NHTSA Complaint #10097980 — 1998 AUDI A6

I OWN A 1998 AUDI A6 QUATTRO (2.8 LITER ENGINE). LAST WINTER DURING A COLD SPELL SOME PART IN THE PCV VALVE FROZE SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAUSED THE THROTTLE TO BE STUCK AT ABOUT 4,000 RPM AND THE CAR TURNED INTO A ROCKET. FORTUNATELY, I COULD BRING THE CAR TO A STOP AND NOBODY WAS HURT. IT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE THOUGH, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE ROADS WERE SNOWY AND ICY THAT DAY. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE AUDI DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT "IT MAY TAKE A WEEK BECAUSE WE ARE SWAMPED WITH MANY OTHER AUDI A6, ALL WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS SOME SORT OF DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL/ENGINE, AND THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN VERY COLD WEATHER. IN APRIL I FOUND A SHORT ARTICLE IN "DER SPIEGEL" (THE GERMAN EQUIVALENT TO NEWSWEEK OR TIME MAGAZINES), REPORTING THAT NHTSA TOOK 16 AUDI A6 IN TO TEST FOR EXACTLY THIS PROBLEM. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO CUSTOMERS? CAN YOU FORCE AUDI TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, SINCE THIS APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE? KINDEST REGARDS AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE, HAGEN BLASZYK, MD