This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving down Georgia avenue when all of a sudden my car began to ride very rough, a dash light came on and the engine lost complete power. I was able to start the car up again and luckily was able to coast down hill to my home. (the car is a 5-speed) smoke was coming out of the tail pipe. I called the dealer in rockville and they suggested that it was probably a coil failure. I had just had a coil replaced in February, when a similar type thing happened on Connecticut ave. During rush hour traffic. That time I was able to coast into a gas station. The car died with no previous warning. All four coils have been replaced (4 cylinder) with no reimbursement from Audi because the car is no longer under warranty. I asked the dealer whether this was one of the recall items that Audi put notice out on and they said no. Now that I read that others have had similar problems with their A4S it seems to me like this is a defect in the system and should be covered by Audi. After all, my dealer told me that Audi changed the coil system on the newer models because of the problem.
Failure of engine ignition coils, causing vehicle to lose power, and creates surging and shaking of vehicle, making it unsafe to drive. Happened suddenly while driving. Dealer diagnosed as failure of 2 of 4 engine coils. These were previously replaced under recall. Contacted Audi, but did not receive satisfactory answer. They will not cover repair, and they claimed that it was not a part that required regular replacement and will not state what the life of the coils should be.
In December of 2005 my red oil light came on, I was advised that my car needed an oil change and to bring it into the dealership. Instead of Audi repairing or replacing the engine at this time, they simply changed the oil. In June of 2006 my red oil light came on. The next day the engine in my car began making horrible noises and driving very, very poorly.. my service advisor called me and asked me how often did I change and the oil and who changed the oil in my car. I advised them that they are the only ones who have every worked on the car. He called me back and advised me that Audi was replacing the engine in my car. I again was never told about the sludge problems. I was made to feel that I was "lucky" because they were doing me a favor by replacing the engine. At the time that the engine was replaced I was also told that I needed to pay to have the timing belt, ten rollers relay and the water pump replaced. A cost to me of over $500. I was told that they were doing me a favor because they were not charging me for the labor, just the parts. In July 2006, I noticed that almost all of the coolant had leaked out of the new engine and was on the floor of my garage. I took the car in for service and was told that there was no leak and that sometimes when an engine is replaced there might be an air bubble and that might cause the coolant level to drop. I again advised the service advisor that the coolant was on the floor of my garage and that without a leak somewhere it could not just come out of the engine. They again checked it over the weekend and advised me that they found a couple of drops of coolant but did not know where it was coming from. I suggested that they drive the car and see if there was a leak. They did just that and found the leak, the major leak. My service advisor stated that the part that was leaking was an old part from the old engine and that I would need to pay $375 to have it fixed.
My 2002 Audi A4 just hit 69,900 miles & the 3rd turbo on my car has just gone bad & has now developed a ticking noise in the valve-train. Fiore Audi in altoona, pa looked at the car & said they never heard a noise in the top of the motor & that the "dentist drill" turbo noise was caused by an exhaust leak. I verbalized my concerns over oil sludge issues with this car & they pulled the valve-cover & oil pan & found oil sludge build-up in the oil lines feeding the turbo & in some of the oil galleys in the engine. Audi of America agreed to replace the turbo and the oil feed lines under Audi's extended oil sludge warranty. After the engine was put back together, fiore finally heard the "ticking" noise in the top of the motor. After pulling the head they determined that the engine block and the cylinder head were warped. Fiore technicians informed me that these damages were caused by the engine being excessively overheated. The car had never indicated that it had overheated, yet for this "excuse/reason", they refused to cover any repairs regardless of the fact that I had produced receipts documenting that the oil was changed religiously around 3,000 mile intervals (well below Audi's initial recommendation that the oil be changed every 10,000 miles, as referenced in the manual, or their subsequent recommendation of changing it every 5,000 miles) with an Audi recommended full synthetic oil as per the sludge warranty policy. The oil lines that feed the turbo charger were never checked or replaced during any of the turbo charger replacements, or other oil smoke complaints, until now. After our 3rd turbo replacement, obviously due to oil sludge build-up, I'm now told my motor is no good. Had Audi taken care of this issue when these problems were first developed & identified, it wouldn't need a new engine at less than 70K miles due to an issue that is well-known with this vehicle & that was also obviously present when this vehicles warranty was in full effect.
- Bedford, PA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
My 2002 Audi A4 1.8T was malfunctioning the day I took delivery and has had a surprisingly high number of defects since then. Today, the car is inoperable and Audi is refusing to assist me. On 5/15/05 my engine suddenly began vibrating harshly and losing power while driving on the interstate. The check engine light came on, and my dash display was flashing a red warning. After towing my car to my dealer, reeves import motorcars of tampa, fl, I was informed that the problem I encountered is a known defect in Audi / VW 1.8 turbo engines. Apparently a defect in the 1.8T regarding sludge that clogs the oil system and causes a loss of oil pressure. To rectify this problem, the engine must be flushed and the oil pump, oil pickup, all oil lines and turbo tubes must be replaced. I had never been made aware of this fix, which costs roughly $2,000. Audi denied warranty on my claim, my entire engine needs to be replaced and I am now faced with a service bill of $10,500!!!! my dealer informed me that Audi had declared my service history and therefore denied me warranty. (they stated that while all service intervals had been observed, sometimes I was slightly over). Additionally, my rental car since May 16th (usually provided by the dealer for warranty work) is now my own responsibility. In summary: 1. this is a known defect, fully documented by the manufacturer. 2. the factory is now refusing to accept responsibility for an expensive yet totally avoidable engine failure. 3. this failure was sudden. It was not an issue of excessive wear and tear, or a condition that gradually worsened due to neglect. Therefore, the periods between service intervals should be irrelevant. 4. I have sent letters to Audi North America's vp in charge of customer relations, Mr. Johann de nysschen, without response. Buying an Audi was the worst decision I have ever made.
While driving out of town the vehicle began to rattle and the vehicle would not go faster than 35 mph. The vehicle continued to rattle and the owner had the vehicle towed to the dealer where they eventually replaced the entire engine due to metal in the oil pan which caused problems throughout the entire system. Provide further details. Originally the oil light came on. The consumer stopped and checked the oil level and it was fine. Driving a little further the light came on again.
Audi service personnel notified me of a cam seal leak during the 10,000 mile servicing. They attempted to fix the problem once, but it still leaked. I brought the vehicle back and they informed me that a special tool from germany is needed to fix the part. So far the car has been in the shop over two months - and still waiting for the tool. Amazing, huh?
While driving the vehicle the engine light would intermittently illuminate and heavy vibration forced consumer to pull off the road, due to a faulty engine coil. The dealer changed the faulty coil. One month later, the replaced coil failed. Dealer refused responsibility..
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Olney, MD, USA