1999 AUDI A6 Electrical System Problems

TAKATA RECALL I'VE HAD TO REPLACE A WHEEL BEARING AND AXEL 2X @ $550 EACH TIME. CAR WOULDN'T ALIGN RIGHT, SO I REPLACED THE TIRES SEVERAL TIMES DUE TO THE WEARING ON ONE SIDE. THE CALIPERS WON'T COME OFF WHEN CHANGING THE BRAKES AND ROTORS. THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS WOULD RANDOMLY ROLL DOWN SOMETIMES AFTER IT WOULD RAIN, AND WOULDN'T ROLL BACK UP FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I FIXED THE TURN SIGNAL AND CRUISE CONTROL, BUT THE PROBLEMS WITH THOSE RETURNED AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS, AND WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE UNDER COVER/PROTECTOR PLASTIC BROKE OFF ALL OVER THE ROAD BECAUSE THE AUDI DEALERSHIP APPARENTLY FORGOT TO PUT IT BACK ON PROPERLY. THIS POSSIBLY ALLOWED FOR THE OIL PAN TO HIT THE GROUND AND CRACK, WHICH A SUSPENSION PROBLEM WAS CLEARLY PART OF THAT PROBLEM TOO. I TOOK IT IN TO SEE ABOUT A CRACK IN THE OIL PAN. THEY COULDN'T FIND...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, SMOKE AND FLAMES BEGAN TO ENTER THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE AIR VENTS. THE CONTACT MOVED THE VEHICLE OVER AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED BURNS TO THE FINGERS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNKNOWN. THERE WAS NOT A POLICE OR FIRE REPORT FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000. *TR

SMOKE ERUPTED THROUGH VENT SYSTEM. PULLED CAR TO SIDE OF ROAD AND FAMILY OF 4 EVACUATED. WITHIN 90 SECONDS, THE DASH ERUPTED INTO FLAMES. INTERIOR/DASH ETC. WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. MOTOR COMPARTMENT UNTOUCHED BY FIRE. SEEMS TO HAVE OCCURRED IN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. HAVE PICTURES OF FIRE AND FIRE DEPT RESPONSE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY AUDI A6 AVANT QUATTRO, SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE DASH VENT. I STOPPED THE CAR AS SOON AS I SAFELY COULD AND CALLED 911, AS SOON AS I WAS OUT OF THE VEHICLE THE SMOKE BECAME WORSE AND FLAMES BEGAN ROLLING OUT OF THE DASH AREA. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WHICH A NEARBY RESIDENT LUCKILY HAD HANDY. BY VIEWING THIS FIRE AT CLOSE RANGE I AM CERTAIN THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY ENGULFED WITHIN MINUTES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT USED A HEAT SENSING TOOL TO DETERMINE THAT THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE OR HOTSPOT WAS VERY NEAR THE FUSE BOX BEHIND THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THEY CUT THE DASH APART TO BE SURE THE FIRE WAS COMPLETELY OUT. I HAD NO WARNING OF THIS MALFUNCTION AND AM JUST THANKFUL THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET AWAY FROM THE...

DURING NORMAL USE AND DRIVING ABS, BRAKE LIGHT AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON. ERRATIC AT FIRST THEN STEADY. DIAGNOSIS: ABS CONTROLLER FAILURE. DURING PERIOD OF FAILURE VEHICLE OPERATES BUT WITHOUT AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON CONCERN AFTER CONDUCTING A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH. MECHANIC STATES THIS IS COMMON. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 AUDI A6. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED A TOXIC ODOR FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. HE NOTICED GREEN SMOKE COMING FROM THE VENTS AND PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER. THE SMOKE FROM ALL FOUR OF THE VENTS TURNED INTO FLAMES. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND FILED A REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD AND THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 9,000.

ON MAY 2ND, 2007 I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE FOR REPAIR TO BEVERLY HILLS AUDI SERVICE. SPECIFICALLY I INFORMED HIM THAT THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE THAT PENETRATED MY SINUSES LIKE SULFUR. BEVERLY HILLS AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SAME SMELL AND BURNING SENSATION DURING THAT WEEK. THEY ADVISED ME THAT CERTAIN PARTS NEEDED TO BE CHANGED AND I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR TOTALING ALMOST $2,000.00. ON MAY 10TH, 2007 I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE AND DROVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. ON MAY 16TH, 2007 I CONTACTED BEVERLY HILLS AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ADVISED MY SERVICE ADVISER THAT I COULD STILL SMELL THE BURNING IN THE CAR AND THAT IT WAS UNBEARABLE. I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ON THE WAY THE CAR BEGAN TO BURN A HORRIBLE SMELL AND WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS THERE WERE FLAMES COMING...

I PARKED AND SHUT OFF MY CAR TO GO IN A STORE LEAVING A FRIEND IN THERE TO WAIT. I WAS IN THE STORE FOR 2 MINS AND MY FRIEND CAME IN AND SAID THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE VENTS, AN ABUNDANCE OF SMOKE. I WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE AND WITNESSED WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND PROCEEDED TO OPEN THE HOOD OF THE CAR TO SEE IF THE ENGINE WAS CAUSING THE SMOKE. I OPENED THE HOOD TO REALIZE THAT THE SMOKE IN FACT WAS NOT COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I WALKED BACK AROUND TO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE VENT AND A MAN WALKED UP TO SAY GET AWAY. IMMEDIATELY I CALLED 911 AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN AS I WAS HYSTERICALLY CRYING. I WENT BACK INTO THE STORE, WHICH WAS RITE AID AND THEY PROCEEDED TO MOVE ANY PERSONS TO THE BACK OF THE...

AUDI A6 CUSTOMER STATES THAT AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL NOTICE SHE TOOK HER CAR IN FOR REPAIRS AND WAS GIVEN A LARGER BILL FOR OTHER THINGS THAT NEED TO BE REPAIRED**CC THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER MADE REPAIRS TO THE STEERING AND ENGINE. UPDATE *TR

1999 AUDI A-6 HAD A RECALL ON HEADLIGHT SWITCH WIRES AND DEALER REFUSE TO FIX PROBLEM**CC THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY COULD NOT PERFORM THE RECALL DUE TO THE VEHICLE HAVING AN AFTER MARKET DEVICE INSTALLED. THE AFTER MARKET ACCESSORIES WERE WIRED INTO THE HEADLIGHTS SYSTEM. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY 1999 AUDI A6 ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH MY 3 YEAR OLD SON IN HIS BOOSTER SEAT, THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD STARTS TO SMOKE . THEN IN LESS THAN A MINUTE FLAMES WERE COMING OUT, BY THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER, MY DASHBOARD WAS COMPLETELY ON FIRE,WHILE TAKING MY SON OUT THE AIRBAG BLEW, SCARING HIM EVEN MORE, AND NOT TO MENTION ALL THE TOXIC FUMES WE INHALED. THE INSURANCE TELLS ME THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS, AND IF THAT AIRBAG WAS ACTIVATED WHILE I WAS STILL DRIVING, IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. *JB

HEATED STEERING WHEEL BURNS HANDS, SMOKES. DOESN'T VARY WITH SETTINGS. DID NOT ALLOW IT TO GET TO A FIRE CONDITION. *JB

TRANSMISSION AND COMPUTER BROKE WHILE SITTING IN DRIVEWAY. SHOP WHICH REPAIRED CAR TRIED TO FIND A USED COMPUTER OUT OF 3 OTHER AUDIS AND ALL WERE RUSTY. MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT WATER SEEPED BEHIND DASHBOARD AND UNDER DRIVER'S FLOORBOARD, RUSTING OUT COMPUTER ,AND RUINING TRANSMISSION. EVIDENTLY, ALL OTHER AUDIS SHOWED THE SAME WATER DAMAGE IN THE SAME AREA. COMPUTER FAILED TO SEND A SIGNAL TO THE DASHBOARD THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY, THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED WHILE THE CAR WAS IN PARK AND NOT WHILE WE WERE ON THE ROAD. WE INSTALLED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AND NEW COMPUTER. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE I DROVE A VEHICLE ONCE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROAD, COMING TO A DEAD STOP. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SHE SMELLED MELTED PLASTIC, MAYBE AN ELECTRICAL ODOR. WHEN SHE PULLED OVER FIRE AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD VENTS. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS OR PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *AK

THE CENTRAL DASH CLUSTER, DRIVERS INFORMATION DISPLAY FADES TO ILLEGIBLE AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF OPERATION. *AK

AS THE CAR WAS DRIVING NORMAL, LIGHT SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE AIR VENTS. NOTHING WAS ON, SUCH AS THE AC OR THE HEATER. THERE WERE NO SIGNALS OR ANY ALARMS LIT ON THE DASHBOARD. IN TERMS OF MINUTES, WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE LIGHT SMOKE TURNED INTO PITCH BLACK SMOKE, IMMEDIATELY TURNING INTO FLAMES. IN A MATTER OF A MINUTE, THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE ENTIRE INTERIOR AS WELL AS THE EXTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH NO VISIBLE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE OR FRONT END. *NLM

INSTRUMENT PANEL IS FADED TO UNREADABLE. AN ALARM IS GOING OFF AND I CAN'T READ WHAT IT SAYS. A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH AUDI'S. CAN'T BELIEVE THEY DIDN'T DO A RECALL.