NHTSA Complaint #10153390 — 2004 AUDI A4

I OWE A 2004 AUDI A4 CONVERTIBLE. IN LATE FEBRUARY OF 06, I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WHEN I PUT THE GEAR ON D (DRIVE) OR R (REVERSE) AND GAVE GAS; THE CAR DID NOT MOVE AT ALL. DASH BOARD INSTRUMENT WAS NOT RESPONSIVE EITHER. INITIALLY I THOUGHT THIS WAS DUE TO COLD WEATHER. ON MARCH 13, 06, I WAS RUNNING ERRANDS IN A VERY BUSY AREA OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. THE CAR WAS WARM AS IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. I APPROACHED A BUSY INTERSECTION TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. WHEN THE ROAD WAS CLEARED, I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE FORWARD BUT THE CAR WAS TOTALLY FROZEN - IT WOULD NOT MOVE REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL. I WAS NOW FACING THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC OF THREE CARS BLOWING THEIR HORNS LIKE CRAZY. I JUST COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR AND WAS TERRIFIED THAT I WOULD BE HIT BY THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR. I WAS VERY SCARED AND CALLED THE AUDI OF TYSONS CORNER (HBL) IN VIENNA, VIRGINIA IMMEDIATELY AND TOOK THE CAR IN THAT DAY. THE NEXT DAY (3/14) AFTERNOON, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE SERVICE ADVISOR INDICATING THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. I INSISTED THAT THEY RECHECK AS I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES AND THAT THE LAST INCIDENT WAS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL AS I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THEY AGREED AND KEPT THE CAR FOR ANOTHER DAY; HOWEVER, THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED AND SAID THE SAME THING - NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I PICKED THE CAR ON MARCH 16, 06. WHILE WAITING IN THE LOBBY, I SAW ANOTHER AUDI A4 CONVERTIBLE DRIVER. I APPROACHED HER ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AND ASKED IF SHE EXPERIENCED THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SHE SAID YES AND THAT IS WHY SHE BROUGHT HER CAR IN ALONG WITH A REGULAR SERVICE CHECK. SHE RECEIVED THE SAME FEEDBACK FROM THE AUDI OF TYSONS - NOTHING WRONG WITH HER CAR EITHER. I HAVE THE NAME, PHONE NUMBER, ETC., OF THE OTHER DRIVER IF NEEDED. *JB