NHTSA Complaint #10564378 — 2006 AUDI S4

THE 2006 AUDI S4 HAS A KNOWN HEADLIGHT ISSUE WHICH CAUSES THE HEADLIGHTS TO FAIL. THE BULBS ARE NOT BAD AND AUDI IS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE ISSUE. AUDI DEALERS TELL CONSUMERS THAT THEY CAN CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AT $2500 PER LIGHT AND IT MAY SOLVE THE ISSUE, BUT THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN IT WILL. AUDI HAS BEEN NAMED IN A LAWSUIT ABOUT THE HEADLIGHTS AND HAS AGREED TO REPAIR SOME IF THEY ARE WITHIN WARRANTY CONSTRAINTS BUT CARS THAT ARE NOT WITHIN THE WARRANTY CONSTRAINTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE REPAIRED AT THE COST OF THE OWNER. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED SINCE THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY RELEASED BUT AUDI HAS ONLY AGREED TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY FOR 5 YEARS OR 50,000 MILES FROM THE ORIGINAL CAR PURCHASE, HOWEVER THE SETTLEMENT WAS ISSUED IN 10/2013, A 2006 CAR WOULD BE OVER THE 5 YEARS IN 2011. IF THE AUDI OWNER CAN PROVE THEY HAD THE ISSUE PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE WARRANTY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE REPAIRED AT NO COST, HOWEVER WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO GET MY FIXED, WITH PROOF ALL I GOT WAS A RUNAROUND FROM THE DEALER. I CALLED AUDI USA AND AFTER THREE WEEKS OF "RESEARCHING" THE ISSUE THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED SO THEY OFFERED NO COVERAGE DESPITE PROOF THAT THE ISSUE PREDATES WARRANTY EXPIRATION. THE HEADLIGHTS GIVE OFF A "DIPPED HEADLIGHT" WARNING AND THEN THE HEADLIGHT EITHER SEVERELY DIMS OR TURNS OFF ENTIRELY. IF YOU COMPLETELY TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND TURN THEM BACK ON AGAIN THEN SOMETIMES THE ERROR WILL RESOLVE. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY TYPICALLY WHEN THE CAR HITS A BUMP. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE BUT RATHER THAN DO THE RIGHT THING AND ISSUE A COMPLETE RECALL AUDI HAS OPTED TO GIVE OWNERS THE RUN AROUND WHICH EVENTUALLY ENDS UP WITH THEM PAYING FOR EXPENSIVE HEADLIGHT REPAIRS WHICH DO NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MAKE AUDI ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE HEADLIGHTS. *TR