NHTSA Complaint #10104341 — 1999 AUDI A6

(1) ABS/BRAKE LIGHT INDICATORS APPEARED ON THE DASH. THE AMBER (ABS LIGHT) STAYS ON WHILE THE RED BRAKE LIGHT BLINKS. AN AUDIBLE ALERT SOUNDS FOR 3 SECONDS, BUT THE LIGHTS STAY ON. THIS INDICATES THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE IS MALFUNCTIONING, THUS LOOSING ABS ABILITIES. (2) AFTER RESEARCHING THROUGH AUDI FORUMS (AUDIWORLD.COM OR AUDIFORUMS.COM), I DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN AUDI'S (1997-2001), INCLUDING A4'S, A6'S AND VW PASSATS. IT IS SPECULATED THAT WATER OR MOISTURE SEEKS INTO THE MODULE COMPUTER BOARD, THUS SHORTS IT OUT. IT WAS CONFIRMED BY MY AUDI DEALER THAT MY ABS UNIT IS DEFECTIVE. I RECEIVED A $2,400 ESTIMATE TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. (3) NOTHING, TOO EXPENSIVE- MY BIGGER ISSUE HERE IS SAFETY- MOST AUDI/VW OWNERS AREN'T AWARE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING/FREQUENT PROBLEM IN THEIR CARS, BECAUSE IT'S USUALLY CAUGHT UNDER WARRANTY. IF YOU?RE LIKE ME AND HAVE AN EXPIRED WARRANTY YOU ARE PAYING THROUGH THE NOSE. I CALLED AUDI OF AMERICA TO ALERT THEM ABOUT THIS DEFECT AND ASKED THEM TO RECALL IT NATIONALLY- THEY SAID NO BECAUSE MY CAR IS OLDER. TO THAT POINT, WHY DID THEY RECALL THE THROTTLE BODY, LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND A PLASTIC WIRE PROTECTOR ON 12/15/04 IF MY CAR IS SO-CALLED "OLDER?" AGAIN THEY CAN'T JUSTIFY IT. THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD COST THEM TOO MUCH MONEY! I AM HOPING THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T GET INJURED BECAUSE OF MONEY OR IT TAKES AN ACCIDENT TO GET THIS (ABS MODULE) DEFECT RECALLED, THEN I AM SURE AUDI WILL END UP PAYING 10X MORE. PLEASE MAKE THIS RECALL HAPPEN AS WELL AS ASK AUDI TO INFORM THEIR OWNERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *JB