NHTSA Complaint #10193506 — 2003 AUDI RS6

THE DRC (DYNAMIC RIDE CONTROL) SUSPENSION ON THE 2003 AUDI RS6 HAS FAILED TWICE. THE ONLY SYMPTOM WAS A BANGING UNDERCARRIAGE RATTLE, BUT OTHERS HAD HANDLING PROBLEMS. DRC FAILURE WAS RAMPANT AS A SUBJECT FOR THREADS ON OWNER FORUMS, AND IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ARTICLE IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF AUTOMETRIX, A BRITISH PUBLICATION, THE FIRST PAGE OF WHICH COULD BE FOUND HERE: HTTP://WWW.RS6.COM/FORUM/ATTACHMENT.PHP? *AKATTACHMENTID=5172&D=1181644759. SINCE THE DRC FAILURES OCCURRED AT 32,000 AND 50,000 MILES I EXPECTED MORE FAILURES IN THE FUTURE. BUT WHILE THE FIRST TWO REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY WHICH HAS EXPIRED. THUS, I FEARED I WILL HAVE TO PAY NEXT TIME, AND THE COST TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM MAY BE AS HIGH AS $6500 ACCORDING TO FORUM POSTINGS. AN AFTERMARKET ALTERNATIVE WAS AVAILABLE, PER THE LINKED ARTICLE ABOVE, BUT EVEN IT COSTS ABOUT $4000, AND IT WAS TOO NEW TO DETERMINE ITS LONGEVITY. TO ME THIS WAS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT IN AUDI DESIGN THAT COUD LEAD TO HANDLING PROBLEMS, AUDI SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE FOR ALL OWNERS. SO FAR THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO SO DESPITE A 3/22/06 LETTER TO ME FROM A REPRESENTATIVE AT AUDI OF AMERICA HQ IN ROCHESTER HILLS, MI, IN WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGE "HAVING HANDLED MULTIPLE REPAIRS WITH THIS SYSTEM. TO BE FAIR, AOA DID EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR A YEAR, BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, INCLUDING DOWNT IME OF UP TO ONE MONTH. AUDI SHOULD AT LEAST EXTEND THEIR WARRANTY FOR THE DRC COMPONENT TO ALL OWNERS, AS THEY DID WHEN OWNERS REPORTED WIDESPREAD FAILURES OF THE MAF FILTER ON THE AUDI S4 FOR THE 2000 MODEL YEAR. THAT RESPONSE WAS EXEMPLARY! DRC HAS BECOME SUCH A WIDELY PUBLICIZED ISSUE THAT I AM SURE IT WAS CONTRIBUTING TO DRAMATIC RESALE VALUE DECLINES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. AUDI NEEDED TO KNOW THAT IF RS6 OWNERS GET NO SATISFACTION BUYERS OF THEIR ONETIMEFLAGSHIP" SEDAN WILL BE FLOCKING ELSEWHERE NEXT TIME THEY SHOP. *AK