1996 Audi A4

I OWN AN 1996 AUDI A4. RECENTLY, MY HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS HAVE STOPPED FUNCTIONING ALL TOGETHER AT VARIOUS TIMES. SOMETIMES THEY WORK FINE THE NEXT MINUTE THEY WOULDN'T. ONE NIGHT I ALMOST GOT REAR-ENDED BY ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE MY REAR TAILLIGHTS WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. SO I TOOK THE CAR TO AUDI TO GET THE PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF. WHEN I WENT TO AUDI, THEY TOLD ME I HAVE A BAD IGNITION SWITCH AND SAID THE PROBLEM WOULD PROBABLY BE TAKEN CARE OF WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SWITCH. I GOT THE WORK DONE AND THEN WENT ON THE INTERNET TO CHECK ANY RECALLS FROM THE NHTSA. A RECALL #00V317000 CAME UP AND DESCRIBED THE EXACT PROBLEM I HAD WITH MY AUDI. HOWEVER, WHEN I CALLED THE DEALER AND AUDI THEY TOLD ME THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO MY VIN #. I FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAZARD WAS TAKEN CARE OF FOR A SELECT NUMBER OF CARS BUT THERE ARE STILL CARS OUT ON THE ROADWAY THAT HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. I THINK AUDI WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE LIKELY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS IF THAT FORD F250 SUPER DUTY WOULD HAVE PLACED ITS V-8 IN MY PASSENGER'S SEAT AS IT ALMOST DID. IT WAS AN AWFUL CLOSE CALL FOR ME AND I AM HAVING A HUGE PROBLEM WITH AUDI NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTS. *NM

PROBLEM WITH IGNITION SWITCH CAUSING THE RETURN SPRING FORCE TO BE INSUFFICIENT FOR RETURNING THE IGNITION KEY TO THE RUNNING POSITION AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, ALSO CAUSING ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES TO BECOME INOPERATIVE AND RUNNING DOWN THE BATTERY. THERE WAS A RECALL CONCERNING THE IGNITION SWITCH ON THE EXACT SAME YEAR (1996) AND MODEL (AUDI A4) AND REGARDING THE EXACT SAME IGNITION PROBLEM. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE MANUFACTURER CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. THE RECALL THEY CLAIM DOES NOT INCLUDE MY VIN NUMBER. HOWEVER, MY CAR IS A 1996 AUDI A4 AND MY VEHICLE IS HAVING THE EXACT SAME SAFETY PROBLEM COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE RECALL #00V317000. *JB

1996 AUDI A4 - AUDI A4 FRONT CONTROL ARMS ALL FAIL AT AROUND 100,000 MILES. ALL 8 OF MINE WERE REPLACED. AUDI SENT OUT A TSB FOR 2 OF THE 8 CONTROL ARMS AND ARE JERKING PEOPLE AROUND WITH THE REIMBURSEMENT. THEY WANT PEOPLE TO PROVE THAT ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WAS DONE, YET THE PARTS IN QUESTION ARE NOT REPAIRABLE OR SERVICEABLE. ACCORDING TO MY AUDI DEALER, THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT HASN'T GOTTEN ANY BETTER, EVEN WITH THE LATEST MODELS. THESE COST BETWEEN $300 - $500 EACH TO REPLACE FOR A TOTAL OF $3000 FOR ALL 8. THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM COLLECTING ON THIS AND THIS SHOULD COVER ALL 8, SINCE ALL 8 FAIL INSTEAD OF ONLY 2. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE LETTER AND PAPERWORK THAT I PROVIDED TO THEM FOR REIMBURSEMENT OVER 6 MONTHS AGO. EVERY AUDI A4 HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND CONTINUES TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. AUDI SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THE POOR DESIGN AND THE BOGUS TSB LETTER THAT THEY SENT TO OWNERS.

00 V 317 000/IGNITION SWITCH: THE IGNITION SWITCH WILL NOT RETURN TO THE RUNNING POSITION AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN THE SWITCH BACK AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE RECALL ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND NOTIFIED HER DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT HER VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. *JB

I DETECTED A STONG ODOR OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER CABIN. I TOOK THE VEHICK IN TWO WEEKS AGO AND WAS TOLD THAT A LEAK WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINE AT A CRIMP, SPILLING DOWN THE WHEEL WELL ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE COST TO PERFROM THE REPAIR WOULD BE $950 AS THE ONLY WAY TO ADRESS THE PROBLEM WAAS TO REPLACE THE ENTILE FUEL LINE FROM FRONT TO BACK. I DECLINED THE APPROVE THE WORK AND PICKED UP THE CAR IN ORDER TO GET A SECOND OPINON. THE CUSE OF THE LEAK IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND I HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE AUDI TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROBLEM.*AK

THERE WERE NO CRASHES AND NO INJURIES RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT. I PURCHASED A 1996 AUDI A4 QUATTRO, VIN [XXX], USED ON FEBRUARY 7, 2004. ON THE INCIDENT DATE THE INGITION SWITCH FAILED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE STARTER MOTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OUR SERVICE DEALER, MIDWESTERN AUTO GROUP, DUBLIN, OHIO WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE OF THE INGITION SWITCH HOUSING. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME FAILURE THAT INITIATED A RECALL CAMPAIGN, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID# 00V317000 (AUDI CAMPAIGN CODE LE). THE DEALER RESEARCHED THE AUDI DATABASE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS COMPLETED ON THIS VEHICLE IN 2001. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AUDI MANUFACTURERS REPRESENTATIVE, TO THE DISPLEASURE OF THE DEALER, HAS DENIED ANY CLAIM ON THIS INCIDENT PERTAINING TO THE RECALL. THE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT IT IS AUDI'S POLICY THAT ONCE A RECALL HAS BEEN COMPLETED ON A VEHICLE, IT WILL NOT HONOR ANY FURTHER CLAIMS EVEN IF THE PROBLEM IS EXACTLY THE SAME. A CALL TO THE AUDI CONSUMER ADVOCATE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THIS POLICY, INCIDENT # [XXX]. TWO ISSUES SURFACE BECAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT. THE FIRST ISSUE IS THE ADEQUACY OF THE SOLUTION TO THE INITIAL RECALL. THE SECOND ISSUE IS AUDI'S RESPONSE AND POLICY CONCERNING IDENTICAL FAILURES OF COMPONENTS ADDRESSED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN.THE PARTS ARE BEING REPLACED AT MY COST AND WILL BE RETAINED ALONG WITH THE SERVICE INVOICE. UPDATED 07/24/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)