NHTSA Complaint #746385 — 1997 AUDI A4 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM

Complaint Details

ODI Number	746385
Vehicle	1997 AUDI A4
Component	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM
Date of Incident	April 15, 2001
Date Filed	June 11, 2001
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	Yes
State	MN

Consumer Description

CONTROL ARM BUSHING STARTED SQUEAKING INDICATING FAILURE - DID NOT KNOW THAT THE VEHICLE'S INSTABILITY AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND INABILITY TO TRACK IN A STRAIGHT LINE WERE ALSO DUE TO WORN CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. SEARCHED WWW.AUDIWORLD.COM SITE OF AUDI OWNERS, FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS REPORT DRIVEABLILTY ISSUES WITH WORN CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. AUDI OF AMERICA AND AUDI DEALER STATES THAT BUSHING PROBLEM IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, HOWEVER BASED ON THE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON AUDIWORLD.COM, THIS IS NOT TRUE. OWNERS REPORT HAVING TO CHANGE CONTROL ARMS EVERY 35K MILES OR SO AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1,500 FOR EACH SIDE SINCE THER ARE 4 CONTROL ARMS ON EACH SIDE THAT COST APPROXIMATELY $300 EACH PLUS LABOR. BASED ON NTSA SEARCH, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM; WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET A RECALL OF THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEM? BRAKE PROBLEM IS ONLY WHEN DRIVING IN WET CONDITIONS. BRAKES DO NOT RESPOND NORMALLY - APPARENTLY WATER COMES IN CONTACT WITH ROTORS EASILY. THIS PROBLEM COULD EASILY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS IN THE NTSA DATABASE AS WELL. THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE PROBLEM IS A REOCCURRING ONE WHERE THE ENGINE WILL STALL AT IDLE, OR WILL NOT IDLE AT ALL. WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AS THE ENGINE SOMETIMES DIES WHEN THE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED AS YOU PREPARE TO STOP. OBVIOUSLY THIS RESULTS IN A LOSS OF POWER BRAKING AND STEERING WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME REGARDING ANY OR ALL OF THESE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS AFFECTING MY CAR. OBVIOUSLY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE RECALLS ON ALL THREE ISSUES AND WILL PROVIDE WHATEVER ASSISTANCE I CAN TO ENSURE THAT THIS HAPPENS. THANKS.*AK

Related Complaints for the 1997 AUDI A4

Other SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM Complaints

#10125149 — June 13, 2005 — AUDI (97 A4 QUATTRO) HAS ISSUED A SAFETY RECALL RELATED TO CONTROL ARMS - OFFERING FREE REPLACEMENT. THEY FURTHER STA...

#10080862 — July 12, 2004 — CONTROL ARMS WENT BAD. THERE'S NOISE WHEN TURNING AND GOING OVER BUMPS. *LA

#10016783 — April 30, 2003 — FRONT CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS CLUNK AND SQUEAK, THEY REQUIRE REPLACEMENT DUE TO POOR DESIGN.

#10010751 — March 19, 2003 — UPPER AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS (ALL 4) FOR THE FRONT SUSPENSION HAVE FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACE AGAIN. SQUEEZING/CRUNC...

#786466 — October 15, 2002 — ON TWO OCCASIONS THE FRONT CONTROL ARMS FAILED. NLM

Recent Complaints for the 1997 AUDI A4

#10608531 — AIR BAGS — July 7, 2014 — I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 TO 60 MILES A HOUR. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT ...

#10608531 — SEATS — July 7, 2014 — I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 TO 60 MILES A HOUR. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT ...

#10562412 — AIR BAGS — January 31, 2014 — IN A SNOW STORM, DRIVER BRAKED AT AN INTERSECTION, AUTOMATIC BRAKES KICKED IN BUT DID NOT STOP THE 10 MILE PER HOUR S...

#10562418 — SERVICE BRAKES — January 31, 2014 — TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED WH...

#10493125 — AIR BAGS — January 15, 2013 — I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT WHEN A CAR CRASHED INTO THE BACK OF MY 1997 AUDI A4. THIS CAUSED MY CAR TO CRASH INTO TH...