NHTSA Complaint #10425712 — 2006 AUDI A4

OUR 2006 AUDI A4 HAS A REOCCURRING ISSUE WITH THE FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT. IT WILL REGULARLY BEGIN TO FLICKER FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE COMPLETELY SHUTTING OFF. THE CAR WILL TELL US WE HAVE A "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS COMPLETELY OFF AND THEN BACK ON WILL FIX THE ISSUE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE THE FLICKERING STARTS AGAIN AND REPEATS THE CYCLE. THIS HAD OCCURRED AS MANY AS 5 TO 6 TIMES BEFORE THE HEADLIGHT WILL STAY ON. EVEN THEN IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN LATER IN THE EVENING. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT AUDI DEALERSHIPS AND BOTH SAY THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS PROBABLY JUST A BULB GOING BAD. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN THE FALL OF 2008 AND THE BULB HAS BEEN GOING "BAD" FOR 3 YEARS. I'VE ASKED THAT THEY SWITCH THE BULBS TO TEST THEIR THEORY AND THEY WOULD DO IT BUT FOR $100. A REPLACEMENT BULB WOULD COST UPWARDS OF $500. BOTH VISITS OCCURRED WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD, UNFORTUNATELY FOR US WE ARE NO LONGER WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURNING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IS MOST CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE. THE FACT THAT AUDI HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM AND FIX THIS ISSUE IS MOST DISCONCERTING. *TT