2001 Audi A4 Electrical Problems

THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER 99% CANNOT BE READ DUE TO THE LCD DISPLAY FADING. HAVE DONE MULTIPLE SEARCHES AND 9 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE HAVE THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE. AUDI NEEDS TO STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE PAIN FOR ME BECAUSE SOMETIMES MY CAR WILL BEEP AND DISPLAY SOMETHING ON THE LCD SCREEN BUT BECAUSE IT'S FADING I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT'S TELLING ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE DRIVING AND SOMETHING LIFE THREATENING HAPPEN BECAUSE OF A MISSED MESSAGE BECAUSE THE LCD SCREEN IS BROKEN. FIX THIS BEFORE PEOPLE GET HURT AND START FILING LAWSUITS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10450108

Incident

Aug 3, 2009

THE DIGITAL INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY ON MY 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T. YOU CAN ONLY SEE HALF THE SCREEN ON THE CENTER DISPLAY THAT NOTIFIES YOU WHEN THE CAR NEEDS TO BE SERVICED AND IF ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND AUDI SHOULD RECALL AND REPAIR ANY CARS WITH THIS MALFUNCTION BECAUSE I HAVE READ SEVERAL REVIEWS OF THE SAME PROBLEM SO OBVIOUSLY IT IS SOMETHING THEY SHOULD LOOK INTO. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330101

Incident

May 8, 2010

Mileage

35,000 mi

MY 2001 AUDI A4 HAS CENTRAL LCD DISPLAY TO DISPLAY ALL SORT OF INFORMATION, BUT THIS DISPLAY FAILS IN MOST OF A4S JUST AFTER A FEW YEARS. THIS IS CRITICAL FOR VEHICLE SAFETY, BECAUSE THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE ANY OTHER INDICATORS TO SIGNAL ABNORMAL CONDITIONS OF THE CAR SUCH AS LOW COOLANT, CHECK ENGINE, ETC. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN KNOWN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE LOOK AT HTTP://AUDIFORUMS.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=46512 FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10308951

Incident

Mar 1, 2009

Mileage

70,000 mi

THE LCD INSTRUMENT DISPLAY IS "PIXILATED" -- UNABLE TO CLEARLY DISPLAY INFORMATION REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING SAFETY-RELATED INFORMATION SUCH AS FAILURE OF SAFETY-RELATED COMPONENTS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ETC.). THIS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH OR PREVENT THE TIMELY RESPONSE TO A SAFETY-RELATED PROBLEM. ON-LINE FORUMS INDICATE THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH AUDI A4S. *TR

NHTSA ID

10289236

Incident

Jan 31, 2007

Mileage

57,000 mi

THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS SO FAR HOWEVER MY WARNING DISPLAY ON MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON MY 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T HAS BE CONTINUALLY FADING IN WARM WEATHER LEAVING ME UNABLE TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR. THIS CAN BECOME VERY SERIOUS IF I CAN'T SEE IF SOMETHING MAJOR COMES UP THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10267270

Incident

Apr 20, 2009

Mileage

88,153 mi

1) THERE IS NO TRIGGERING EVENT LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. IT JUST APPEARS OVER TIME. 2) THE LCD SCREEN IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS LINES OF PIXELS THAT DO NOT LIGHT UP. THIS IS CONSTANT, WITH MORE LINES OF PIXELS GOING OUT AND PERMANENTLY STAYING OUT OVER TIME. AS A CONSEQUENCE, IMPORTANT WARNING MESSAGES ARE NOT DISPLAYED OR READABLE; SUCH AS WORN OUT BRAKE PADS, FUEL LOW WARNING, WASHER FLUID LOW WARNING, ETC. IF THESE WARNINGS ARE NOT DISPLAYED, THE VEHICLE MAY RUN OUT OF GAS WITHOUT WARNING AND STALL WHILE OPERATING, OR BRAKES MAY WEAR DOWN TO THE POINT OF LOSING EFFECTIVENESS WITHOUT WARNING, OR BE LEFT WITHOUT WASHER FLUID WITHOUT WARNING. 3) ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS REPLACED WITH NEW BY AUDI DEALERSHIP UNDER CPO WARRANTY. FAILED PART WAS KEPT BY AUDI. *TR

NHTSA ID

10256055

Incident

Jul 1, 2007

Mileage

80,000 mi

LCD PANEL IN INSTRUMENT PANEL IS BLANKING OUT/CAUSING INFORMATION TO BE GARBLED ON THE SCREEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10215779

Incident

Oct 24, 2007

Mileage

66,000 mi

CENTER LCD DISPLAY WHICH CARRIES INFORMATION RELEVANT TO SAFETY IS FAILING. LOT OF THE INFORMATION DISPLAYED IS NOT READABLE AND HENCE PROPER ACTION CAN'T BE TAKEN TO KEEP THE CAR SAFE. AUDI REFUSES TO TAKE REMEDIAL ACTION TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10215291

Incident

Jan 14, 2008

(1) I HAVE HAD 3 AUDI A4'S THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE!!! 98', 99.5' AND 01.5' A4'S. BELOW IN THE INCIDENT DATE, I STATED THE DATE WHEN I PURCHASED MY CURRENT CAR... THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TWO PREVIOUS A4'S I HAD WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM YEARS AGO. (2) THE LCD SCREEN IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS SEVERAL PIXELS THAT DIE OUT AND MAKE THE SCREEN BLURRY OR BLANK! THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR THE DRIVER TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CAR WHEN A PROBLEM OCCURS! ALSO STATES IN THE OWNERS MANUAL IT IS FOR SAFETY ISSUES AND THE DRIVER NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THESE SITUATIONS AT ALL TIMES. LIKE I PREVIOUSLY SAID, THIS IS MY THIRD AUDI A4 AND HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ALL THREE. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR CAR BECAUSE OF THIS ONGOING DEFECT WITH AUDI. (3) HAVE VISITED AUDI DEALERSHIPS NUMEROUS TIMES TO GET THIS RESOLVED. EVERYTIME I GET A PRICE QUOTE OF OVER $900 WHICH IS COMPLETELY INSANE! EVERYTIME I GO TO THE DEALERSHIP CONCERNING THIS ISSUE, IT IS WITH A DIFFERENT CAR AND HAVE EXPECTED THIS TO BE A RECALL BY NOW! THIS IS A HUGE INCONVENIENCE AND HOPE FOR ALL AUDI OWNERS THAT THIS GETS RESOLVED VERY QUICKLY! *TR

NHTSA ID

10214655

Incident

Oct 29, 2005

Mileage

45,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HALF OF THE DISPLAY PIXELS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DIGITAL DISPLAY IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. AS OF NOVEMBER 13, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

NHTSA ID

10208762

Incident

Aug 1, 2007

Mileage

60,000 mi

FADING LCD ON INSTRUMENT PANEL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10208476

Incident

May 5, 2005

Mileage

90,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 AUDI A4. HE HEARD A HUMMING SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CAMSHAFT TENSIONER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE POWER CIRCUIT FAILED DUE TO A LEAK ON THE ROOF. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 42,140.

NHTSA ID

10199275

Incident

Aug 10, 2007

Mileage

42,140 mi

2001 AUDI A4 CUSTOMER STATES THAT AUDI IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS LOSS BECAUSE THE FIRE WAS DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF THE ELECTRICAL WIRING**CC *JB UPDATED 04/05/07. *JB

NHTSA ID

10187919

Incident

Dec 1, 2006

TL*- THE CONTACT HAS A 2001 AUDI A4 AND STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH, HE STARTED SMELLING AN ODOR COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF THE VEHICLE. HE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICE THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE SEAT, SECONDS AFTER THE CONTACT GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. CONTACT CAN PROVIDE COPY OF INVOICE REPAIR IF NEEDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 200,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

10185522

Incident

Dec 10, 2006

Mileage

200,000 mi

2001 AUDI A4 WITH GAUGE CLUSTER PROBLEMS**NAR**CC THE CONSUMER STATED THE CIRCUIT BOARD HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR YEARS WITH AUDI'S. *JB

NHTSA ID

10182693

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

I OWN A 2001 AUDI A4 AVANT 1.8T THAT I TOOK DELIVERY IN AUGUST 2000. LATE LAST YEAR, AUGUST-OCTOBER 2003, I NOTICED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER'S CENTER LCD DISPLAY STARTED TO FADE ON THE TOP PART. LATER ON I FIGURED OUT THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN UNDER THE HEAT OF THE SUN FOR A WHILE. I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE I FIGURED IT'S JUST MY CAR AND I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH MY WARRANTY PERIOD (4 YEARS/50,000MILES) AS MY CAR ALREADY HAVE 70K MILES ON IT. THEN I STARTED HEARING FROM FELLOW AUDI OWNERS THAT I MET THAT IT'S HAPPENING TO THEIR CARS TOO. ONE HAS A 2001 AUDI A4 SEDAN WITH 30K MILES AND THE OTHER WITH A 2001 S4 SEDAN, BOTH REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. ANOTHER IS A 2002 AUDI TT, BUT HE'S LUCKED OUT BECAUSE HE HAS MORE THAN 50K MILES TOO (OUT OF THE WARRANTY). WHAT I'M CURIOUS IS WHETHER THERE'S BEEN ANY REPORTED SIMILAR CASE? I FEEL THAT THE DAMAGE IS NOT CAUSED BY THE WEAR AND TEAR OF THE LONG-DISTANCE DRIVEN CAR. MAYBE THIS IS A TYPE OF DEFECT?

NHTSA ID

10090746

Incident

Oct 15, 2003

Mileage

68,000 mi

CAR FIRE THAT TOTALLY DESTROYED THE VEHICLE, WITH ONLY 4000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS A 2001 AUDI A4 1.8T. *AK

NHTSA ID

10050794

Incident

Nov 15, 2000

Mileage

4,000 mi

SCREEN ON THE RADIO FLASHES INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING YOU TO LOOK AWAY FROM THE ROAD EXPECIALLY AT NIGHT. IT COULD BE SOME SORT OF SHORT WHICH I BELIVE COULD LEAD TO FIRE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10023854

Incident

Jan 10, 2002

Mileage

11,364 mi

FAILURE OF IGNITION COIL. CAR SPUTTERS. AUDI ONLY REPLACING THE COIL THAT MALFUNCTIONED LEAVING THE REST OF THE CYLINDERS SUBJECT TO THE SAME DANGEROUS FAILURE, AS ALL COILS OBVIOUSLY WERE THE SAME WHEN INSTALLED AT FACTORY AND THEREFORE ALL ARE POTENTIALLY FAULTY. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10013537

Incident

Jan 23, 2002

THE CONSUMER WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY WHEN THE IGNITION COIL FAILED. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER. SCC *JB

NHTSA ID

10009915

AN IGNITION COIL ON MY 2001 AUDI A4 FAILED, CAUSING AN EXTREME LOSS OF POWER, POOR STEERING AND BRAKING. THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT EXISTS, ESPECIALLY IF DRIVING AT A HIGHER SPEED, OR IN POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS (AS I WAS). THE DEALER WAS AUTHORIZED TO ONLY REPAIR THE 1 FAILED COIL, AND I AM AT RISK FOR FURTHER FAILURES, A SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME.

NHTSA ID

10005692

Incident

Feb 7, 2003

Mileage

8,519 mi

IGNITION COIL MALFUNCTION

NHTSA ID

10005192

Incident

Oct 21, 2002

Mileage

31,000 mi

I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO IDLE IRREGULARLY. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS TOWED TO AN AUDI DEALERSHIP. THREE DAYS LATER MY CAR WAS REPAIRED. ALL THAT I WAS TOLD WAS THAT MY #2 COIL PACK FAILED. I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY INFORMATION THAT THE OTHER 3 WOULD MOST LIKELT FAIL ALSO. UPON DOING RESEARCH ON MESSAGE BOARDS I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM. I CALLED AUDI CLIENT RELATIONS AND TOLD THEM THAT I FELT LIKE I WAS DRIVING A TICKING TIME BOMB AS I COULD NEVER BE SURE WHEN THE OTHER COIL PACKS WERE GOING TO FAIL. THE WOMAN THAT I SPOKE WITH TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP AND "DEMAND THAT THE OTHER 3 BE REPLACED." WHEN I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE SERVICE I RECEIVED AT THE 1ST DEALER, THEY LAUGHED IN MY FACE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE AT A "CRISIS STATE" WITH THE COIL PACKS, THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY TO SWITCH OUT FOR ME, AND THAT I WOULD JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR MY CAR TO DIE WHILE IN OPERATION. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THAT THEY COULD ONLY REPLACE THE COIL PACK THAT FAILED! IF THIS ISN'T GROSS NEGLIGENCE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS! ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE HAD A CAM TENSIONER REPLACED, THE ELECTRONIC SENSOR REPLACED, AND NOW IT APPEARS THAT MY STEERING RACK IS GOING BAD. I HAVE 38K MILES WITH ONLY 12K LEFT ON MY WARRANTY. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE TERRIBLE RELIABILITY OF THIS CAR ON TOP OF AUDI'S RELUCTANCE TO ISSUE A RECALL CAMPAIGN ON THE COIL PACKS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS PROBABLY GOING TO TAKE A PERSON DYING BEFORE ANYONE ADDRESSES THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10004932

Incident

Sep 11, 2002

Mileage

30,000 mi

AUDI A4 IGNITION COIL PROBLEM. 2 HAVE GONE - NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE OTHER 2 TO GO IN ORDER TO AGAIN OWN A DEPENDABLE CAR. THIS IS MOST INCONVENIENT DURING A COLD WINTER! I AM PAYING MY LEASE, AND AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FURTHER THAN A FEW MILES. I LIVE IN A REMOTE AREA OF MAINE, WHERE THE TEMPERATURE IS WELL BELOW ZERO MUCH OF THE TIME. I COULD FREEZE TO DEATH WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK!! WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL. WHY CAN'T THE COMPANY PUT A HOLD ON COMPLETING NEW CARS AND THEREFORE INSTALL 4 COILS AT A TIME INSTEAD OF ONE AS THEY GO?? WHY SHOULD I CONTINUE TO PAY FOR THIS CAR UNLESS IT IS FIXED?

NHTSA ID

10003605

Incident

Dec 17, 2002

IN COLD CONDITIONS (10F) AND WITH LITTLE VEHICLE WARM-UP TIME, THE VEHICLE BEGAN CUTTING OUT AND LOST ENGINE POWER WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RECOVER SO I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED. ENGINE OPERATION RETURNED TO NORMAL BUT HAD REGISTERED FAULT CODES WHICH WERE TRACED TO THE COILS NOT FIRING PROPERLY.

NHTSA ID

10003082

Incident

Jan 7, 2003

Mileage

11,000 mi