NHTSA Complaint #10937935 — 2014 AUDI S4

WHILE DRIVING MY 2014 AUDI S4 ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN TURNS, THE STEERING GOES FROM FEELING TIGHT TO VERY LIGHT AND BACK TO TIGHT AGAIN WITHIN A MATTER OF SPLIT SECONDS. THIS CAUSES DRIFTING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WHEN CORNERING BECAUSE YOU'RE COMPENSATING FOR THE LACK OF FEELING FOR AN INSTANT AND USING MORE INPUT THAN YOU SHOULD, THEN THE STEERING GETS TIGHT AGAIN AND YOUR CAR STEERS MORE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. NOTE THAT THE CAR GOES STRAIGHT WHEN HANDS ARE NOT ON THE WHEEL. THIS IS MOST PREVALENT AT TIMES WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN THE STRAIGHT POSITION. THIS SEEMS TO BE DUE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL THAT HAPPENS UNDER THE FORCE OF THE DRIVERS HANDS AS THE STEERING ASSIST LEVEL FLUCTUATES. THE CAR DOES NOT WANT TO STAY CENTERED WHEN GOING STRAIGHT AND HANDS ARE RESTING ON THE WHEEL. THERE SEEMS TO BE EXCESSIVE ASSIST AT OR NEAR THE TOP DEAD CENTER. NOTE THAT THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE. IT MIGHT BE DRIVING FINE, THEN I TURN OFF THE ENGINE TO FILL UP WITH GAS FOR EXAMPLE, RE-START THE ENGINE AND THE PROBLEM PRESENTS ITSELF. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER ON 14DEC2016 AT 42,430 MILES (THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR WITH APPROX. 9,000 MILES) TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. THE TECHNICIAN WHO TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE ON THAT DAY NOR THE NEXT DAY FROM WHAT THEY TOLD ME. THEY MENTION ON THEIR INVOICE THAT THEY SUSPECT IT COULD BE GROOVED ROADS CAUSING IT EVEN THOUGH I STRESSED TO THEM THAT THIS HAPPENS AT HIGH SPEEDS AND IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I WAS FORCED NEARLY INTO A TRACTOR TRAILER ON THE HIGHWAY ONE DAY AND THAT SCARED ME ENOUGH TO FINALLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. ALSO, I HAD DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH ANOTHER TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALER AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH HIS 2013 AUDI S4 AND SOLD THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE STEERING PROBLEMS. AUDI SAYS THE CAR IS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. *TR