The lower front control arms in my '97 Audi A4 1.8T quattro were replaced by an authorized Audi dealer as part of a voluntary recall campaign in 2004 by Audi to replace a noted defective part. A class action lawsuit brought against Audi by several owners spurred the voluntary recall. My lower control arms need replacing again, based on an inspection by an independent mechanic. When I contacted Audi customer service I was told that the 2004 control arm recall had a one-year warranty and after that time I was responsible for the replacement cost, which exceeds $2,000 for the lower front control arms. This is the second time this defective part needs replacing and it is a safety issue. Numerous Audi owners have reported repeated lower control arm failure and NHTSA is urged to call a mandatory recall for Audi to repair this defective part so it does not need to be replaced by owners every few years.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

Front control arms are notorious for making clunking noise. You can replace them every 6 months and problem starts all over. This is safety design flaw that Audi needs to assist in repairs or recall.

- Wallingford, CT, USA

Front control arms

- Wallingford, CT, USA

There have been cracking noises in the front suspension. Concerned that something would be breaking, I took the car to a service shop that does work for the Audi dealership. They indicated that the cracking was a problem already identified by Audi and a kit has been assembled to fix it. When we purchased the Audi, we were assured that we had the special Audi assured for preowned vehicles. Well when we called them to fix the problem. They denied everything and proceeded to tell me that it was wear and tear and therefore I had to pay for it. Since when do auto makers issue an alert with a fix it kit for all A4 S from 1996 to 1998 and claim it is the owners fault. This is a design problem that they refuse to acknowledge. I called customer service and they were rude to the point of saying that it isn't their problem. It is mine. I sent a complaint to the nys attorney general's office with assorted attachments and they replied on Sept 6, 2002 said that they had forwarded the information on to you and to contact NHTSA if I had not heard something in a reasonable amount of time. It has been 2 months and I have not heard from you. Would you please check your records and locate the form from the nys atty gens office and get back to me with some info. I really think Audi should pay for these repairs since it is a design or manufacturing defect and not from use by the owners (the previous owner and me). Thank you for your anticipated help and thank you for listening to me.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

Consumer has been noticing creaking noises in front of vehicle. Consumer took vehicle to the repair shop. They informed consumer there was a repair kit put together for vehicle of the same model for repair of this creaking noise. But consumer would be responsible for all costs. Consumer feels this should be covered under a recall or the pre owned vehicle warranty.

- Schenectady , NY, USA

Premature wear

- Oakland, NJ, USA