT IS A SAFEY ISSUE AND SAYING THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY.