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.
Takata recall - the nearest Audi dealer is 125 miles away. I have a recall notice but have spent approximately $6,000 on electrical problems in vain and cannot trust the car to make it to the dealer to repair the airbag.. then there is the problem of trusting the airbag in the time I drive to the nearest dealer not with standing the air bag problem alone. In regard to the electrical failures, I was nearly run over by a semi at freeway speed when the engine suddenly stopped. The problem comes and goes like a ghost is involved and nobody has been able to properly repair it. At one mechanical shop I lost a windshield and at another I lost a taillight with replace cost over $392. What can I do with all of the above considered? I cannot sell the car due to safety concerns for the next owner and have suffered a large depreciation. This problem can occur anytime but most often when going across a speed bump or upon a rough street. It has happened many times over the past three years. The date I give below is best guess.
The front headlights for this vehicle intermittently fail and then work again. Investigation revealed frayed, shorted out, damaged, wiring inside of the headlights. The insulation on many wires inside the headlights are cracked, missing, failed and the bare copper or conductors touching other nearby conductors. I've made contact with Audi twice now for a safety issue with the headlights. Twice, I've been told either they weren't interested or would not do anything. Outside of any repair or replacement requests, I would expect Audi to take interest when a customer brings a safety issue to their attention. I would think faulty wiring inside both headlights on a model-year 2007 would be a safety concern. If I'm driving down the road at night or in the rain and my headlights short out and fail, I wouldn't be in a good position. I've worked in manufacturing for 10 years now, and safety of workers and of the products made have always been the #1 concern. This information should be treated as an amazing opportunity to determine a root cause and prevent future occurrences in new vehicles. It's not often information is presented so easily. This would possibly save the company money in warranty replacements, and eliminate the risk of crashes or injury due to failures. But, the information so far has been treated as a dismissive customer request/complaint. This failure is because of poor design (wrong wire jacket/insulation chosen for environment), not natural wear and tear, age, or abuse. I have detailed pictures of the failure I can provide. Regards.
Vehicle becomes immobile and locked up when "access/start control unit" fails in steering column. Engine will not start, ignition cannot be turned on, and in some cases the key cannot be removed from the ignition switch. Steering wheel and transmission shift lever locks in current position, making towing almost impossible without specialized equipment. Audi is well aware of this increasingly common problem and issued a tsb on 11/25/2008, #2012483/5 to address the problem by replacing the "immobilizer control unit" with an revised and improved unit. Repair costs exceed $1500 when car is no longer covered by warranty. For something so important to the safety and use of the vehicle, this failure is unacceptable on every level. A recall should be issued for all models that do not have the improved control unit.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Billings, MT, USA