NHTSA Complaint #10315749 — 2005 AUDI A4

I OWN AN AUDI A4 2.0. THIS CAR HAS A PROBLEM OF LOCKING UNEXPECTEDLY AND LEAVING THE DRIVER STRANDED. THE FIRST 2 TIMES I WAS CHECKING MY MAIL AT THE TOP OF THE DRIVEWAY BUT FOUND LOCKED OUT OF THE CAR WHEN I RETURNED TO THE CAR. FORTUNATELY BEING NEAR THE HOME, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DUPLICATE KEY AND GET IN. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR AND LEFT THE ENGINE RUNNING TO WARM THE CAR WHILE SHE WAS CLEANING THE SNOW. FORTUNATELY A POLICEMAN STOPPED AND HELPED HER UNLOCK THE CAR BUT THE SITUATION WAS BAD AND COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS. EACH TIME I TOOK THE CAR, THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY MALFUNCTION. THE MOST RECENT ONE WAS A VISIT TO THE DEALER TODAY. THEY SAID THAT AUDI IS AWARE OF A PROBLEM AND HAS PUT OUT A BULLETIN JUST NOW, ON 02/05/10. CHANGING THE ENTIRE LOCKS FOR THE CAR AT $1,500 WAS THE RECOMMENDED SOLUTION. NOW THE CARE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY BUT THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WHEN IT WAS WITHIN THE 50K WARRANTY PERIOD. I CHECKED ON GOOGLE. WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR "LOCKED-OUT AUDI" YOU SEE NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF LOCK MALFUNCTION. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND SHOULD BE FIXED IRRESPECTIVE OF THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED OR ELSE A DRIVER CAN GET STRANDED IN A VERY UNFORTUNATE UNSAFE SITUATION. *TR