Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Audi A4 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN ENGAGED. THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC STOP BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND. THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
1) FAILURE OF FRONT LEFT (DRIVER SIDE) HYDRAULIC BRAKE HOSE AT CALIPER END AT INBOARD SIDE OF HOSE STRAIN RELIEF. THE DAMAGE LOCATION APPEARS TO BE WHERE HOSE IS SUBJECT TO MAXIMUM STRESS AND FLEXING WHEN FRONT WHEELS TURN. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED CONCEALED DAMAGE TO RIGHT (PASSENGER) FRONT BRAKE HOSE AT THE SAME LOCATION. 2) CONSEQUENCE WAS LOSS OF ALL HYDRAULIC BRAKING WHEN HOSE BURST, RESULTING IN MINOR ACCIDENT. DAMAGE TO VEHICLES WAS MINOR BECAUSE OF GOOD FORTUNE TO HAVE FAILURE AT LOW SPEED--NO INJURIES RESULTED. 3) FRONT HYDRAULIC BRAKE HOSES WERE REPLACED WITH NEW OEM HOSES SUPPLIED BY AUDI DEALER. BECAUSE BOTH HOSES EXHIBITED SIMILAR WEAR, OTHER AUDI A4 VEHICLES 10 YEARS OLD AND/OR WITH 100,000+ MILES MAY BE SUBJECT TO SIMILAR FRONT BRAKE HOSE FAILURES. *TR
BRAKING PERFORMANCE SEEMS TO BE DRAMATICALLY REDUCED IN WET, AND ESPECIALLY WET AND COLD, CONDITIONS. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN, BUT DOES NOT HAPPEN REGULARLY, AND ALWAYS AFTER PROLONGED HIGH-SPEED DRIVING WITHOUT BRAKE APPLICATION. THE REDUCTION IN PERFORMANCE SEEMS MUCH MORE DRAMATIC THAN WOULD BE EXPECTED FROM TYPICAL REDUCTION IN BRAKE PERFORMANCE IN THESE CONDITIONS. *TR
CONSUMER HAS BEEN NOTICING CREAKING NOISES IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE REPAIR SHOP. THEY INFORMED CONSUMER THERE WAS A REPAIR KIT PUT TOGETHER FOR VEHICLE OF THE SAME MODEL FOR REPAIR OF THIS CREAKING NOISE. BUT CONSUMER WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL COSTS. CONSUMER FEELS THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL OR THE PRE OWNED VEHICLE WARRANTY. *AK
IN WET WEATHER, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BRAKES IS GREATLY REDUCED. THERE IS ABOUT A 3 SECOND DELAY BEFORE BRAKES BEGIN TO GRAB.
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
WET BRAKING. BRAKES FAILED TO GRAB IN A TIMELY FASHION, MAJOR DELAY IN BRAKING ACTION LED TO MY HITTING THE BRAKE HARDER CAUSING VEHICLE TO SKID SIDEWAYS ON A SLIPPERY ROADWAY INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE.*AK
WET BRAKING DELAY. BRAKE ROTORS SEEM TO GATHER WATER ON HIGHWAY -EVEN IN LIGHT RAIN, AND CAUSE DELAYED STOPPING. WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN IT CAN TAKE A COUPLE SECONDS FOR THE BRAKES TO REPOND, CAUSING AN UNSAFE CONDITION IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.*AK
THE BRAKES DON'T GRAB WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN, SNOW, SLEET ETC. THERE'S A "LAG" OF A SECOND OR TWO BEFORE THE CAR BEGINS TO STOP. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU ATTEMPT TO STOP THE CAR IN THESE CONDITIONS REGARDLESS OF SPEED. THERE ARE NO BRAKE BACKING PLATES ON THE FRONT ROTORS FROM THE FACTORY. THE ROTORS ARE OBVIOUSLY GETTING GLAZED WITH WATER AND THE PADS ARE INEFFECTIVE UNTIL THE ROTORS ARE CLEARED OF WATER. MAKES FOR A VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION IN INCLEMENT WEATHER! *AK
SIGNIFICANT BRAKING DELAY UNDER WET CONDITIONS. *AK
DISC BRAKES ARE NOT ADEQUATELY SHIELDED FROM WATER WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN OR SNOW, RESULTING IN NO BRAKING EFFORT FOR APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST TWO SECONDS OF BRAKE APPLICATION. THE BRAKES ARE FINE IN DRY WEATHER, BUT ALWAYS CATCH ME BY SURPRISE IN THE WET, WHEN YOU STEP ON THE PEDAL NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL THE WATER IS SHED FROM THE BRAKE DISCS. NLM
LACK OF STOPPING WHEN BRAKES ARE WET. AT 1000 MI REPLACED ALL PADS WITH GERMAN SPEC OEM PADS. WET BRAKING PROBLEMS NEGLABLE. DID NOT NEED TO WASH UNDERWARE AS OFTEN.
THE A4, UNLIKE ALL OTHER CARS I'VE EVER OWNED, DOES NOT HAVE 'SPLASH SHIELDS' INBOARD OF THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS. IN THE RAIN, THIS CAUSES A QUITE ALARMING PERIOD, WHEN THE BRAKES ARE INITIALLY APPLIED, OF SHEER TERROR, BECAUSE THE CAR IS NOT STOPPING! THIS HAS BEEN MADE A MANDATORY RECALL ALL ACROSS EUROPE, AND THERE, INSURANCE COMPANIES WON'T COVER YOU IF YOU REAR-END SOMEONE AND DON'T HAVE THE SHIELDS ON. I SEE NO REASON WHY AUDI WON'T ALSO CARRY THIS TO THE US, UNTIL THEY GET SUED WHEN SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF IT. SWITCHING TO GAS-SLOTTED BRAKE ROTORS HELPS THIS SITUATION, BUT DOES NOT ELIMINATE IT. THANKS, AND I HOPE THIS GETS TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE I HIT SOMEONE! OH, EVERY SINGLE PERSON WITH AN A4 THAT I KNOW HAS THE SAME PROBLEM.
VERY POOR INITIAL BRAKING IN WET CONDITIONS, EX. RAIN OR SNOW. *AK
MY 1997 AUDI A4 HAS EXPERIENCED ALMOST NON BRAKING IN COLD/WET CONDITIONS. WHEN BRAKES ARE INITIALLY APPLIED DURING THESE CONDITIONS THERE IS ALMOST ZERO BRAKING FOR 50 FEET AT 35 MPH OR LESS. I HAVE COME VERY CLOSE TO REAR ENDING A FEW CARS THAT CUT IN FRONT OF YOU. I HAVE CONTACTED AUDI OF AMERICA AND THERE RESPONSE WAS THAT NO KNOWN POOR BRAKING CONDITION EXISTS WHEN BRAKES ARE COLD/WET. YET THERE IS A NEWS BULLETIN ON AUDI'S OWN EUROPEAN WEB SITE INDICATING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH BRAKES WHEN WET. ALSO MANY READERS ON THE WWW.A4.ORG WEB SITE HERE IN THE US HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING FOR A LONG TIME. I HOPE THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS A FATALITY CAN EXIST IN THIS CASE. I HAVE OWNED MANY US/EUROPEAN/JAPANESE VEHICLES AND NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH POOR WET BRAKING!
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
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