NHTSA Complaint #10140964 — 1996 AUDI A4

(1) I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE (LE RECALL) FROM AUDI OF AMERICA ON THE IGNITION SWITCH ON MY 1996 A4 SEDAN. THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED ON 10/10/02. AT THAT POINT IN TIME THE ORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH HAD BEEN PERFORMING CORRECTLY FOR 69 MONTHS BUT I HAD IT REPLACED BECAUSE OF AUDI'S RECOMMENDATION; NOT BECAUSE IT HAD A MALFUNCTION. (2)IN OCTOBER OF 2005 THE REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH FAILED AFTER EXACTLY 36 MONTHS OF SERVICE. I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE WIPER BLADES AND THE A/C. BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE I EXPERIENCED PREVIOUSLY ON THE 1997 AUDI I TURNED THE MOTOR OFF THEN OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND RESTARTED THE MOTOR. I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE THE STARTER MOTOR STILL ENGAGED SO I TURNED THE MOTOR OFF AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO REEVES AUDI. (3)REEVES AUDI REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND BILLED ME ABOUT $661 BUT AFTER I COMPLAINED THEY GAVE ME A 15% DISCOUNT SO I ENDED UP PAYING ABOUT $571 (4)I CALLED AUDI OF AMERICA. THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL UP MY EARLIER COMPLAINT ABOUT THE 1997 A4 AND CREATED A NEW FILE FOR THE 1996 A4 (50407850). HOWEVER, THEIR FINAL WORD ON THE SUBJECT WAS THAT THEY STOOD BEHIND THE 15% DISCOUNT OFFERED TO ME BY REEVES AUDI. (5)BOTTOM LINE IS THAT FOR 2 AUDI AUTOMOBILES I HAD GOOD IGNITION SWITCHES THAT HAD SERVED 59 AND 69 MONTHS BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF AN AUDI OF AMERICA RECALL AND THEN HAD THE REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCHES FAIL AFTER 18 AND 36 MONTHS. I AM OUT OF POCKET OVER $2500 FOR A PROBLEM IDENTIFIED BY AUDI OF AMERICA AND SUPPOSEDLY CORRECTED BY REEVES AUDI OF TAMPA. HOW CAN A CAR MANUFACTURER IDENTIFY A PROBLEM (WAS IT A SAFETY RECALL), IDENTIFY CORRECTIVE ACTION, PUT OUT A RECALL NOTICE AND THEN HAVE THE IMPROVED PART FAIL IN SUCH A SHORT TIME SPAN. MY ORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCHES NEVER DID FAIL. (6)MY CONTENTION IS THAT AUDI DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM WHEN THEY PERFORMED THE RECALL, IN FACT THEY MADE THE PROBLEM CONSIDERABLY WORSE. AUDI SHOULD BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY OF REPAIRING THESE IGNITION SWITCHES A 2ND. TIME. *JB