1998 AUDI A4 Electrical System Problems

TL* 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.

Mileage: 201,000

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 CAR BUT THERE IS NO RECALL AT ALL FOR THIS YET. *KB

Mileage: 110,000

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER READOUT IS UNREADABLE. DISPLAY HAS DIMMED OVER TIME. VEHICLE: 1998 AUDI A4 QUATTRO. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

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.

Mileage: 82,000

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.

Mileage: 82,000

IGNITION SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE. CURRENTLY MANUFACTURER RECALLED VEHICLES WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

Mileage: 56,000

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. *AK

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. *AK

Mileage: 106,000

UPON STARTING VEHICLE THE IGNITION GETS STUCK IN THE CRANK POSITION. WHENEVER THIS HAPPENS WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING. VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL 00V317000. *AK

Mileage: 68,000

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.E WINDOWS, LIGHTS, RADIO, FAN, ETC) WILL NOT RUN AND THE STARTER WILL CONTIUE TO RUN POTENTIATING THE FAILURE OF THAT PART. RECALL NOTICE #00V31700 COVERS MODEL 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.*AK

Mileage: 55,000

DASH LIGHTS COME ON WITH EITHER THE IGNITION OR PHOTO SENSOR. *PH THIS DESIGN MAKES THE CONSUMER THINK THAT THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS ARE ON ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT. *NM

THE PROBLEM: IGNITION SWITCH RETURN SPRING THERE 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.

Mileage: 63,500

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.*JB

MY CAR WAS MADE IN MARCH 1997, IF IT IS NOT ON RECALL, WHY IT 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.*AK

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.*AK

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.*JB

CAR SIMPLY TURNED ITSELF OFF AT 65 MPH. EVENTUALLY RESTARTED. COMPUTER SAYS NO PROBLEM. *AK

CAR STALLED DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING, LOST ALL POWER. COMPUTER REPORTS NOTHING WRONG. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

WHEN IGNITION TURNED ON A STEADY LOUD CLICKING SOUND FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT BEGINS. ENGINE WLL START BUT ONLY AFTER EXCESSIVE CRANKING. *AK

CAR QUIT RUNNING. WOULD NOT RESTART. BRAKES SQUEEK AND GRIND REVEALING EXCESSIVE AND PREMATURE WEAR.

CAR QUIT RUNNING. WOULD NOT RESTART.

CAR QUIT RUNNING. WOULD NOT RESTART.

COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL. *MJS