NHTSA Complaint #718941 — 1996 AUDI A4

AFTER STARTING MY VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN ON MY HEADLIGHTS (INCIDENT OCCURED APPROX. 8:00 PM), I NOTICED THAT MY HEADLIGHTS, AND TAIL LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. I ALSO NOTIICED THAT MY CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM, WARNING/INDICATOR LIGHTS (LIGHTS DURING NORMAL START-UP), OUTSIDE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE GAUGE, DOOR LOCKS, AND MY TURN SIGNALS WERE ALL INOPERABLE. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TURN OFF MY ENGINE TO TROUBLE SHOOT THE PROBLEMS WHEN I FOUND THAT I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION (TO THE OFF POSITION). I VERIFIED THAT MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISION SHIFTER WAS IN PARK "P". THE ENGINE WAS FINALLY SHUT (1.5 HRS LATER) DOWN BY PULLING FUEL PUMP FUZE. DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH (# VWN 4AO 905 849 B), THIS CORRECTED ALL PROBLEMS. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY SIMULAR TO THE 1994/1995 AUDI 90 RECALL (ID #96V017000) OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN FEB. 1996 WHICH IS TWO MONTHS FOLLOWING THE LAST RECALLED AUDI 90 (MFD. RECALL JAN 94 TO DEC 95). AUDI INC . WOULD NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR THIS REPAIR. PLEASE INVESTIGATE: THIS PART (IGNITION SWITCH FOR THE 90 AND A4 APPEAR TO BE THE SAME: I VERIFIED THIS AT ONE DEALER) CAUSES VERY SIMILIAR MALFUNCTIONS IN THE A4 AS THE AUDI 90 HAD IN 1994/1995 VEHICLES. NOTE: SOME AUDI A4 OWNERS MAY NOT HAVE REPORTED TO NHTSA BECAUSE WARRANTY COVERS PART UP TO 50,000 MILES. PLEASE VERIFY HOW MANY IGNITION SWITCHES HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN THE A4 VIA DEALERS. IF THIS ISSUE PROMPTED A RECALL OF THE AUDI 90 (RECALL: 1996) , MY VEHICLE AND POSSIBLY OTHERS HAS JUST EXPERIENCED A SIMILIAR IF NOT WORSE PROBLEM (CAN NOT SHUT OF ENGINE, NO HEADLIGHT/TAIL LIGHTS ETC. USING NORMAL TECHNIQUE, ENGINE ALSO BEGAN TO OVERHEAT). THIS IS POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS. I FORTUNATELY HAD THE KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION SAFELY, BUT ALL A4 OWNERS ARE NOT TECHNICALLY INCLINED. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION.