2003 AUDI A4 Exterior Lighting Problems

Water pump failed inside lights sometimes work and signal lights aren’t accurate

I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE LAST YEAR WHEN IT HAD 78,000 MILES ON IT. ONLY 4 MONTHS AFTER HAVING PURCHASED THE CAR, I GOT A MESSAGE ON THE TROUBLE LIGHT WARNING SYSTEM THAT I HAD A "DIPPED LIGHT". I HAD TO GOOGLE OTHER AUDI OWNERS TO FIND OUT WHAT A DIPPED LIGHT WAS, AS I NEVER HEARD OF A BURNED OUT HEADLIGHT TERMED AS A "DIPPED LIGHT" BEFORE. I CAN ONLY DRIVE IT DURING THE DAY NOW, AS I HAVE HEARD IN CAR FORUMS THAT FIXING IT CAN BE QUITE A LONG AND EXPENSIVE PROCESS. I AM AFRAID THAT IT MAY AFFECT MY DRIVING SAFETY EVEN WHEN DRIVING DURING THE DAY, BECAUSE IN FLORIDA WE HAVE A LOT OF STORMY WEATHER DURING THE RAINY SEASON AND THE SKY GETS VERY DARK RIGHT BEFORE THE STORMS COME IN. I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT OTHER MOTORISTS CANNOT SEE ME COMING IN BAD WEATHER AND I HAD A NEAR ACCIDENT TODAY, WHEN ANOTHER MOTORIST CAME FLYING OUT OF A PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF ME AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, AND I HAD TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THEIR VEHICLE.

Mileage: 80,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED AFTER HAVING THE BRAKES REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN RESET THE COMPUTER BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Mileage: 95,000

HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT AND BLOWING THE BALLAST CAUSING HEADLIGHT NOT TO WORK AT ALL. REPLACED THIS EXPENSIVE PART MULTIPLE TIMES AND STILL BREAKS. NOT A CHEAP PART AND A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Mileage: 133,000

1. EXTERIOR LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS BURNING OUT AT A RATE OF EVERY 500 MILES. AUDI WILL NOT REPLACE. 2. WIPER TRANSMISSION HAS CORRODED, SEIZED, FAILED, AND CONSEQUENTLY BURNED OUT THE WIPER MOTOR 2X NOW - ONCE AT 40,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 80,000. AUDI WOULD NOT COVER THIS UNDER THE INITIAL NEW CAR WARRANTY, AND THEY DEMAND $750+ TO FIX THIS FAULTY ASSEMBLY. 3. COOLANT AND WIPER FLUID TANKS ARE MADE OUT OF CHEAP PLASTIC. I'VE HAD 2-3 LEAKS IN EACH TANK DUE TO HOLES IN THESE TANKS ACROSS THE LIFE OF THE CAR. THE MOST RECENT COOLANT TANK LEAK WAS PUSHING COOLANT THROUGH SO FAST THAT IT BURNED UP MY ENGINE AND MY TIMING BELT SNAPPED. I HAD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR - $2,000+. THESE ARE JUST 3 PROBLEMS AMONG COUNTLESS COSTLY PROBLEMS I'VE INCURRED SINCE THE 3-YEAR WARRANTY RAN OUT ON MY AUDI. I'VE EASILY MATCHED THE $35K+ COST OF THE CAR WITH PARTS AND REPAIRS, AND THE CAR ONLY HAS 88,000 MILES ON IT. THE COIL PACK RECALL HAS BEEN AN ISSUE AT LEAST EVERY 2,000 MILES. I CANNOT MAKE A TRIP OF MORE THAN 100 MILES WITHOUT A COIL SNAPPING, A TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND AN ARGUMENT WITH SERVICE REPS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE COIL REPAIRS. 88,000 MILES LATER, THE A4 I PURCHASED BRAND NEW IS BASICALLY NOT SAFELY DRIVABLE EXCEPT TO RUN SHORT ERRANDS AROUND THE CITY. ALL OF THIS IS NOT EVEN TO MENTION THE CHEAP MATERIALS THAT WENT INTO THE CAR INTERIOR. LEATHER IS WEARING IN PLACES NO ONE EVEN SITS, AND ALL THE RUBBERIZED BUTTONS HAVE PEELED AWAY. PLEASE HELP. AUDI WILL DO NOTHING. I'VE SPOKEN TO OTHERS WHO HAVE THIS SAME MAKE AND MODEL SITTING IN A GARAGE BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. THERE ARE 2 KNOWN RECALLS ON THIS CAR, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS GOING ON WITH THE BUILD THAN JUST THE COIL PACK AND FUEL INJECTOR. MY CAR HAS STALLED AND SEIZED ON RELATIVELY SHORT HIGHWAY TRIPS DESPITE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND ATTENTION TO RECALLED PARTS. *TR

Mileage: 40,000

HEADLIGHT DRIVER SIDE FOGGED UP THERE IS A RECALL SAME CAR AND YEAR BUT DIFFERENT HEAD LIGHTS BAD VISION CAN CAUSE A ACCIDENT. *JS

Mileage: 60,000

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND GO OUT MOMENTARILY WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY AFTER HITTING A DIP IN THE ROAD OR A BUMP. DASH READS "RIGHT/LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO HAVE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT AT NIGHT. *TR

Mileage: 65,000

A WARNING READING "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARED ON MY INSTRUMENT GAUGE. THE ISSUE WENT AWAY BY ITSELF BUT HAS NOW RETURNED. I GET THE SAME MESSAGE NOW AND MY FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT TURNS OFF BY ITSELF. SOMETIMES IT COMES BACK ON OR I HAVE TO MANUALLY SHUT OFF MY HEADLIGHTS AND TURNED THEM BACK ON. THE SAME MESSAGE COMES BACK ON AFTER MINUTES OF DRIVING. *TR

Mileage: 89,000

SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, THE HID LIGHTS HAVE SPORADICALLY FLICKERED. WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, THEY RANDOMLY FLICKER AND SOMETIMES TURN OFF BRIEFLY MAKING FOR A HAZARDOUS DRIVING SITUATION. I REALLY WISH AUDI WOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OWNERS HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

Mileage: 70,000

RIGHT HEADLIGHT STOPPED WORKING - CHANGED THE BULB BUT STILL WILL NOT WORK. ERROR MESSAGE SAYS "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". *TR

Mileage: 92,000

THERE IS A FAILURE WITH MY HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE(HID) LIGHTS THAT CAUSES THEM TO FLICKER AND SOMETIMES TO TURN OFF COMPLETELY WHILE IN USE/ THE FAILURE OCCURS EVERY TIME THE HID LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON. BULBS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, BUT THE CONDITION IS NOT RESOLVED. AN ALARM COMES ON SCREEN WHICH READS "LEFT LIGHT DIPPED" OR "RIGHT LIGHT DIPPED" AND RESULTS IN THE LIGHT TURNING OFF COMPLETELY ON THE DIPPED SIDE. *TR

Mileage: 38,000

I HAVE A 2003 AUDI A4 1.8T QUATTRO. A MESSAGE CAME ON MY DASHBOARD STATING THAT THERE IS A LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT PROBLEM. WHEN RESEARCHING, IT SEEMS A LARGE AMOUNT OF OTHER AUDI A4S HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. THIS SEEMINGLY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS IT IS VERY UNSAFE NOT ONLY FOR THE OPERATOR, BUT FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND PEDESTRIANS. THE BULB IS NOT "BURNED OUT" AS IT HAS WORKED SPORADICALLY SINCE THE FIRST WARNING CAME ON. *TR

HEADLIGHTS FAIL VERY FREQUENTLY. *TR

Mileage: 71,000

AT LEAST QUARTERLY I HAVE TO REPLACE ONE OR MORE BULBS. WITHIN THIS PAST WEEK MY RR BRAKE BULB & LR PARKING LIGHT BLEW. *TR

Mileage: 155,230

THE HEADLIGHTS ON 2002 THROUGH 2007 (AND POSSIBLY TO CURRENT) AUDI A4'S HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO GO OUT RANDOMLY. OFTEN TIMES IT IS JUST THE SINGLE LEFT HEADLIGHT, OR RIGHT HEADLIGHT, WHICH GOES OUT. THIS IS ACCOMPANIED BY THE ERROR MESSAGE "LEFT/RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED" ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS CAN OCCUR FROM THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES: -HEAVY OR SUDDEN CHASSIS VIBRATION (SUCH AS HITTING A POTHOLE OR EVEN SOMEONE PHYSICALLY STRIKING THE HEADLIGHT) -COLD WEATHER (EXAMPLES HAVE OCCURRED IN AS LITTLE AS 35 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT) -WATER OR MOISTURE IN THE ELECTRICAL WIRING THIS FAILURE CAUSES A SUDDEN LOSS OF HEADLIGHT OUTPUT, ENDANGERING BOTH THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS OR OTHER DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS IF THIS OCCURS AT NIGHT OR IN POOR WEATHER. SINCE A COMMON CAUSE IS POOR WEATHER/COLD WEATHER, OFTEN AT ITS WORST AT NIGHT, THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK. AUDI OF AMERICA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS AN ISSUE DESPITE SPANNING SEVERAL YEARS OF VEHICLES. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP HERE HAS REPLACED THE BULBS THREE TIMES (WHICH WERE FINE TO BEGIN WITH), THE HEADLIGHT ONCE, AND RUN SEVERAL ELECTRICAL DIAGNOSTICS - ALL AT OWNERS EXPENSE. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY BRIEFLY AND THEN COMES BACK. CURRENTLY THE LEFT HEADLIGHT OF MY 2003 AUDI A4 HAS BEEN OUT FOR 4 MONTHS WITHOUT RECOVERING. THERE ARE MULTIPLE EXAMPLES OF THIS SAME ISSUE ALL OVER THE INTERNET, A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH WILL PROVIDE MORE EXAMPLES. THERE WAS NO CRASH ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 63,000

CAR LEFT HEADLIGHT FAILURE (HID/XENON). FAULT NOT WITH BULB OR FUSE. *TR

Mileage: 98,000

HEADLIGHT FAILURE. THE CAR GIVES A WARNING THAT THE "FRONT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" IS TURNING OFF. THIS FAILURE OCCURS EVERY TIME I START THE CAR. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT 3 TIMES BUT IT IS A FAULTY BALLAST, WHICH IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

Mileage: 60,000

HI, I AM AN OWNER OF AN AUDI A4 2003. I AM NOT TOO SURE IF ITS THE "RIGHT PLACE" TO COMPLAINT ABOUT MY CAR'S SAFETY. MY CAR'S HEADLIGHTS ARE GOING OUT THE WHOLE TIME WHILE I AM DRIVING AND I HAVE TO RESET THEM BY TURNING THE SWITCH OFF AND THEN BACK ON IN ORDER TO KEEP THEM WORKING FOR COUPLE MINUTES. AFTER SOME MINUTES THE SAME PROCEDURE. I WENT TO AN AUDI DEALER AND THEY WONT "REPRODUCE" THE ERROR. THEY SAY THAT ONCE WE CONNECT IT TO OUR DATABASE AND WE READ NO ERROR THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO. I LOOKED INTO IT (ONLINE) FOR COUPLE WEEKS NOW AND I READ THE SAME STORIES OVER AND OVER AGAIN FROM PEOPLE THAT THEY OWN CARS FROM YEARS 2000- 2006 . THEY SAID THEY CONTACT AUDI AND AUDI IGNORES THEM. THAT'S WHY I AM COMING TO YOU. IT IS SO DANGEROUS THE LIGHTS TO GO OUT WHILE WE RE DRIVING AND YET NOBODY CAN HELP US TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

FUEL PUMP FAILED, IGNITION COILS HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED TWICE. *TR

Mileage: 10,000

WARNING LIGHT ON DASHBOARD COMES ON SAYING "LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED" LIGHT DOES NOT WORK, CHANGED LIGHTBULBS AND CHECKED FUSE. SAW SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

Mileage: 69,500

I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH MY A4. FIRST, MY HEADLIGHT SHORTED OUT AND COST OVER $600 BECAUSE IT FRIED ALL THE ELECTRICAL WIRES AND I HAD TO GET A NEW HEADLAMP SETTING AND WIRES. EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE COMPUTER HAS A LIGHTBULB SIGNAL LIGHT THAT IT IS NOT SENDING THE CORRECT AMPAGE. THE POWER STEERING LEAKS CONTINUOUSLY AND MAKES NOISES ALSO. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS CAME ON AND THE MOTOR IS RUNNING VERY BUMPY LIKE ALMOST LIKE IT IS MIS-FIRING OR SOMETHING. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY. WHEN I PUT IT INTO REVERSE IT STALLS AND WILL NOT GO. I PUT IT IN TO NEUTRAL, THEN REVERSE AGAIN AND IT SLOWLY CATCHES SOMETIMES. NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING AND I HAVE HAD MY CAR SITTING FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER ALL THIS SUDDENLY APPEARED. I AM SAVING MONEY TO TRY TO GET THIS FIXED. I AM AFRAID THAT THE ENGINE WILL STALL OR I WONT BE ABLE TO TURN DUE TO THE STEERING AND CRASH SO IT IS INOPERABLE AT THIS TIME. *TR

Mileage: 71,000

WHEN THE RIGHT INDICATOR IS TURNED ON BEFORE A TURN, THE INDICATOR LIGHTS KEEP SWITCHING BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT. THE PROBLEM IS OBSERVED NOT ONLY ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR LIGHTS, BUT ALSO THE FRONT AND REAR INDICATOR CONSOLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, BECAUSE IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE LANES WITHOUT RISKING GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND; ESPECIALLY ON A CROWDED ROAD. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP/SERVICE STATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE TWICE. HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THIS PROBLEM. *NM

Mileage: 25,000

I HAVE A AUDI A4 2003. TODAY FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN THE LAST 17K MILES, THE AUTO LEVELING SENSORS FOR THE XENON HEADLAMPS FAILED. THE XENON HEAD LIGHTS NO LONGER "AUTO LEVEL" AND IN CERTAIN TERRAINS THE CAR WILL BLIND ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE AUDI DEALER HAS REPLACED NUMEROUS PARTS, BUT HAS YET TO DATE TO REALLY FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFTEY ISSUE, SINCE IT CAUSES MY CAR TO BLIND ONCOMING TRAFFIC, AND ALSO CAUSES TOO MUCH REFLECTION OF SIGNS TO THE DRIVER IN MY CAR DURING NIGHT DRIVING. *NM

Mileage: 21,300