1999 Audi A4

THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLES LEFT REAR BRAKES FAILED. ALSO STATES THAT THE VEHICLE OFTEN FAILED TO STOP DURING WET CONDITIONS, THE CONSUMER WILL PRESS THE BRAKES AND THERE IS A DELAY BEFORE THEY WOULD ENGAGE. THIS HAPPENED TWICE, AND ALMOST RAN INTO AN INTERSECTION, THE LEFT REAR BRAKES SQUEAK CONSTANTLY UPON APPLICATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ONCE TO FIX AND IT STILL SQUEAKS. SCC PH

AFTER ABOUT 25,000 MILES OF DRIVING THE TREAD ON TWO OF MY BF GOODRICH G-FORCE TA KDWS TIRES IS SEPARATING FROM THE TIRE. ONE TIRE (WHICH WAS MY FRONT LEFT) HAS TWO AREAS OF SEPARATION AND ONE AREA JUST SHOWING SIGNS OF STARTING TO SEPARATE. THE AREAS OF SEPARATION ARE ABOUT 4"-6" LONG AND 12"-15" LONG. PICTURES CAN BE EMAILED ON REQUEST OR SEEN AT:HTTP://FORUMS.AUDIWORLD.COM/WHEEL/MSGS/56770.PHTML I CALLED BFGOODRICH ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE. ALTHOUGH, THE COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE AND ON WWW.TIRERACK.COM SEEM TO INDICATE THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED BEFORE. BFG IS ONLY WILLING TO PRO-RATE REPLACE THE TIRES IF I BUY THE SAME TIRES. AFTER ALMOST HAVING A SERIOUS CRASH IN THE HEAVY RAIN DUE TO THE DEFECT IN THESE TIRES, I WOULD NEVER PAY TO HAVE THEM AGAIN.

AUGUST OF 2001 THE CAR BROKE DOWN AND WAS TOWED TO AN AUDI DEALER. THAT DEALER INFORMED US THAT THE ENGINE SIEZED AND HE WOULD NEED APPROVAL FROM AUDI OF AMERICA TO PERFORM THE REPAIR UNDER WARRENTY. AUDI OF AMERICA'S REPRESENTATIVE TOOK SEVERAL WEEKS TO RETURN A DECISION NOT TO HONOR THE WARRANTY BECAUSE WE HAD OUR OIL CHANGES AT INDEPENDANT SERVICE STATIONS INSTEAD OF AUDI DEALERSHIPS. WE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THAT REPRESENTATIVE BUT WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK WITH HIM NOR WOULD THEY RELEASE HIS NAME. WE ATTEMPTED TO SPEAK WITH HIS SUPERVISOR, BUT AUDI OF AMERICA TOLD US THERE WAS NO SUPERVISOR, THAT REPRESENTATIVE WAS THE FINAL DECISION, AND THERE WAS NO APPEALS PROCESS. WE WERE GIVEN THE NAME OF THE VICE PRESIDENT AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS TO APPEAL THE DECISION, BUT WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK TO HIM. WE WROTE HIM A LETTER WHICH WAS NEVER RETURNED. WE HAVE FILED A LAW SUIT AGAINST AUDI OF AMERICA AND TWO OF THE DEALERSHIPS. DT

TREADS SEPARATED ON BOTH FRONT LEFT AND FRONT RIGHT TIRES ALONG ON INSIDE EDGE OF EACH WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 93 IN NH. ONE THREW CORD, THE OTHER SHOWED SEPARATION UPON EXAMINATION. DEALER [LAKES REGION AUDI, GILFORD NH] CHECKED INFLATION, AT 31.2 AND 31.4LB (RECOMMENDED PRESSURE IS 32LB). MODERATE TREAD WEAR (4/32IN LEFT?) AFTER 30K MI. DEALER ALSO PERFORMED RE-ALIGNMENT AFTER NEW TIRES WERE INSTALLED, BUT FOUND NO SERIOUS PROBLEM (MINOR TOE-IN ADJ). THIS CAR IS DRIVEN MOSTLY IN WASHINGTON DC WHERE IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT RECENTLY, BUT THESE ARE TEMPERATURE CATEGORY A TIRES. SAME FAILURE ON BOTH FRONT TIRES AT SAME TIME SUGGESTS A POSSIBLE MANUFACTURING DEFECT.*AK

TREADS SEPARATED ON BOTH FRONT LEFT AND FRONT RIGHT TIRES ALONG ON INSIDE EDGE OF EACH WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 93 IN NH. ONE THREW CORD, THE OTHER SHOWED SEPARATION UPON EXAMINATION. DEALER [LAKES REGION AUDI, GILFORD NH] CHECKED INFLATION, AT 31.2 AND 31.4LB (RECOMMENDED PRESSURE IS 32LB). MODERATE TREAD WEAR (4/32IN LEFT?) AFTER 30K MI. DEALER ALSO PERFORMED RE-ALIGNMENT AFTER NEW TIRES WERE INSTALLED, BUT FOUND NO SERIOUS PROBLEM (MINOR TOE-IN ADJ). THIS CAR IS DRIVEN MOSTLY IN WASHINGTON DC WHERE IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT RECENTLY, BUT THESE ARE TEMPERATURE CATEGORY A TIRES. SAME FAILURE ON BOTH FRONT TIRES AT SAME TIME SUGGESTS A POSSIBLE MANUFACTURING DEFECT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, REAR PASSENGER TIRE BLEWOUT WITHOUT WARNING. MECHANIC STATED TREAD WAS SEPARATING BECAUSE OF A BAD ALIGNMENT. BODY SHOP THAT DID THE ALIGNMENT GAVE A PRINT OUT OF THE ALIGNMENT WITH STATISTICS. *AK. CONSUMER STATED THE BACK REAR TIRE WAS WORN OUT ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE TREAD OF THE TIRE, ALL TIRES HAVE SINCE BEEN REPLACED.*JB

AFTER TRAVELING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES ON FREEWAYS IN RAIN STORMS THE FIRST APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES DOES NOT SLOW THE CAR. THERE IS A 1-2 SECOND DELAY BEFORE THERE IS ANY BARKING FORCE REGARDLESS OF PEDAL PRESSURE. THIS ISN'T MERELY THE TYPICAL LACK OF INITIAL BITE ON WET BRAKES AS WITH WET BRAKES THE BRAKE FORCE WILL INCREASE WITH INCREASED PEDAL PRESSURE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, INSTINCTS ARE TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER AND WHEN THE WATER IS FINALLY SHED THE CAR WILL PULL SHARPLY IN REACTION TO WHICH EVER OF THE BRAKES 'DRIES' FIRST. AUDI HAS DESIGNED AND SELLS A PLASTIC WING THAT FITS AROUND THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL WELL AT THE UNDERBODY/WHEEL WELL INTERFACE TO COMBAT THIS BUT IT ONLY MAKES A MARGINAL IMPROVEMENT. IN ADDITION, THE 2002 AUDI A4 COMES EQUIPED WITH THIS SAME SHIELDING IN AN APPARENT AWKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE ISSUE.*AK