NHTSA Complaint #10147065 — 1992 AUDI 100

THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP TO COMPLAINT 10146994 FILED ON 1-05-06. IT CONCERNS THE RUSTED OUT FUEL LINES ON MY 100CS WAGON FROM AUDI. I HAVE STARTED TO TEAR DOWN TO REPLACE THE LINES, AND SEE WHERE THE MAIN ISSUE SEEMS TO BE. AT ALL OF THE MOUNTING POINTS FOR THE FUEL LINES ON THE UNDERBODY FROM THE FUEL TANK TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE LINES HAVE RUSTED THROUGH. THERE WERE ACTUALLY 8 LEAKS INSTEAD OF THE THREE THAT I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WERE PRESENT. DUE TO THE RUBBER MOUNTS BEING COMPRESSED AROUND THE LINES, NOT ALL OF THEM SHOWED THE LEAKS UNTIL THE MOUNTING BRACKETS WERE REMOVED. IT APPEARS THAT THE RUBBER MOUNTS THAT ARE USED HOLD WATER ETC. ALLOWING THE FUEL LINES TO BE PRONE TO RUST THROUGH IN THESE AREAS. IN CHECKING ONLINE FORUMS, IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM WITH PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS AS WELL. I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PEOPLE REPLACING RUSTED FUEL LINES ON AUDI MODELS. I HAVE NOT MADE A BIG ISSUE OF IT WITH AUDI AS OF YET, ONLY CONTACTED THEM TO THE POINT THAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE AS A RECALL. I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS ACTION ON THIS AS IT CREATES A FUEL LEAK THAT CAN BE A SOURCE OF FIRE. MY GUESS IS THAT IF THESE LEAKS WERE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHERE AN EASIER IGNITION SOURCE COULD BE FOUND, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A BIG FIRE ISSUE AND RECALLED. *NM