NHTSA Complaint #11061499 — 2014 AUDI A5

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT UP BEYOND 6TH GEAR (8 SPEED TRANSMISSION) AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TRANSMISSION COULD BE SHIFTED MANUALLY INTO 7TH AND 8TH GEARS, BUT ENGINE WAS LUGGING ON LEVEL HIGHWAY AT 60MPH. AUDI SERVICE CENTER STATES THE HYDRAULIC TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER HAS FAILED, CAUSING ENGINE TIMING ISSUES THAT COULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IF DRIVEN FURTHER. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 87K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED SINCE PURCHASED NEW. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNET SITES DETAILING AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VW / AUDI ENGINE PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM THE HYDRAULIC TIMING CHAIN TENSION MECHANISMS. MANY CONSUMERS ARE REPORTING REPAIRS OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. MY CONCERN (ASIDE FROM REPAIR COSTS FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM) IS WHAT HAPPENS TO AN ENGINE THAT HAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AT HIGH SPEEDS ON A BUSY INTERSTATE? IRONICALLY I HAD MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 80C5-AUXILLARY HEATER. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE AUDI SERVICE CENTER IN BLOOMINGTON INDIANA ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018, AT 9:45AM AND REPAIRS ARE NOT YET COMPLETE WITH NO ESTIMATED TIME FOR COMPLETION AS OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 9TH.