NHTSA Complaint #10761528 — 2014 AUDI S4

2014 AUDI S4 HAS DANGEROUS STEERING BEHAVIOR. THE STEERING SLIPS AT THE CENTER POSITION, WILL NOT GO STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY, AND REQUIRES CONSTANT STEERING INPUT. THIS IS FURTHER EXACERBATED BY A CONSTANT NOTCHY FEELING AT ANY SPEED BETWEEN THE 10 AND 2 OCLOCK POSITION. IT IS PARTICULARLY BAD IN LONG SWEEPING TURNS WHERE YOU CAN DISTINCTLY FEEL A NOTCH. WHEN IN ONE OF THESE TURNS YOU WILL HAVE CONSTANT LINEAR STEERING FOLLOWED BY A NOTCH THAT WHEN SURPASSED RESULTS IN A LARGE STEERING INPUT WHICH IS UNEXPECTED AND DESTABILIZING TO THE VEHICLE IF AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM IS WORSE DURING COLD TEMPERATURES. THIS IS INTERMITTENT BUT REPEATABLE AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON ALL 2013+ S4 & S5 MODELS WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. AUDI SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO COME UP WITH A PERMANENT AND SAFE SOLUTION AS THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. ALSO, AUDIS DRIVER STEERING RECOMMENDATION (DSR) MAKES THE PROBLEM WORSE. DSR IS AN ELECTRONIC PROGRAM THAT DETECTS WHEN THE CAR IS STARTING TO SKID AND THE STEERING'S ECU PROVIDES A PROMPT TO THE DRIVER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL MOVE SLIGHTLY (BUMP). THIS I PARTICULARLY BAD IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE CAR HAS LIMITED TRACTION DUE TO SNOW AND ICE AND RESULTS IN CONTINUOUS BUMPING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. COMBINING DSR WITH THE STEERING SLIP + NOTCHY ISSUES RESULTS IN A VERY DANGEROUS STEERING SYSTEM WHICH NEEDS IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION.