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We found the following complaints for AUDI A4 (1998)

Read complaints for AUDI A4 (1998)

Air bag warning light has illuminated 14 times.*mrthe consumer was told by the dealer that he some how damaged the connectors.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v056000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

The airbag fault light and abs light have been on ever since i had the vehicle, thinking that it may be a fault by the manufacturer as seeing very common problems in many websites. Another main concerned is the fault of the manufacturer's engine design causing engine damage from oil sludge. My concern is for futurepreventionmeasures.

Takata recall. The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v056000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Consumerwas traveling about 40mph onhighway andpassenger's airbag went off without prior warning. She heard a poppying noise, and was able to pull over.airbag light went off and therewas a bad smell.there was no accident, andairbag went off on its own.

The passenger side arbag deployed unexpectedly while driving along at 40-45mph on a secondary road.there was no collision at the time and no evidence of potholes or road debris.the dealer scanned the computer and retrieved "crash data" and claimed that the airbag system worked as expected.they noted a small dent under the passenger side door column of the car which they claimed was caused by road debris and triggered the airbag system.they referred me to my insurance company.the insurance company adjuster examined the car and found no evidence of a collision - no dent or other damage that would cause the airbag to deploy.as a result, the entire airbag safety system in the car is disabled.*la

Vehicle brushed curb causing damage to tire sidewalls when false deployment of side air bag occured.

While drivingthe abs braking systm whichis activated malfunctioned, having no braking ability,and causing a frontal impact.the driver's and passenger's airbags did deploy but not all the way.also,seatbelt tensioner malfunctioned, which did not hold properly the occupant, and occupant sustained a broken bone.please provide further information.

While driving, a brick hit bottom of vehicle and driver?s side air bag deployed causing minor burns and bruises to the driver, consumer was informed that the sensor had been hit by the brick causing the air bag to deploy.*yd

Passenger's airbag deployed upon impact. No passenger or parcel on passenger's seat, drivers bag did not deploy. Audi continues to deny a problem existed. Audi's own documentation describes a no passenger lock out switch to prevent deployment of the passenger's airbag when no passenger or (heavy parcel?) is present. I was the only occupant in the car, had my seat belt buckled, pretensioner for my seat belt fired but my airbag did not deploy. An interlock, by definition, is either on or off. An interlock or lock out device does not act as a "maybe on" or "maybe off" gate.

After running over a pothole at 30mphpassenger's side door airbag deployed. Dealer said this was normal. *ml

1. Airbag sensor light displayed2. Routine maintenance determines the airbag sensor is not working3. Dealer estimates airbag replacement will cost $1,700, but is not covered by warranty since its failure is due to mileage and wear.

After running over a pothole at 30mphpassenger's side door airbag deployed. Dealer said this was normal. *ml

Side impact at 30 mph front side air bags did not deploy. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

While traveling at highway speed of 60-65 mphdriver's side air bag deployed for no reason.vehicle taken to dealer, and informed that striker underneath the vehicle showed signs thatvehicle ran over something. Consumer insisted thatvehicle did not hit anything. Feel free to provide any further information.

On a 1998 a4 quattro audi, it is the 2nd time that the headlights switch fails, the first time was 6 months ago and have to replace the entire steering wheel column switch package. This is the second time, and this time i was on a highway around 11:00 pm with no headlights at all, in this car if the headlights don't work, also the fog lights don't work too, so suddenly you end at the middle of the night on a highway with no lights at all. This definitely is a high risk situation because you can not drive with out headlights it is like blind driving. I been searching on the web and it looks like a very common failure on this carbut there is no recall at all for this yet.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The contact stated that he smelled a burning wire odor upon starting the vehicle. The contact also stated that the windshield wipers and various other electrical components were not functioning. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 00v317000 (electrical system:ignition:switch). The failure mileage was 201,000.

Complete electrical failure caused vehicle to stall. *mjs

Dash lights come on with either the ignition or photo sensor.*phthis design makes the consumer think that the vehicle's headlights are on although they are not.

Instrument cluster readout is unreadable. Display has dimmed over time. Vehicle: 1998 audi a4 quattro.

Car stalled during highway driving, lost all power. Computer reports nothing wrong.

Car quit running. Would not restart.

Car simply turned itself off at 65 mph. Eventually restarted. Computer says no problem.

Car quit running. Would not restart.

Car quit running. Would not restart. Brakes squeek and grind revealing excessive and premature wear.

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle failed to start when the key was turned in the ignition.the contact further stated the failure caused the starter to short out and burn up.the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, who replaced the starter and the ignition switch.there was a nhtsa recall, # 06v403000, regarding the ignition switch.the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin.

My car was made in march 1997, if it is not on recall, whyit has an ignition switch # 4a0-905849 which is defective instead of #4b0-905849 wich requires a different switch housing . I can send you a picture of an original broken switch if you give me an email address.

I have had a recent discussion with audi customer service, file #40182122. This is regarding a defect in my model year 1998 audi a4 2.8. Or audi a4 2.8 manufactured july of 1997. I researched the web and saw hundreds of similar complaints regarding the ignition switch. My ignition switch got stuck in both the run and later start position. The car would not turn off. Also it caused the climate control not to function properly by not turning on, the screen was black. Upon researching this problem, i saw many other 1998 audi owners with the same problem. Even more similiar with the fact that we had a 1998 model year car that was manufactured in 1997. The recall campaign # le (00v-317) is a little ambigous stating model years and manufacture dates. My car falls within the manufacture date but not the recall date. It is obvious to any prudent and reasonable person that cars manufactured prior to august of 1997 even though they are model year 1998 have the same problem. I saw some respones to other owners regarding this situation and a resolvement in the matter with audi including us poor owners who bought a car in the switch of model years. I would like to know how i can resolve this matter as well. How can my car get included in this recall. Please let me know how to proceed. My car is currently being repaire at tom williams audi in birmingham, al (205) 397-2700.

Turning of the ignition key - the key does not return to its neutral position thereby not activating key essential electrical driving components such as lights and wipers, etc.

Ignition switch fails to return to run from start after starting car.if the the key is not returned from start manually, the accessories (i.ewindows, lights, radio, fan, etc) will not run and the starter will contiue to run potentiating the failure of that part.recall notice #00v31700 coversmodel year 1997 for cars manufactured through 8/97.my car was manufactured 8/97 but is model year 1998.audi used the model year limitation to deny repairng the faulty part and should include all cars manufactured within the time frame.

Audi currently has recall for defective ignition switch/spring part on 96-97 model year a4's. Suspect early 98 models have same defective part. Problem is car accessories will not function such as lights, a/c, etc, and engine will sometimes "shuff off" while driving. I have been in contact with other early 98 owners who have experienced same problem and have had the iginition switch replaced.. Repair cost was over $300. Would like to have audi request recall of 98 models and provide refund to owners who have already paid for this repair and replacement.

The problem: ignition switch return springthere is a problem with my ignition switch. After staring the engine, the return spring does not fully return the key to the run position, causing a malfunction of the headlights and climate control. I have found a recall notice (nhtsa campaign id no. 97v115000) describing this exact problem for audi a4 vehicles which affects vehicles manufactured between 10/1995 and 8/1997 (my vehicle was built within this time period, on aug 13th, 1997). I reported this information to audi customer assurance and they refused to perform the recall because the recall notice does not specify "model year 1998". Please consider expanding the existing recall to cover 1998 vehicles.comment: obviously, containment of the faulty ignition switch was not limited to 1997 vehicles (note- the problem was not called to their attention until oct 24, 2000. How can containment happen effectively long after the vehicles are delivered to customers?). Audi has not contained the faulty switch to the vehicles specified in the recall.

When ignition turned on a steady loud clicking sound from engine compartment begins. Engine wll start but only after excessive cranking.

Consumer states ignition switch housing is defective, the return spring force is insufficient for returning the ignition key to the running position after starting the engine, consumer states this causes electrical accessories such as the windshield wipers and headlights to become inoperative, dealership has replaced ignition switch.

Upon startingvehicle the ignition gets stuck in the crank position.whenever this happenswindshield wipers stop working.vehicle had not been repaired because the vehicle was not on recall00v317000.

Consumer states that the ignition switch on the vehicle has gone out,when the consumer tried to start the vehicle, it would not start up causing the starter switch to burn out. Consumer contacted the manufacturer and was informed there were no recalls on vehicle relating to ignition switch.

Ignition switch was defective. Currentlymanufacturerrecalled vehicles with the same exact problem. However, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Hi.i have a 1998 audi a4 6 cylinder quatro5 speed.it has 97k miles.the abs light has come on and i understand that it is a common failure.approx. $1700 repair at the dealer. I understand that vw has had a recall for exactly the same issue with exactly the same part.it seems like such a recall should extend the audi using the same part, which has a high failure rate. It seems to be a very serious safety issue and should be recalled and repaired by audi.can you help me understand why a part and safety issue would be recalled for vw but not for audi? here is a link to further information:thanks!http://audi-vw-abs-recall.blogspot.com/2005/07/audi-and-vw-please-recall-cars-between.html.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The contact had the turbo replaced in the vehicle; however, months later, the vehicle stalled. The contact felt unsafe in the vehicle because she believed that a crash could occur due to the stalling. The vin and failure mileage were unknown.

Engine coolant temperature sensor failed, leaking coolant into the engine control module and wire harness, causing several thousand dollars of damage

The vehicle developed a severe vibration in the front end.the upper, lower suspension arms and the tie rod ends were replaced.there was a severe oil leakage observed coming from the engine during acceleration.oil was found in the spark plug cavities and the spark plug wires protective sleeve was brittle due to high engine temperature.*sc

Multitude of probs. W/ almost every aspect (brakes, engine valves, oil light stays on, rain leaks, bad wheel bearings, etc.) of this car. Most frustrating has been rude and incompetent service by audi dealer. After an expensive repair to the rear wheel bearingsthe dealer said that although not all the noise was gone, the car was safe enough to drive to calif.,(we live in nj). We did not believe the dealer because a loud grinding noise remained and took it to another shop where both front control arms were found to be damaged. We were advised not to drive the car as it was not safe to do so .

In march 2003, the oil warning light came on.dealer diagnosed a faulty sensor that was replaced for $300.in june 2003, the oil warning light again came on.this time it was diagnosed as a faulty oil pump that was replaced at $900.in september 2003 the engine overheated.diagnosis:faulty thermostat and sensor.replacement cost $750.also, washer fluid container cracked and hand brake lever handle cracked (at different times) -- both made of cheap qualtiy plastic.

While driving at 65mph vehicle timing belt broke, causing rapid loss of speed. Dealer has been notified. Consumer stated owners manual recommended timing chain be replaced at 90,000 miles however timing chain broke at 72,000 miles.dealer replaced broken timing chan, tensioner and bent valves.

Timing belt tensioner failed causing replacement of timing belt and tensioner at 40000.known issue with audi that tensioner fails as they have a replacement kit with new type of tensioner.yet, will not cover cost of replacement of failed tensioner or timing belt.

Car was serviced for an oil leak and what the mechanic found was the ball bearings oil passage seals were leaking from the front of the cylinder heads.repair would be $4,000 for parts alone.labor would be additional.car is less than 5 years old.

Timing belt broke & caused major engine damage.

While driving at highway speeds vehicle lost all power.dealer has been contacted, andinformed consumer that timing belt tensioner had broken, and caused extensive engine damage. Engine has to be replaced. Please provide further details.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4.while driving 45 mph the engine stalled without any prior warnings. The vehicle was towed to her place of residence.a mechanic stated that the timing chain had fractured which caused the engine to stall. She contacted the manufacturer in reference to a class action lawsuit regarding timing chain failure. A representative stated that because the vehicle exceeded 70,000 miles she was ineligible for a free remedy. However she noted that the owners manual stated that the timing chain should be replaced at 90,000. She was in the process of having the engine rebuilt by a independent technician. The failure and current mileages were 74,000.

I discovered a significant engine oil leak in multiple locations at 50k miles. *nlm

In very cold weather, the engine sticks and holds a speed of 6,000 rpm. This condition lasts for at least 40 minutes during which time the car is not controllable. I have had this happen four times. I have involved the local audi dealer as well as audi of america. They have attempted to fix this problem four times without success. Audi of america is refusing to either acknowledge or take responsibility for this problem. The first time this happened was on jan 16, 2003. The last time it has happened was jan 16, 2004.

Oil pump failed twice, november 17 1999 and december 1, 1999.hbl, inc of tysons corner, va presumably fixed it first time.upon recurrence, i have contacted hbl three times by fax, but have not returned my messages.i consider this to be a major failure, as the manufacturer asks fro the car not be driven when the oil pressure sensor is premanently lit.

Dealer says virtually all their 6cyl cars have this fail - repair was $850.

While driving at highway speeds vehicle lost all power and was stuck on dangerous freeway overpass. Dealer diagnosed problem and informed consumer that timing belt tensioner had broken, and caused extensive engine damage. Engine has to be replaced. Audi dealer quote on parts alone is over $6900.dt

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will shut off causing consumer to pull over and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started. Dealer notified.nlm

Timing belt tensioner failureengine runs poorly, could seize engine and cause accident.

I have an 1998 audi a4 turbo. While driving in june of this year the car just stopped. I took it to audi and was informed that the timing belt had snapped and because of the malfunction pistons and valves were damaged. The estimate of reapair was over $6200.00the scheduled replacementin the owners manual is for 115,000 miles, this occured at 76,000 miles. I was made aware that audi is now recommending replacing the timing chain and tensioner at 80,000. Although they have been aware of this problem for more than 5 years, they have not notified nor plan to notify owners of this problem. They will not assist with the repair and the only solution is to take them to small claims court.

1998 audi a4 1.8t fully maintainedtiming belt failure causing catastrophic engine damage.service manual calls for timing belt replacement at 90,000 miles.failure occurred at 76,000 miles.audi usa refusal to gather service info or compensate for loss and provided no avenue for appeal or escalation of the case.audi usa had made no effort to inform drivers of this problem.*la

I am the owner of a 1998 audi a4 1.8t car. My complaint is my timing belt gave out on the vehicle at 48,643 mls. The owners manual states that the belt should be good for 90,000 mls. My second comlaint is that the tie rods on the front end. Of the vehicle need to be replaced. These items should not be giving out on a vehicle with such low mileage. I have not received any notices about any recalls.

While driving the timing belt failed.consumer managed to pull over, and had the vehicle towed.dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

While driving 1998 audi 1.8 t along highway when timing belt failed, without warning, wrecking engine.car had only 58k miles, and owners manual does not recommend replacing timing belt until 90k miles.there is no tsb for the belt but audi is aware of the problem and requires all new timing belts to be installed in a new configuration.

Without warning, the timing belt on my 1998 audi a4 failed, resulting in serious engine damage and leaving my family stranded in the mountains.audi has know about the defective timing belt problem for years, and has done nothing to fix the problem or notify customers.mazda had a very similar problem with some of their timing belts (see nhtsa recall no. 00v134/mazda recall no. 92007); why hasn't audi recalled the cars and fixed this problem??

Dt:the contact stated timing belt broke at the end of 2001. She stated that when the timing belts break on these audis and bendthe valves,e they will destroy theengine. She reportedhaving no problems with the engine since then.she had the car towed in 2001. The bill was $4,468.00. The timing belt went out at 80,000 miles. An advocate for audi in michigan told her on 9-26-05 that theysent her a letter concerning the timing belt. They were unsure as to when they sent it. The contact searched theinternet and found some information about a lawsuit filed against audi. (9-27-05 the contact called the same advocate and asked her to check the reference number on the car,and the advocate told her that there was ongoingcampaignconcerning the timing belt. It was called the jk campaign.the control arm was called the je campaign. She has never received any recall letters and notified the advocate that she had never received a letter. Thecontact stated that in the maintenance book,it stated that the timing belt should not have to be changed until 90,000 miles.

1998 audi a4 quattro timing belt broke causing failure while driving and severe damage to engine.

1998 audi a4 quattro experienced early timing belt tensioner failure.***no answer required***. *mr

Audi a4 1.8t q timing belt tensioner failed at 75,000 causing catastrophic engine damage.service interval published by audi is no earlier than 90,000mi.tensioner failure is known defect and has been redesigned by audi, yet audi will not acknowledge the defect.audi claims no responsibility nor have they published any tsb alerting people to have this part replaced early.

Sudden & catastrophic failure of bearing/pulley of main timing belt, while driving at 70 mph on a busy interstate highway.vehicle had fewer than 55k miles on odometer and was well maitained.such failure can cause instantaneous destruction of the engine, with resultant loss of control and/or sudden and rapid decceleration, possibly causing a catastrophic collision. The loss of the bearing causes the main timing belt to shift position and/or to snap, causing the engine valves to move out-of-sync with the engine pistons or to stop moving altogether.the pistons then collide with the valves, causing engine destruction.failure occurs without warning and instantaneously.there are no signs of impending failure that one can observe during a vehicle inspection.in my case, engine failure did not occur, but there was a loss of power.i was able to drive directly to a dealer for repair.the technician who did the repair said that, in my case, i was extremely lucky and that only slippage had occured, and that the slippage was just below the point at which engine destruction would have occurred.this technician was from germany (as was the vehicle), and he said that premature failure of this bearing (and/or associated water pump) is a common problem with this vehicle.he also said that in germany a recall was ordered by the government as they considered the failure premature, frequent, and that it could result in serious injury or death, as the engine could easily destruct at highway speeds, causig a collision.an internet search reveals dozens of reports of premature failure of this belt/pulley/water-pump system on this vehicle.(1998 audi a4 2.8l quattro automatic)

A/c filter failed.yh

Cd player failed.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The contact stated that the amber reflector headlights illuminated poorly and decreased vision. The dealer was notified, but denied any assistance to repair the vehicle because the vin was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 06e049000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 190,000.

I have had a recent discussion with audi customer service manager in wayzata, mn at 11:55am. This is regarding a defect in my model year 1998 audi a4 2.8., or audi a4 2.8 manufactured june of 1997. I researched the web and saw hundreds of similar complaints regarding the light switch. I turned my light switch on and the low beam and high beam do not work.the temporary high beam works.i saw many other 1998 audi owners with the same problem; even more similar with the fact that we had a 1998 model year car that was manufactured in 1997. The recall campaign is a little ambiguous stating model years and manufacture dates. My car falls within the manufacture date but not the recall date. The recall is open however 1998 models, which are being affected by this issue, are not included.it is obvious that cars manufactured prior to august of 1997 even though they are model year 1998 have the same problem.

Control arms on driver and passenger side have gone bad in the last year. I dont think that is right for the parts to fail like that.. I bought the audi cause i thought it would be a safe and reliable car, when all it has been for me is a money trap.

I have 1998 audi a4 2.8 quatro. Abs and break lights is on. Word on the vw/audi tech circle is that the bosch 5.3 module is malfunctioning at a higher than normal rate. Please make a recall on this part.

Extreme difficultyfueling car - pump shuts off continuously and forumsseem to indicate that this is not an isolated problem abd has occurred with other cars.have been to dealer and only advice is to replace fueld tank at a cost of some $2,000 - car has 45,000 miles

Unidentified instrument warning light failed. Mjs

Consumerwas checking out the vehicle and the headrest, when pressure was applied,would not stay in place, would slide down.dealer cannot duplicate the problem.

The gear shift kicks forward upon engaging in second gear.

Transmission shifter failed after the vehicle accelerated in the reverse direction while the shfter was in drive.

Car would pop out of first gear at slow speeds during a turn.had to fight with dealer & audi of america for 4 months before they would acknowledge a problem or fix it.they finally replaced the transmission, and that solved the problem.we have several other non-safety problems that the dealer is slow to acknowledge and repair.we switched dealers in the denver area to mcdonald after the problems with prestige.mcdonald's attitude towards customer service is no better.if you want a report/complaint on the additional, non-safety related problems, let us know.

Malfunctioning ofhousing forbrakes andclutch caused brakefailure which resulted in a vehicle crash. Driver received severe injuries.

I was wondering if you could offer any advice.i have a 1998 audi a4 that was purchased in july, 1997 and has approximately 45,000 road miles.it has had a number of problems through the years, the most recent of which was a broken (not worn) clutch that was repaired last month.i contacted audi usa and requested that they help pay for this very expensive repair.they refused, stating that the car is well outside their 3 year/36,000 mile waranty period.i grant them that, but a number of other manufacturers have 7 or even 10 year powertrain warranties.my overall satisfaction with this vehicle is at an all-time low.additionally, i believe that a broken clutch could cause serious personal harm if it were to result in total clutch failure while on the road and subsequent loss of control (my clutch apparently failed "partially" allowing me to drive the vehicle to an audi repair facility).are there any options for further pursuit of this issue?thank you for your time.robert a. Weatherly, md

After driving vehicleconsumer parked it.but, when consumer try to start and move,vehicle did not move.vehicle had to be towed to dealership,and technician said the problem was with the driveshaft.

Driver's safety belt failed. Mjs

Both rear seatbelts tighten on passengers restricting freedom of movement.nlm

The consumer has a electrical seat while traveling on the highway he turn the electrical seat on number 1 for warmth. And the seat burn him.please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. Ts

Heated seat overheats.melts leather.

Heating element failed, melting the seating surface and burning the driver.

1. Heated seat burned through the leather burning the back of my leg when on the lowest setting(1/6).2. The cruise control works about 1% of the time and will engage unexpectedly if not turned off.

I turned my heated seat on in my audi a4. I felt it getting really hot in one spot and smelled something burning. I got out and looked at my seat to find a hole burnt in the seat.i contacted audi they told me to bring to the nearest service center. They told me that because my car is not under warranty there is nothing they can do about it.

The amber abs warning light glows while the red brake light blinks.i understand newer audi models have just been recalled for abs issues, but my 1998 a4 was not included in the recall.braking appears normal, and warning light illumination is sporadic.

Abs light and brake light started up on the dash, checked the owners book and it told you to cantact the audi dealer. Conatacted the dealer and was told that it costs a lot on money, quote for the part was $2711.00, not installed. Went to the web and found out that this is a big issue, and that there is no recall. Poor design and a very expensive part, who is making money out of this safety issue. Miles on the car 82k

(1)faulty design of abs controller,2)failure of said abs controller, (3)abs no longer functioning, causing a safety hazard.

I have a 1998 audi a4 avant, 2.8 v6, manual transmission. After 45k miles the cruise control module ("brain") failed and had to be replaced. At 91k miles the abs brain failed. Was there, or will there be, a recall on these items?

Normal driving conditions, no modifications to vehicle, at 80k miles the anti lock brake module fails and the abs no longer works. The brakes are prone to locking up. The replacement part for the vehicle when out of warranty is $1200. I have been driving it as little as possible until i can save for the repair.additionally, the cruise control stopped working out of the blue at 55k miles. This module has not been replaced either due to cost.

Abs control unit has failed on 1998 audi a4 quattro 2.8.this ~$2000 part raises a significant safety issue, as its failure results in loss of abs braking and traction control.

Abs unit failed on 1998 audi a4 2.8l quattro.repair cost is > $2000 for a rarely used electronic module.

Abs control unit on my 1998 audi a4 failed as i was driving on the highway, total brake failure resulted, in which i was only able to stop via the triptronic transmission which allowed me to downshift, and finally using the ebrake...called audi of america, they told me that their shouldnt have been total brake loss if the abs unit failed, which made no sense since the pump was spewing brake fluid all over my engine...i assured them that it was a safety issue, and that audi should be responsible for its repair, which runs in the range of $2500...they told me that that shouldnt have happened, and because of the high mileage on my car, they werent obligated to repair the problem, even though thousands of audi owners have complained about the same problem...i believe audi should be directly accountable for this mechanical defect, and issue a recall asap, before other audi owners experience the same scary ordeal i did on the highway...thank you.

My abs and brake light initially came on intermittently, then began to occur more and more frequently.now it happens every time that i get into the car.my abs does not work.a loca audi dealer told me that this is a very common problem for this year of car.the dealer told me that i needed a new abs control module ($1100.00) and three hours of labor at $78.00 an hour.

After only 65000 miles on my 1998 audi a4 i have been forced to replace major abs components because of numerous failures. The abs system works intermittently, and there is no indication of when it will fail. A brake light will come on, then go off, indicating there is trouble, but at times the light will be off and it is not until you begin to brake that you realize the abs is non-functional. Audi has been very slow to repair the problem, requiring a 2 week wait just to diagnose the issue. Then requiring $2300 to make a 6 year old car safe to drive.

Faulty abs module in my 1998 audi a4 1.8t.the electrical component to the abs system fails in many of these similar year audis and vws, and it appears to be a big problem.the failure of this component can cause deadly accidents, and should be addressed by audi.

Dt:the contact owns a 1998 audi a4. The abs light came on and the brake light flashed intermittently while driving. The brake light has been on for the past two days.

The anti lock brake control modulator unit failed, and now i have brakes that do not work. At the slightest pedal pressure, all 4 wheels will have a strong pulsating, giving you about 1/3 of the braking pressure that is needed.volkswagens used a nearly identical part, and their abs controller is under recall, i do not understand why nhtsa, cannot force audi of america to do the same.thank you

1998 manual audi a4. The temperature was 32 degrees f or below.the conditions were steady snow and wet/icy/slush roads.i experienced complete break failure when exiting the highway to a rest area.i pumped the breaks and regained some breaking power to finally slow the vehicle.i completely missed the proper exiting lane due to lack of breaking.no injuries or damage resulted.this is not the first incident of loss of breaking power.

I have had many close calls in rainy weather when trying to stop in my 1998 audi a4 1.8t quattro.in dry weather braking is fine.this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.i am more than certain i would have hit someone if i would not keep a greater distance knowing the horrible braking performance in wet weather.

Terrible wet braking performance, the first 1 or 2 pedal applications in the rain cause no slowing down. The pedal needs to be pumped to dry the rotor. I went through several brake pad compounds with no improvement.of all the audis that i owned, the a4 brakes are the worst. Hell, these brakes are the worst of all the cars that i owned! *nlm

Out of nowhere, abs light on, brake light flashing.took to shop, they stated this is a common problem for the abs module to lock out communications; 1400 + for the repair.this is an expensive car; i find it outrageous the electronic module is outside, subject to weather conditions and salt.please see my complaint on coil springs as well.researched the problem on the internet and it seems this is usual and customary for this model, i feel nhtsa needs to step up here and call audi on the table.

1998 audi a4 1.8 liter quattro.experiencing reduced braking capability when brakes are wet.this is the exact complaint being investigated in nhtsa action number pe00016.the brakes work fine when dry, but effectiveness is greatly reduced when wet, and stopping distance increases significantly, causing a safety concern. *nlm

Consumer stated that when braking and without warning they will have bad brake performance during rainy weather causing the vehicle to have extend stopping distance. Dealer notified. Ts

After driving in rain, foot will sink on brake pedal as if hydraulic fluid is gone and stopping force is gone until re-applying foot to brake pedal 2nd-3rd time.

After driving on the highway in the rain, when brakes first applied, the car accelerates, then brakes after 1-2 seconds. This is very unnerving and the dealer says audi knows about this but there is "no advisory or technical bulletin to fix it" please help. Otherwise, this car is one of the best.

I continue to have problems with the brake system on this auto, even on dry surfaces. It appears that the problem is a misaligned interface between the all-wheel drive (quattro) system and the abs.the problem is one of software, not hardware, and audi needs to replace the appropriate chip.

Problem is major braking delay in rain (worse with heavy rain). When push on pedal, get no braking action for 1-3 seconds, then brakes act normal.pedal feels firm/normal.seems like there is water sheeting on the rotors; brakes have to wipe water off before get any braking.this is the absolute worst case of this phenomena i have felt in 30 years, 750,000 miles of driving.dealer informed at routine service, could find nothing wrong.

Abs system failed on two occasions. *mjs

Brakes appear inactive for approx 1sec during heavy rain.

Car experiences diminished braking abilities under wet/cold conditions.if roads are wet, even if above freezing conditions, braking suddenly to avoid other traffic results in near crashes or dangerous swerving to avoid accident.this is not due to poor road conditions but directly related to the audi's braking abilities in wet conditions.very dangerous and unpredictable.have recently traded in vehicle and incurred large financial loss due to this and other serious problems.

Abs computer out.from people i have talked to it's a frequent problem in these cars.it is quite expensive to replace.

1998 audi a4 2.8 quattro- my abs sensor has failed.abs light is on.

Braking is delayed 3-4 seconds in rain and or snow conditions.additional pressure is required to stop vehicle.

Traveling at highway speed, weather was raining/snowing, when i attempted to apply the brakes to exit the highway, the brakes did not slow the car as they should.i pumped the brakes several times and was able to slow the car for the exit ramp.this has occurred on several occasions prior and since, all during wet conditions.on the 1/22/00 incident, i was on my way to the dealer to have a scheduled service completed and mentioned the problem to the service writer.he acknowledged that there is a problem with wet braking in my model however audi has not authorized any repairs.he did have the pads removed and cleaned along with the rotors.this has not solved the problem.

Major hesitation when brakes are wet.(one to two second delay).

Abs light and brake light came on while driving. Pulled over and checked owner's manual which indicated loss of abs, but full conventional brake power. Blinking lights went off by themselves after few minutes. Since the warning, i am experiencing slight resistance from brake pedal occasionally. Judging by postings on audi world.com, this has happened to several people. Waiting to get appointment for diagnostics and part replacement if necessary.

Intermittently the brakes don't grab at all, especially in the wet. This happens even after the car has been drive far enough to warm up the brakes.

Wet braking problem - during rain brake efficiency falls to an unacceptable level. Brake shoes slip on the disc and do not provide sufficient braking. Abs does not activate which means that tires do not even tryto lock. This makes me to believe that the problem is really in the shoe/disc engagement.

Brakes hesitate whenconsumer appliesbrakes & the pedal goes all the way to the floor.brakes will not work in the cold weather.

In heavy rain or slush, braking is severely degraded.it appears that the brake rotors and/or pads act like sponges in wet weather, and can't shed water fast enough during initial braking.a scarey 1-2 seconds will elapse before the brakes, under high pedal pressure, will engage.to avoid the problem, you have to drive with 1 foot on the brake, and 1 foot on the gas to dry out the brakes, then repeatedly check for braking effectiveness.

When driving in the rain, the brakes do not immediately grab.there is a one half to one second delay before the brakes become effective.it is especially noticable on the highway when you have not touched the brakes in several miles.the rotors obviously get wet and are not able to generate enough heat to slow the car initially.the dealer takes the position that this is normal and, although i know others with this problem who have had their cars inspected by audi, they have done nothing to address the issue.i believe it to be a glaring safety defect on an otherwise well built and safe car.

The abs warning light illuminated after starting the vehicle ,and stayed on until vehicle was shut off. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

Once vehicle warms abs light comes on ,and the systemis inoperable. Consumerhad notserviced the vehicle.

Audi a4 quattro, 1998, 2.8l abs control module failure.abs light and blinking break light displayed on dash warning lights.carrera motors of bend, or defined the problem as no communication/faulty abs control module/n #8e0 614 111m .

My audi has wonderful brakes in dry road conditions.however initial braking in wet conditions results in a few seconds of diminished braking capacity which almost resulted in an accident.this seems to have been reported by many a4 owners as internet forums like www.a4.org have many complaints similar to this.please do not confuse my observation with reduced braking performance in wet weather, for this is obvious. This condition is rather unique to the audi, as my wife's '98 honda accord v-6 ex does not exhibit this characteristicgiven similar road conditions.my audi dealer did not indicate that my a4 was part of any braking recall campaign.

The brakes on my car are very suspect in rain or snow conditions. I dread a panic stop. I must pre-apply brake pressure in plenty of time to be able to stop when i need to when it is wet outside. I don't mean after driving through a puddle. I'm talking just general wet road conditions.

When traveling at speed of 50 mph or greater in very heavy rain, there is an initial delaywhile braking (0.5 sec-1 sec) when brakes don't have an effect. Pushed the pedal and nothing happened for the initial delay. Then, abruptly the car brakes.also, there is a lack of splash shields on the front rotors on the model year 98 (model year 2000 has it). The rotors have water on them and it takes a while for that to be evacuated.

While backing out of driveway there were no brakes. Vehicle was towed to automobile shop, and mechanic verified thatwheel itself rubbedbrake line every timevehicle was turned toleft, wearing a hole inline, and causing brake failure.

My a4 exhibits a severe delay (3-4 secs) in braking force when the brakes get wet (i.e. Any time it rains).this is not normal and seems quite hazardous.it only happens when the brakes get wet, which always happens driving in rain (and i don't mean driving through puddles).dealer's latest story is that audi is aware of problem but has no fix.some (not all) owners of this car model have the same complaint.

Audi a4 abs malfunction. 1998 2.8 liter quattro.

1. Heated seat burned through the leather burning the back of my leg when on the lowest setting(1/6).2. The cruise control works about 1% of the time and will engage unexpectedly if not turned off.

Car always has a delayed response when applying brakes when they are wet.

Every time it rains it is nearly impossible to brake the car, even thought the brakes work properly in the dry. I have had this problem ever since the purchase, but have decided to report it only now. The car seems to actually go faster when initially pressing the brake pedal, and oly after about 2 seconds it starts to show some sign that it is actually braking the car. This makes the car, which is basically new, unsafe to drive in the rain.

Brakes do not appear to work at all for 1-2 seconds after application.then they work with reduced efficiency and finally (after heating up) work normally.if one side dries more quickly on applying brakes, car pulls side-to-side lightly but noticably.i must apply my brakes regularly to dry them when it rains and have irritated drivers behind me who believe i am "playing games" with them.*mjs

Wet braking problem.

When driving in wet conditions, the brakes respond very differently than when dry, especially when the brakes haven't been applied for a while.the brake pedal requires much greater force to decelerate at the desired rate compared to what the operator expects based on the experience of driving the car previously.the problem seems to be most obvious when driving on the highway in the rain.i'm guessing a layer of water builds up on the discs or pads (or both), and when exiting the highway and applying the brakes for the first time in a while it almost feels like there is no braking at all!the few times my wife has driven the car in the rain on the highway she has complained loudly to me.the problem is not limited to highway driving, however.even normal driving around town can result in the feeling of significantly reduced braking.if i drag the brakes a little using my left foot to keep the discs heated up and clear of water then when i need the brakes they seem to be fine.the problem never shows up when it's dry outside.this is very disconcerting and makes me afraid of getting into an emergency situation where i need to deccelerate quickly and simply can't do it.as it is now i have to plan way ahead knowing that i may not have the braking power i think i should have.i have never felt this kind of reduced braking power in the rain in any other car i have ever owned or driven.

Audi of america has launched a recall campaign, labelled ku, for its defective brakes.i received a formal notification on october 10, 1999.hoever, since then i have been unable to have this recall performed at any audi dealer.since the recall represents a serious defect and potential hazard, i seek the nhtsa's involvement to have the recall performed on my vehicle as soon as possible.

Abs system failure. Abs dash light flashes and brake light remains lit.abs system not functional. Standard hydraulic brakes remain functional without abs safety feature.

Anti lock braking system failure, goes into non-antilock mode. The failure is constant, it fails everytime the car is started.

Brakes do not respond properly for 10-15 feet when it is raining, the water that gets on the brakes effects their gripping efficiency. It's very bad.*mjs

Cruise control inoperative.during high speed braking car shimmies and hops. Problem began after serviced by audi as per audi brake recall. In the last 12 months my audi has spent 2 months at the dealership for repairs. This vehicle is a lemon.

Wet braking performance greatly diminished due to wet rotors, requires higher brake effort and stopping time/distance.

The brake pedal would go to the floor with very little braking.you could pump-up the pedal, but if you applied steady pressure it would go to the floor.at a light, if you kept the automatic transmission in drive, the pdeal would go to towards the floor until the car started to move forward at idle.the dealer could not duplicate the problem.the problem has not reoccurred.

On june 17, 1999 i simultaneously lost control of both the steering wheel and the brakes.the weheel was locked and the brakes would not pump.the trip instrument panel showed the battery sign and the warning "check".the car came to a stop uphill, and resumed normal (?) operation after i turned on the engine again.

If brakes are cold (not used for more than 15 minutes on a freeway) and the weather is cold and wet, the brakes will not grip for the first one to two seconds.at best, only one or two may slightly grip making the car swerve to one side.checking the audiworld.com web site forums shows that this is a common and serious safety problem.

My abs light started blinking in my 1998 audi a4. I went to a mechanic and had it diagnosed; found that it was a light failure;i was told i would have to pay a lot of money to pull out the electronics and most likely not even solve the problem.later i started to notice that my abs was not engaging properly and sometimes not at all (which is now the case), i filed complaints with audi and boshe about this but they told me there could be no recall because abs is not a traffic concern. Recently i was driving in the rain and making a 98 degree turn not terribly fast; there was no stop sign, and i ended up doing a 360 to a stop. I found this not only a scary experience, but one that could have been life threatening.it didn't make sense; im driving the honorable quattro.i decided to look further.i found many people have the same problem. Specifically w/ models in 1998. Im a fairly good driver in fact i did a defensive driving class at infineon raceway so i was still confused how i lost so much traction in such a short amount of time. I found the problem was actually part of the quattro itself.the electronic braking, traction systems, and various other vehicle dynamic systems are all dependent on the abscontrol module.all the test up to then showed no link to abs control unit; i was made to believe that my car just had a light failure. I started researching the control unit and i found that there is already a recall on the part but not for audi but for volkswagen! the campaign id number is 02v031000.i talked to people who were owners of volkswagens who got the recall and many of them had almost identical problems to mine.some even said the unit caught fire.so here i am told i have a light problem, then told audi cant do anything for me except get a whole new abs system at my expense.now i find the truth is one control module is responsible for the lack of control in my car as well as a possible car fire.please help: i and many others need a new unit.

In wet weather the brakes need to be applied much harder otherwise no slowing occurs.

Brakes do not resond for a couple of seconds when driving at highway speeds in wet road conditions

The wet braking is horrible on this car.if you are driving in the rain, it takes 2 seconds for the rotors to dry out.i have always had cars with 4 wheel discs and have never seen a car that loses its brakes so easily.the car brakes *great* in the dry and when the roads are wet, but when it is raining enough to wet the rotors, all drivers with the stock pads need to be extrememly careful.i don't know if this is part of the problem, but there is no spash shield behind the rotor.i don't want to be involved in an accident because of this and felt like i should report it.i do know that this is not just happening to me, but that is not what the dealer wants us to think.i have heard that changing the pads to an aftermarket helps, but i feel audi should do something about this before someone gets hurt.

When applying brakes after driving for extended distance, brakes fail on first applying,but return to normal if pumped.

In snow and sometimes rain and when going over railroad tracks the brakes do not respond and you feel like you have absolutley no brakes.

Wet braking delay; 15 occurrences a guess, but is any heavy rain - when intially hit the brakes in heavy raing, get no braking action, sometimes for over a second.pedal is firm, feels normal.after about a second, water washed off rotors and braking is normal.complained to dealer, but they say have to drive car under these conditions before can take action - "haven't heard of any other complaints".difficult to do when am 1 hr away from dealer and have to suddenly take off from work and drive to them, hoping that rain continues.have driven/owned cars since 1969, had previous 1990 audi - experienced no such problems on any previous vehicle.

Vehicle does not brake properly whenbrakes are wet. When applyingbrakesvehicle continues to travel.this problemhas been reported todealership andmanufacturermany times. Problem has not been corrected.the problem was corrected on 2000 models by redesigning brakes but no on earlier models.

Since i have owned th car, i have experienced a delay or a lack of braking ability when driving in the rain.i have had a few near accidents when i had to brake suddenly and i had no response.luckily i had quatrro and room to move.normal driving is o.k. Only becauise i know of the problem and give myself time to stop.this should not be the case. I need the brakes to work properly every time and under all conditions.my 87 maxima has beeter brakes now than the audi.this needs to be solved or i will have to consider selling my vehicle for a safer bmw especially since children are on the way.not a safe vehicle for them.i hope you can remedy.

Abs warning light intermittent.research uncovered the fact that the abs controller in the audi and vw passat is faulty.audi customer care has replaced the abs controller for other customers. See this discussion thread http://tech.bentleypublishers.com/thread.jspa?threadid=3409&start=0&tstart=0.if this article\ad (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/abs-bosch-5-3i-abs-controller-repair_w0qqcmdzviewitemqqcategoryz111105qqitemz4601089179qqrdz1qqsspagenamezwdvw) is true and the problem is a cold solder joint then it is truly a manufacturers defect.please investigate.

Everytime it rains the brakes seems to have a .5 sec to 1 second delay before it works. Audi please recall this brake system as it might cause accidents.

Reduced brake performance when driving in rain or wet condition.especially when driving for long periods without applying brake (i.e. Long distance highway drives)you need to put a lot of pressure on the brake pedal to get sufficient stopping power.it's startling for the driver to have to push the pedal down that far.

When braking,brakes would grind and squeek excessively and revealed premature wear.

Abs system was unable to stop the car for 30 feet, while i kept pressing the brakes, as required, and felt the vibration.sevenfeet before i was about to hit the car in front of me, i re-applied the brakes ( removed my foot and braked again) and then the car stopped within inches from the rear of the car ahead of me.road conditions were slippery.this is the second time that this audi a-4 model does not stop at all when brakes are applied consistently, as requires under the abs system

Anti lock braking system failure, goes into non-antilock mode. The failure is constant, it fails everytime the car is started.

Abs controller is defective, cost $1000 to replace, and i have been told by independent audi mehcanic and said there are a lot of the controllers going out on my year car which is a 1998.5.

The abs system does not work. The abs mil would come on at random and stay on. Now it is on all the time the ignition is turned on.*la

Abs light illuminated while driving 35 mph. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, wh informed the consumer that the abs brake module needed to be replaced.

Abs control module failure and inactive, which is an intermittent problem.*la

Abs light and blinking brake light came on intermittently after 55800 miles.diagnosed as (possibly) a bad abs control module.also told it could be a bad instrument panel.cost of $2200 quoted for abs control module replacement with no guarantee that it would solve the problem.as a result abs control module not replaced reducing safety of vehicle.

Failure of abs module, 1998 audi a4.

Abs and brake warning lights are illuminated on the dash.took it to a dealer and was told there was no communication with the abs controller.dealer wanted $2600 for parts plus $450 (3 hrs) to replace.vehicle only has 51000 miles!

Car: 1998 a4 audi avant quattro, bought new.abs controller module failed in 2004, audi should do a recall for safety reasons.no there were no deaths or injuries, is this a reason to have a recall when people die??

Abs light comes on intermittently and abs system is not functional.abs system also used in electronic differential control.audi dealer diagnosed as a abs control unit failure with part cost of $2600 plus labor and was repaired by audi dealer.contacted audi customer care and they did not offer any assistance.this is a very real safety issue and based on internet searches has affected hundreds of audi and vw vehicles.this appears to be a faulty design of a critical safety component and warrants further investigation.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4. While the vehicle was parked, he notice the abs light was on and the brake light was flashing on the dashboard. The contact stated that he was a mechanic and tried to scan information from the abs modular and was unable too. He stated he was unable to repair the failure. The vehicle was purchased used september 28, 2005. The contact purchased the vehicle used with the failure. The failure mileage was 133,500 and the current mileage was 270,000.

The abs control unit on my audi a4 failed after only 67,000 miles.i have no anti-lock braking whatsoever, and audi has denied any responsibility for the part since it is out of warranty.searching through audi forums i found this failure to be very common and everyone had no abs until the control unit was replaced which cost an average of $1500+.there were no events that lead up to the failure, i started the car one day and the abs and brake light started flashing on my dash.i tested the abs on an icy road and found that it indeed does not prevent my brakes from locking up.

Abs/brake light just started flashing.the abs brakes are not working abs module is the cause.under hard braking or wet conditions the car slides looses traction. Old part is still in car to expensive to replace right now.had car looked at by certified mechanic and they told me abs module is the problem.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4.the contact noticed that the abs warning lights sporadically illuminated on the instrument panel.the dealer stated that the antilock:control unit/module failed, and the contact would be responsible for the repair costs.the cost would exceed $1,100 because there was no recall for that component.the vehicle has not been repaired.the failure and current mileages were 130,000.

1998 audi a4 2.8 quattroabs control module, part#[xxx]or nvin: [xxx].controls the anti-lock braking feature.i have encountered many other people that have had the same defect at various mileage points, even random audi a4 owners that i have met in person.it nearly caused accident on 2 occassions as brakes locked-up prematurely.part is being repaired. Updated 07/09/2012 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Abs control modules (bosch 5.3) on all early model 98-01 audi a4 and it's sister car the vw passat 98-01 will and do fail at some point.control module is completely inoperative most times while driving.may start working sporadically and then quit again.common problem on forums (audiworld.com).i have been a vw / audi technician for 7 years now and have seen several of these.would be nice to know that this safety feature is going to work when needed.vw / audi is aware of the problem and has just released a technical bulletin alerting that the control module may now be purchased separately from the hydraulic unit.this control module at my cost (considerable discount since i work for the company) is $1495.00.please help myself and other audi / vw owners get our cars stopping safely.

Malfunctioning ofhousing forbrakes andclutch caused brakefailure which resulted in a vehicle crash. Driver received severe injuries.

When parallel parking noticed difficulty in the steering, later noice broken wires at front of engine. Brakes have always required extra effort and performed poorly.

In heavy rain conditions, brakes become unresponsive for appx 1-2 seconds, regardless of pedal pressure.i have been driving for 18 years and can attest that this is not a case of normal 'reduced effectiveness' associated with wet conditions.in certain conditions, the car will travel for 20-50 feet without any noticeable brake effectiveness.yes, i do pump my brakes frequently under these conditions to clear excess water from the pads/rotors.

Vehicle experienced steering wheel and brake lock up. Mjs

Brakes do not work in wet conditions!

Brakes noisey and showing excessive wear.

Brakes ineffective for 1-2 seconds during heavy rain

Brakes do not "grab" in the wet/rain.there appears to be a one to two second delay between stepping on the brakes and the car slowing done.i have noticed this same delay, in dry weather, at highway speeds of 50-60 mph.

In wet conditions (rain or slush), brakes intermittently fail to respond for several seconds, then grab normally.been this way since i took delivery of car. This is not normal wet weather braking force reduction. More like no brakes at all for a few seconds. I believe the brakes are getting wet internally due to lack of proper shields, but dry themselves off after a few seconds of application, which would explain the several second delay followed by normal braking. The dealer has inspected all braking system components twice for me and found nothing unusual. Lots of other audi a4 owners complain about the same problem. No other car i have ever owned or driven has behaved like this in wet weather.especially at highway speeds the braking delay is extremely dangerous, paticularly since it is intermittent. You just never know when the car will decide not to stop when you need it to! the only way i have found to deal with the problem is to apply the brakes every ten or fifteen seconds to k eep them dry. But that, too, is dangerous, since following traffic goes bananas seeing my brake lights come on all the time for no apparent reason.i have complained to audi of america, which claims they know nothing about this problem and have not had other complaints about it. They are lying, because i know other a4 drivers who have also complained bitterly to audi of america and their dealers about this problem. Please help us!

During or after raining, initial braking has no response for about 1 - 2 seconds.then the brakes slowly build up friction to engage stopping power.i realize that wet roads cause some brake performance loss, but this exceeds the norm.there are also many other a4 owner complaints about the same problem on the a4.org forums.

In heavy rain or after washing car brakes do not work for about 1-2 seconds after application.it is very scary and dangerous imo.

Intermittently the brakes don't grab at all, especially in the wet. This happens even after the car has been drive far enough to warm up the brakes.

During wet weather, the brakes takes several seconds to catch after the pedal is depressed.this has caused many near accidents since this behavior is not normal nor expected.dry weather braking is just fine.i am very concerned about this problem and have contacted audi of america and my dealer.they do not have a solution for the problem yet.i need help!!

Brake performance poor when wet. Unsafe in a panic stop

Brakes do not resond for a couple of seconds when driving at highway speeds in wet road conditions

There is a 2 sec. Delay for brake response when wet.much worse than any other vehicle i have driven.this will cause accidents. Vehicle will not stop in published distance when brakes are wet.new brake pad material is required .there are already many other reports of this same problem in your data base.

Car quit running. Would not restart. Brakes squeek and grind revealing excessive and premature wear.

Front and rear brake pads and rotors failed.yh

Wet braking performance greatly diminished due to wet rotors, requires higher brake effort and stopping time/distance.

During rainy weather the brakes have a very pronounced delay from application to engagement due to wet rotors, the delay is between 1 and 2 seconds. This is not an intermittent problem, it happens whenever it rains at a moderate to heavy amount.

Front and rear brake pads and rotors failed.yh

Brakes failed to work on highway off-ramp during heavy rain. Depressed pedal, but almost no braking force. Had to veer back into interstate traffic, almost causing major crash. This has happened before to me, always in wet weather. Problem is intermittent. Usually brakes are ok in wet, but now and then almost complete failure for no apparent reason, always in wet. Brakes return after brief application. I believe brakes are getting wet somehow and failing to operate until they warm up and dry off, but this is just a theory. The failures are infrequent but very dramatic and extremely dangerous. Other audi a4 owners have experienced exact same problem. Dealers have no solution. Please help! thanks.

Vechicle has a severe decrease in breaking power in wet conditions, especially in colder weather.it takes up to 5 seconds for the vechicle to start to slow down in these conditions.

Recall # 99v131000 vw/brake booster; owner received recall notice inseptember 1999. Owner has contacted dealer on several occasions. Dealer has no parts available to correct recall. Manufacturer stated that parts should be available in the middle of january 2000.

Recall # 99v131000 brakes:hydraulic:power assist: booster: owner received recall letter in september. Contacted dealer on november 1, 1999. Owner called again after one mont. , and again on january 4, 2000. Parts have not been shipped from manufacturer. On january 28, 2000 dealer installed recall item.

No parts have been available for recall # 99v131000/ brake booster since october 1999. Consumer has contacted dealerabout every 4 weeks as dealer has instructed.also, dealer claimed that manufacturer was not sending out parts for recall repair.

Recall 99v131000; brake booster recall.dealer needs to install a vacuum by-pass system so the braking system wont malfunction. Dealer won't set an appointment until april 2000, andvehicle is experiencing braking problems which may result in a crash.dealer contacted, fray audi, greenwich, ct 203-661-1800.please provide further information.

Consumer received recall 99v131001 concerning the brake booster.contacted the dealer, no partswere available to correct the problem. Recallplease give any further details.

Recall 99v131000, brake booster:recall, whichdealer fred lavery audi porsche, 34602 woodward avenue, birmingham, mi phone # 2486455930,claimed had no parts available since october.cold season is coming upwhich could cause the brake booster tomalfunction and cause a crash.

Recall 99v131000 concerning brake booster failure.dealer has no parts since september, 1999.

Recalls 99v248 000/tie rod & 99v131 001/brake booster; both mamufacturer's recalls couldnot be honored because dealerhad no parts. Butinformed consumer that parts would be available on oct 15, 1999. Asking nhtsa help in this matter.

When parallel parking noticed difficulty in the steering, later noice broken wires at front of engine. Brakes have always required extra effort and performed poorly.

Tie rod failure resulting is a compromise of steering control as described in nhtsa 99v248000.

Control arm on my 1998 audi a4 fractured when pulling out of a parking lot, causing complete loss of steering control.audi technical service bulletin nhtsa # 10016418, #11242004 component description:22. Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm bulletin number: 11242004bulletin date: nov 2004vehicle: 1,998 audi a4summary:service action je campaign-check/replace front suspension lower control arms. Audi has found that in rare cases, one or both front suspension lower control arms on affected vehicles can exhibit wear, even though the damage to the rubber bo ( nhtsa item number - 10016418 ).

Vehicle experienced steering wheel and brake lock up. Mjs

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4.while applying pressure to the brake pedal, the contact noticed that the wheels on the vehicle appeared to move in an outward direction.also, when turning, she heard a loud grinding noise and the steering column became difficult to turn.the dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 99v248000 (steering:linkages:rod:relay:connecting).the vehicle is currently being repaired.the failure mileage was 92,000.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Recall 99v248000 concening tie rod failure.dealer has not had parts since september, 1999.

Prior to recall notification (99v-248) in regards to the steering system, the vehicle experienced failure from steering fluid contamination which caused loss of steering control and resulted in vehicle collision, injuries to consumers. (attorney for consumer). *mjs

Tie rods failed just as in recall campain, but i was told my car fell 1 month outside of recall date, nothing done.

I received a recall on my 1998 audi a-4 for a problem with both front suspension lower control arms.when i took it in the dealer said these were okay,but the upper front suspension control arms were bad, and also the steering tie-rods.when i called audi that it was the upper not the lower control arms that were bad they said they wouldn't do anything because the recall was for the lower.i took it to an independent repair technitian to confirm, which he did.he also said it was dangerous to drive the car with the tie rods in such bad condition.repair costs are about $500.because the upper and lower control arms are both part of the same unit and the car does not have high mileage (59,000 miles) i do not feel it is right for me to have bear this cost.

This consumer experienced the same problem asstated in nhtsa recall 99v244000. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism.it is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly. Dealership indicated to the consumer this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin.the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc

Nhtsa recall #99v248000 concerning tie rods.this vehicle is outside of recall scope. Consumer has a file with audi identifying the failure of the tie rods.moisture/dust particles are getting inside swivel bearing.he is concerned that vehicle was not included which is now on record with audi.case #20253198.

While turning consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front tie rods,and itwashard to turn the steering wheel. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the issue.

I just recently purchased my car and i took it to audi dealership to get an oil changed and found out that passenger tire rod needs to be replaced, and i told the mechanic that, is there any recall on this model?,i was told that there is none..,did my researched and found out that there was a recall on my car (nhtsa campaign id number: 99v248000 ).

Consumer stated that they are still having the same problem with there tie rod failing after dealer repairs. Ts

Dt: the contact states that he is unable to have a recall99v248000 repaired without charge. He purchased a used vehicle last week with an outstanding recall, when he took the vehicle to the dealer to have recall repair completed.the manufacturer refused to offer a free remedy. The recall stated that the tie rods would be replaced. The dealer and manufacturerindicated that because there was no damage to the rubber boots the tie rods would not be replaced free of charge. The dealer provided a repair order indicating that the lower control arm was damaged.

My 1998 audi a4tqmhas 85k miles onit. I just had all the lower control arms replaced for a second time (first tiem done under recall) becaus eit was creaking and growning. Both tie rodsends and one upper control arm were found to have failed as well.audi advises these are "wear items"even though the lower control arms wer eoriginally replaced under recall, and have only 45000 miles on them!

Re: nhtsa recall id number: 99v248000 (sep 13, 1999)i own an 1998 audi a4 [xxx].on 03/11/2003 i had the $1,3000 repair of tie rods and front wheel bearing at houston momentum audi that seemed to be exactly what is described in the recalls consequences.the audi of america does not show my vehicle among those subject to the recall.when i called them, they could not provide any reasoning, nor could they reconcile their references with the nhtsa recall.i believe, i should be reimbursed by audi and would appreciate your help in resolving this matter.sincerely,[xxx].updated 07/19/2012 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

No summary listed for above vehicle.

While driving vehicle lost oil and bottomed out due to excessive low vehicle clearence from road. Vehicle has been taken to dealer for problem. Dealer noted vehicle is a4 sports package.

Front sheild under the motor became loose.yh

Vehicle has 114k miles in northeast conditions, both rear coil springs are broken; possible defect like in the ford taurus recalls?

Rear coil springs failed at 114000 miles- cracked in half, fronts probably next.vehicle's life has been in the northeast subject to heavy use of road salt; seems spring composition similar to the brake rotors and coil springs on ford products that prompted a similar recall.an issue like this isn't expected from audi, and is disappointing.

The left lower control arm has been replaced.this is a very common occurance among a4 owners.audi has refused to replace the right lower control arm after it had begun showing similar problems.audiworld.com lists well over 50 people who have hadcontrol arms replaced.i felt you should be notified.

This part isn't dangerous at failure but is very noisy and seem to fail at anytime after 15,000 miles. Once repaired they may or may not fail again. Its about $1000 to fix them if not under warantee.i believe owners should have an extended warantee on this item.

I have a 1998.5 audi a4 quattro v6 with the sports package.many have complained about control arms failing and there has even been news of audi/vw having a recall for them in europe, but not the u.s.many have complained about wheels falling off due to bad control arms and mine have been replaced due to noise and torn worn out control arms.they failed at 77,000 miles and had to have all of them replaced (about $900 w/labor).my vin# is waued28d8wa35854.my current control arms are starting to make noise again and i really feel unsafe after hearing about wheels falling off due to bad control arms.

This recall was issued in sept., 1999.still no parts available at my dealer.i hope you are in contact with audi and plan to cite them for slow compliance.

After less that 70k miles, the upper control arms (specifically the bushings that protect the control arms' joints) on my audi a4 have proved defective. According to my technician, the control arms are the part of the car that make steering possible; therefore, faulty control arms create an enormous safety hazard and a liability.audi has already issued a recall for the lower control arms, but the recall does not cover the upper control arms -- despite the fact that the upper control arms are more defective. Every audi technician that i've spoken to about this defect has admitted that audi is ducking the problem, and as a consumer i feel cheated.audi is not operating on good faith.this is bad business that leaves unassuming consumers bearing the burden not only of costly repairs but also of hazardous mechanical failures.

The control arms (car has: 4 upper and 4 lower in total) have failed 3x in 2 years. These are defective and audi knows it. The arms contain a bushing that wears out causing the suspension to make creaking and rattling noises.

My car suffers from the same problem as nhtsa campaign 99v248000, but is not covered as it was mfd 11/98.the dealer has agreed to repair but i wanted to notify nhtsa that the recall does not cover all defective vehicles for this problem.

Consumer is having problems with front suspension, and there is a loud noise coming from the lower control arm. Cause unknown. Dealer notified.*mj

I received a recall notice for the lower control arms on my 1998 audi a4.i contacted the dealer to schedule the service.they are going to inspect my control arms.if they need to be replaced i must pay for the replacement because i can prove that i had an audi technician look at the control arms at the regularly scheduled intervals.this seems very unsafe seeing how it affects the steering of the car.it also seems unusual an inspection of the control arms would prevent a failure of the control arms.

Lower control arm has worn out and needs to be replaced at 40,000 miles. Dealer cannot determine cause of premature failure.

While turning left at 25 mph, the vehicle vibrated and the driver heard a loud noise coming from the rear.suddenly the passenger lower control arm broke.the driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pull over. The vehicle was towed home.the consumer will get in contact with the dealer in the near future.please provide further details.

1998 audi a4 fwd / 101,000 miles / broken drivers side front lower control arm / front suspension component (lower front control arm) snapped at bushing as i was parking.car was rendered limp and could not be towed due to probable fender damage that would be caused by dragging limp wheel.had this component broken at higher speeds a catastrophic accident would have been unavoidable.

Was slowing down for a red light when the front drivers side lower control arm failed at the ball joint. Was probably traveling 10-15 mph in traffic on a 50mph road. The front left hit the ground and the car stopped quickly. The wheel was pushed back into the wheel well causing damage to the fender. The control arm has been replaced.

Right front upper control arm broke. It may causewheel to fall and result in a crash.there is a national back order onparts, anddealer was aware of the problem, and said tha t a new design of the control arm is on the way. Butmamufacturer does not admit to the problem.please provide further information and vin#.

The consumer requested for recall repair reimbursement for work performed on the 1998 audi a4 lower control arms.*mrall 4 upper control arms and one bolt on the right side was replaced. *sc

Volkswagen and audi area about the same car and volkswagen recalled them and have a cost of $50 for a new mass air flow sensor while audi has the same problems with the sensor and no recall and cost is $400.not fair to the consumer cause its a very common part to go out on audi as well as volkswagen.called manufacturer and wont do a thing for me cause im the second owner.should be recalled just check audiworld.com to see the problems with those maf sensors.dt

With headlights on and dash lights dimmed, the air conditioner and heater panel will intermittently flash to full brightness distracting driver.

In extreme cold weather throttle may unexpectedly fail to return to idle when the accelerator pedal is released, making it very difficult to stop the car.

This incident happened in indianapolis indiana around 11:40am the temperature outside was two degrees fahrenheit.i was driving my 98 audi a4 2.8 quattro north on a two lane city street with a speed limit of 35mph.i had been driving for twenty minutes and smelled a very powerful gas smell since i started driving.my foot was on the gas and all of the sudden the acceleration of my car increased to 45mph.i tried breaking to slow the car down and the break pedal resisted my effort.i was able to slow to 40mph but no lower.when i took my foot off the break the car accelerated greatly.despite breaking,the speed kept increasing.i felt i had no control over my car.i was traveling for over a mile at speeds reaching 60mph on a 35mph speed limit.i approached a red light, luckily it turned green the minute i went under it.had it not, i would have run the red light at a busy intersection. My car reached speeds too dangerous for the road i was on.i moved into the center lane into oncoming traffic, fearing i would hit the traffic in front of me. While driving over a mile unable to control my speed i was looking for somewhere to pull off and get out of traffic. When i did pull into the center lane i was able to turn into a parking lot at 50mph.i pushed the breaks with all my might; it did not stop the car, so i put it in park and turned the ignition off. Had i not found that parking lot, i would've run into a snow embankment or hit a building.there was no chance my car was stopping and i had no control of the speed or breaking.i am very lucky that parking lot was empty.i realize that my speeds were very dangerous on this road.speeds of this nature could've resulted in damaged property and injuries or death to myself and/or others.this was a very frightening and upsetting experience that could've resulted in major damages, injuries, or even death.my safety was compromised.

Problems with the 1998 audi a4 accelerating suddenly while driving during sub zero temperatures.***no answer required***. *mr

My audi a4 avant 2.8 quattro 1998 accelerates on its own in cold temperatures ( below 15 degrees f ) and two dealerships failed to find the problem so far. It happens when the engine has warmed up partially, but has not reached it's operating temperature yet.

1998 audi a4 2.8 - driving along highway, in 7 degree temp,car started accelerating ( feels like it is driving itself) even after foot was removed from pedal and full force had tobe applied to brake to stop the car at which point it went into high rev and engine was immediately turned off.mechanic could find nothing wrong.this car also had 2 similar incident(once when new)and once a number of years ago.after much back and forth with audi, they took the car in, and said they could find nothing wrong.as a precaution i had the cruise control disconnected and the throttle body cable replaced so felt the car was safe.(all at my expense)

Bolt for cruise control servo fell out resulting in servo becoming wedged in engine area and causing sudden acceleration of the vehicle on highway.yh

1998 audi a4 quattro 2.8accelerator throttle stuck open this winter several timescausing an accident at my home.

Throttle sticking on acceleration in sub-zero driving temperatures. Brakes enabled me to stop car and shut off engine. If i took my foot off the brake, the car re-accelerated to the stuck position. Once the engine was shut off, engine heat evidently melted the ice and idle speed returned to normal. Have spoke to other audi owners and they have experienced similar stuck throttle problems in sub-zero driving temperatures.independent audi repairmen have suggested the problem is caused because there is no source of heat (exhaust hose routing or engine cooling routing) near the throttle plate and there is no fix or repair to this design problem. If a crash occurs, the engine heat melts the ice buildup before a cause of accident can be determined.when i contacted an audi dealership to ask if this is a problem with others and to get repair advice, they were unaware of this problem type and just said to be very careful driving. I also contacted audi customer service to file a report and they also said they are unaware of this being a problem but did give me a case number (881108347).it is -9 degrees today and -18 is forecast tonight. I am afraid to drive this car in sub-zero temperatures. Next time i might not be on a back country road when the throttle sticks.*la

Gas pedal lowered and stuck to the floor causing the vehicle to accelaerate even though brakes were applied.yh

1. Heated seat burned through the leather burning the back of my leg when on the lowest setting(1/6).2. The cruise control works about 1% of the time and will engage unexpectedly if not turned off.

The contact owns a 1998 audi a4.the contact stated that the windshield wipers failed three times within three years.the dealer stated that the windshield wiper motor failed.the wipers were repaired; however, the motor failed again in 2007 and 2008.the motor was replaced each time at the cost of $496.the failure and current mileages were less than 98,000.

My heater recently quit blowing hot air.the vehicle has 75k000 miles and is less than 5 years old.i am told it is the heater core.this seems odd as a heater core should never go bad over a 5 year period.the labor is 14 hours or about $1,200.then, i was made aware than the audi dealer stocks heater cores.this seems even more odd as it should not be happening enough for the dealer to want to stock the part.i have had other things go wrong on the car and they almost never stock the part.this leads me to believe that this happens and awful lot.this part should not have that type of failure rate.

I own an audi a4, and have observed that the driver side mirror tarnishes severaly.i have personally experienced this safety hazard and have observed many other audi vehicles with similar defective mirrors.respectfully request that this get looked into and a recall notice be issued for replacement mirrors.

Sunroof opens by itself.

Pumps are made of hard brittle plastic which fails in heat/cold engine bay. Cracks in the pump body allow the washer fluid to drain (suddenly) leaving no ability to clear the windshield of bugs/salt. Dealer reports that this is a very common problem and keeps a ready supply of replacements on hand. However cost ($60) of parts and difficulty of access (1hr disassembly/reassembly, $80+) makes this an expensive failure. I believe a price concession should be offered for out-of-warranty failures at less than reasonable life failures.

Upon startingvehicle the ignition gets stuck in the crank position.whenever this happenswindshield wipers stop working.vehicle had not been repaired because the vehicle was not on recall00v317000.

Windshield washer inoperative causing poor visibilty when consumer tried to glear glass of road salt which was sprayed on vehicle by a passing truck.nlm

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