1998 Audi A6 Brakes Problems

DEAR DOT, I'VE A 1998 AUDI A6 QUATTRO. MY ABS SYSTEM SHOWS WARNING YELLOW ABS LIGHT AND RED FLASHING BRAKE LIGHT AT ALL TIME. I'VE TAKEN MY TWO SHOPS AND THEY BOTH INDICATED THAT THE ABS UNIT IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THEY TESTED ALL 4 WHEEL SENSORS ON THE CAR AND ALSO MAPPED OUT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE CONCLUSION WAS A DEFECTIVE ABS UNIT. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND OTHER AUDI OWNER FROM 1998 - 2001 ALSO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. IF THIS SYSTEM IS KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED IN ALL FAIRNESS. I AM PRETTY HAPPY WITH THIS CAR, BUT THE ABS IS AN UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCE. IT COST ABOUT $2000 TO REPLACE THE ABS UNIT AND AUDI DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT THE PROBLEM. REFERENCES: HTTP://AUDI-VW-ABS-RECALL.BLOGSPOT.COM HTTP://WWW.ALLWORLDAUTO.COM/COMMENTS/AUDI_A4_AVANT_COMMENTS_AND_COMPLAINTS_65-34245-1.HTML

NHTSA ID

10291873

Incident

Nov 5, 2009

Mileage

120,000 mi

ABS/BRAKE LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME. I GOT MY BRAKES CHANGED, MY MECHANIC CHECKED IT, AND TOLD ME THE ABS SYSTEM IS MALFUNCTIONING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10166093

Incident

Aug 8, 2006

Mileage

114,000 mi

1998 AUDI A6 WITH 130,000 MILES; ABS/BRAKE LIGHTS ON DASH ILLUMINATE WITH PIERCING TONES, FIRST INTERMITTENTLY, NOW UPON STARTUP AND DRIVE OFF. MANUAL STATES THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, AND DRIVER COULD POSSIBLY LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. DEALER STATES REPAIRS $1500.00+ FOR COMPLETE ABS REPLACEMENT...AUDI OWNER FORUMS INCLUDE MANY OTHERS WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEMS...NO OTHER REPAIR OPTIONS WERE OFFERED BY THE DEALER. *JB

NHTSA ID

10144564

Incident

Oct 1, 2005

Mileage

125,000 mi

ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) CONTROL MODULE IS APPARENTLY FAILING OR HAS FAILED. BOTH THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD ILLUMINATE IRREGULARLY ACCOMPANIED BY THREE LOUD WARNING TONES. BOTH LIGHTS LIKEWISE TURN OFF WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER CLAIMS THAT NO CODE IS BEING RETURNED FROM ABS UNIT. ADVISED THAT SOMETIMES ABS WILL BE AVAILABLE AND SOMETIMES NOT. COST TO REPLACE ABS CONTROL MODULE WAS QUOTED AT $2,400. ADVISED TO IGNORE WARNING LIGHTS AND SOUNDS IF COST WAS UNREASONABLE.

NHTSA ID

10114825

Incident

Feb 1, 2005

Mileage

74,000 mi

THE ABS BRAKING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. DRIVER NOTICED THAT WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, SLOWING DOWN AND THEN STOPPING. DRIVER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THE MECHANIC PLACED THE VEHICLE ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND DETERMINED THAT THE ABS CONTROL UNIT MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10115903

Incident

Mar 25, 2005

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS LIGHT THAT COMES ON OFTEN.IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO PAY FOR ALL THIS .CAN SOMEBODY DO SOMETHNG ABOUT . THANKS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10114409

Incident

Mar 19, 2005

Mileage

8,400 mi

ABS COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONED. SEARCHED INTERNET AND FOUND MANY SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH OTHER OWNERS OF SIMIILAR CARS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10112501

Incident

Jan 4, 2005

Mileage

10,500 mi

THE VEHICLE'S ABS CONTROLLER FAILED AFTER LESS THAN 70000 MILES. *NM THE CONSUMER REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURER BUT WAS DENIED. *NM

NHTSA ID

10110954

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

I OWN A 1998 AUDI A6. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN APPROX 75 000 MILES. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE ABS CONTROL UNIT (BRAKES) FAILED. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $1085 BY THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE NO USED PARTS AVAILABLE. WHEN I MADE AN APPOITMENT TO HAVE THE UNIT REPLACED I WAS INFORMED THAT AUDI NO LONGER MANUFACTURES THE ORIGIONAL REPLACEMENT PART AT A COST OF $1085. RATHER, AUDI HAS REMANUFACTURED THE REPLACEMENT PART AND THE NEW COST IS APPROX $2000.00. I VERIFIED THE COST OF THE REMANUFACTURED REPLACEMENT PART BY CALLING A FEW DEALERSHIPS. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT AUDI RECOGNIZED THAT THE ORIGINAL PART WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT ONCE THE ABS CONTROL UNIT FAILED IT MADE ABS BRAKING INOPERABLE AND THEREFORE UNSAFE. RATHER THAN RECALL THE 1998 A6 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ABS CONTROL UNIT, THEY ALLOWED CONSUMERS TO EITHER DRIVE WITH AN UNSAFE CONTROL UNIT THAT COULD FAIL AT ANY TIME OT PAY ALMOST $2000 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART.*AK

NHTSA ID

10100104

Incident

Aug 1, 2004

Mileage

70,000 mi

INTERMITTENT ABS/BRAKE LIGHT 1998 AUDI A6 QUATTRO 2.8L, AUDI DEALER SAYS IT HAS FAULTY ABS MODULE WHICH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. COST: $2,148.00 PLUS LABOR. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. DEALER SAYS IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10098425

Incident

Aug 15, 2004

Mileage

103,000 mi

COMPLAINT 1) HEATED STEERING WHEEL WOULD BURN HANDS IN SELECTED LOCATIOS BEFORE TURNING OFF. DEALER INDICATED TO ME THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS AND IF I WANTED IT FIXED WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE A NEW STEERING WHEEL AS MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE HANDLED BY AUDI WITH REPLACEMENT. COMPLAINT 2) REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED THREE TIMES ON CAR WITH 50,000 MILES. THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AS FRONT BRAKES TAKE MOST OF WEAR. AT MY LAST REPAIR ON 9/22/03, IT COST ME $418 DOLLARS TO REPLACE REAR PADS AND ROTORS. IT APPEARS SOMETHING MAY BE OF BAD DESIGN WITH REPLACEMENT 3 TIMES IN 50,000 MILES FOR REAR BRAKES. FRONT REPLACED ONLY ONCE AND NOT DUE TO WEAR, BUT HEAT SPOTTING CREATING NOISE.

NHTSA ID

10039635

Incident

Sep 22, 2003

Mileage

12,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ACCELERATES WITHOUT WARNING. BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE, VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO PARK TO GAIN CONTROL. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

875293

THIS WAS MY FIRST DAY WITH HEAVY RAIN. BRAKING DELAYED (ALMOST NOT WORKING), AS I APPROACHED A LINE OF TRAFFIC. A BIT SCARY, BUT THE CAR DID STOP JUST NOT NEAR THE KIND OF RESPONSIVENESS I WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT. *AK

NHTSA ID

722926

Incident

May 19, 2000

BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS WHEN ON SLIPPERY SURFACES, DRIVING STRAIGHT AND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS LIGHTLY PRESSED. A SINGLE BRAKE LOCKS UP, CAUSING THE CAR TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. *AK

NHTSA ID

720353

Incident

Feb 18, 2000

BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM CAN NOT COMPLETED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS. NLM

NHTSA ID

550671

WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES BRAKES MALFUNCIONED, RESULTIN GIN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE. *AK

NHTSA ID

855662

Incident

Jan 21, 2000

CONSUMER HEARS A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE LEFT FRONT BRAKES. *SLC

NHTSA ID

784355

MANUFACTURER'S RECALL # KU BRAKE BOOSTER AND NHTSA RECALL( 99V248000),TIE RODS. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER ON OCTOBER 12TH. DEALER HAD NO PARTS AVAILABLE FOR BRAKE BOOSTER AND TIE ROD RECALLS. THIS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS TO DEALER'S MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT TO SCHEDULE SERVICE, CONSUMER COULD NOT BE TOLD WHEN PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN IN TEMPERATURES MENTIONED IN RECALL. *AK *YC

NHTSA ID

853544

Incident

Oct 12, 1999

AFTER SLOWING FOR A LEFT TURN FROM MAIN THOROUGHFARE TO SIDE STREET, MY BRAKE PEDALFAILED TO DEPRESS TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. I HAD TO ALLOW THE CAR TO COAST TO A SLOWER SPEED AND THEN TO A STOP. AFTER CLEARING SNOW FROM THE WHEEL WELLS AND ALLOWING THE CAR TO SIT WITH THE ENGINE OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES, THE BRAKE PEDAL "UNLOCKED" AND I WAS ABLE TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL ONCE MORE.

NHTSA ID

702780

Incident

Jan 9, 1999