Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Audi A4 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHILE DRIVING WEST ON PENNSYLVANIA RT. 401 I DROVE OVER A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD, WHERE A DRAIN IS BURIED UNDER THE ROAD, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT LOWER A ARM SNAPPED IN HALF AT A SPEED OF 45 MPH CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND THE CAR TO GRIND TO A HALT ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD.
1996 AUDI A4 - AUDI A4 FRONT CONTROL ARMS ALL FAIL AT AROUND 100,000 MILES. ALL 8 OF MINE WERE REPLACED. AUDI SENT OUT A TSB FOR 2 OF THE 8 CONTROL ARMS AND ARE JERKING PEOPLE AROUND WITH THE REIMBURSEMENT. THEY WANT PEOPLE TO PROVE THAT ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE WAS DONE, YET THE PARTS IN QUESTION ARE NOT REPAIRABLE OR SERVICEABLE. ACCORDING TO MY AUDI DEALER, THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT HASN'T GOTTEN ANY BETTER, EVEN WITH THE LATEST MODELS. THESE COST BETWEEN $300 - $500 EACH TO REPLACE FOR A TOTAL OF $3000 FOR ALL 8. THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM COLLECTING ON THIS AND THIS SHOULD COVER ALL 8, SINCE ALL 8 FAIL INSTEAD OF ONLY 2. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE LETTER AND PAPERWORK THAT I PROVIDED TO THEM FOR REIMBURSEMENT OVER 6 MONTHS AGO. EVERY AUDI A4 HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND CONTINUES TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. AUDI SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THE POOR DESIGN AND THE BOGUS TSB LETTER THAT THEY SENT TO OWNERS.
WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH DRIVER'S SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE BALL JOINTS SEPERATED.*AK
FRONT END CONTROL ARMS CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM. I HAVE REPLACED ALL OF THEM ON THE FRONT END AT LEAST ONCE. I NOW HAVE ANOTHER ONE THAT NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I AM CONCERNED WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DON'T REPLACE IT. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR ALL OWNERS, AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY AUDI BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.*AK
WHEN VEHICLE REACHED 30,000 MILES CONTROL ARMS DRIED OUT AND CREATED AN ANNOYING SOUND. A BLACK RUBBER COMPOUND WAS ADDED, BUT THE NOISE CONTINUED.*AK
REPEATED FRONT SUSPENSION/STEERING SYSTEM COMPONENT FAILURES. *JB *PH *JB
MY AUDI A4 HAD 3 TIMES REPLACED FRONT CONTROL ARMS , WHEN TAKEN TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS , DEALER POINTED TO DESIGN PROBLEM. *AK
ACCORDING TO MY DEALER, THE FRONT CONTROL ARMS OF MY A4 IS WORN OUT AT JUST 59000 MILES. FROM AUDIWORLD.COM, I FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER A4 OWNERS (REGARDLESS OF THEIR CARS' MODEL YEAR) WHO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THEIR CONTROL ARMS REPEATEDLY (SOME FAILED WITHIN 15000MILES). IT SEEMS THAT MANY DEALERS TOLD MANY OWNERS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT THERE IS A PART SHORTAGE BECAUSE OF THIS. SOME OUT-OF-WARRANTY OWNERS CLAIM THAT AUDI HAS EITHER PROVIDED THE PARTS FREE, OR AT HALF PRICE, WHICH MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT AUDI REALIZES THAT THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT. MANY OWNERS BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING CONTROL WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ME YET, BUT I AM BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE.*AK
FRONT PASSENGER CONTROL ARM HAS BEEN REPLACED AND FAILED FOUR TIMES DURING THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE.*AK
CONTROL ARMS ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES HAVE FAILED AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES OVER THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE.*AK
OVER THIS PAST YEAR, I HAVE REPLACED 3 CONTROL ARMS, DEALER POINTS TO DESIGN FLAW. *AK
MANY OTHER AUDI A-4 OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT PREMATURE WEAR OF TIE RODS AND CONTROL ARMS IN VERMONT. AUDI OF AMERICA AND LOCAL DEALER REFUSED TO COVER PROBLEM ALTHOUGH VOLUNTARY RECALL IN EFFECT FOR NEWER AUDIS. *AK
PROBLEMS IS WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM/ SUSPENSION AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. *AK
IN 1998, WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AUDI WAS ADVISED OF A PROBLEM WHICH BEGAN WITH A NOISE IN THE CAR. THIS WAS EVENTUALLY DIAGNOSED AS DEFECTIVE CONTROL ARMS AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE REPLACED IN 2/2000 AT NO COST TO MYSELF AS AUDI ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS A "DEFECT" IN THAT MODEL YEAR. 2 WEEKS AGO, I DISCOVERD THAT THE LOWER CONTROLS ARMS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BOLT THAT HOLDS THEM TOGETHER. I AGAIN REPORTED THIS TO AUDI OF AMERICA AND WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT THEY HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL AND TO TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALER. I WAS INSTRUCTED AUDI AND MY MECHANIC THAT THE I COULD LOSE THE STEERING AT ANY POINT. UPON INSPECTION BY AUDI THEY DETERMINED THAT THE CARE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND THAT THESE UPPER CONTROL ARMS MUST BE REPLACED. AFTER DISCUSSING THIS WITH THEM, THEY HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY UNCOOPERATIVE AND RUDE AND HAVE AGREED TO PAY HALF OF THE PARTS, BUT I MUST PAY ALL OF THE LABOR AT THEIR PREMIUM PRICES. SINCE THE CAR IS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE I DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO TAKE IT TO A REASONABLY PRICED AUTO SHOP. AUDI HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR TWO YEAS, AS I WAS TOLD BY AN AUDI MECHANIC THAT THEY HAD CONSIDERED A RECALL. AUDI IS PUTTING THEIR CUSTOMERS IN GREAT DANGER AND WILL DO NOTHING UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED.
FRONT SUSPENSION RATTLES AND THUNKS OVER BUMPS, AND MAKES CREAKING NOISE WHEN ENTERING VEHICLE, AND WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS *AK
WHEN GETTING IN AND OUT OF VEHICLE OR GOING OVER BUMPS FRONT END MAKES A LOUD NOISE. CONTACTED DEALER , AND THEY REPLACED THE LOWER CONTROL ARM. HOWEVER, PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. *AK
THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH PREMATURE WEARING OF THE SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY, INCLUDING THE CONTROL ARMS AS WELL AS THE STABILIZER LINKS. *AK
WHEN HITTING A BUMP VEHICLE'S CONTROL ARM MAKES A LOUD NOISE AND CAUSES A SLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL . DLR HAS REPLACED BROKEN CONTROL ARM BEFORE. PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. *AK
(1) SUSPENSION: FRONT END GROANS AND CREAKS OVER BUMPS (EVEN SMALL BUMPS), AS WELL AS WHEN PEOPLE ENTER AND EXIT THE VEHICLE, EXTENT OF DANGER UNKNOWN -- AUDI HAS "DIAGNOSED" IT AS A "CONTROL ARM" PROBLEM; (2) SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY OPENS ON ITS OWN WHILE VEHICLE IN OPERATION WITH NO HUMAN INVOLVEMENT, CAUSING MAJOR DISTRACTION AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION -- AUDI HAS DIAGNOSEDIT AS AN ELECTRICAL "SWITCH" PROBLEM. AUDI SERVICE REPS HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THESE TWO DEFECTS OCCURRING ON MY CAR ARE REOCCURRING PROBLEMS IN A4S, AND NOT JUST ON THE 1996 MODEL YEAR, BUT ON SUBSEQUENT YEARS (1997, 1998 AND 1999) AS WELL. DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD NATURE OF THE PROBLEMS, AUDI REFUSES TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEMS WHEN THEY ARISE ON VEHICLES THAT ARE OUT OF WARRANTY (LIKE MINE). *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .