2013 Audi B8 Owner Complaints

IN NUMEROUS INCIDENTS SINCE PURCHASING MY 2013 AUDI S4 I HAVE HAD TWO DIFFERENT STEERING RELATED SAFETY ISSUES. THE FIRST WAS DISCOVERED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH WHEN MY CAR WAS VERY NEW WITH ONLY 1000 MILES ON IT. WHILE HOLDING THE WHEEL IN TWO HANDS AT 12 O'CLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL "SLIPPED" ABOUT A HALF INCH TO AN INCH AND THEN GRABBED AGAIN. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO DRIFT SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT, TO WHICH I MADE A SLIGHT CORRECTION BACK TO THE RIGHT WITH THE WHEEL, UPON DOING SO, THE WHEEL "SLIPPED" AGAIN AND GRABBED AFTER A HALF INCH TO INCH. THIS ALSO CAUSED THE CAR TO DRIFT BACK TO THE RIGHT MORE THAN INTENDED. THIS CONTINUED FOR MY ENTIRE DRIVE HOME (AN HOUR AND A HALF AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS). SINCE THEN IT HAS HAPPENED QUITE FREQUENTLY AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND DIFFERENT ROAD TYPES. THE SECOND STEERING ISSUE IS MORE OF A "NOTCHY" FEEL AND OCCURS WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL IN LONGER SWEEPING TURNS, THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS AND CAUSES ME TO HAVE TO CONSTANTLY CORRECT IT FURTHER TO MAKE THE TURN SAFELY. I HAVE INFORMED MY DEALERSHIP AND AWAIT A NEW STEERING RACK TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER, DUE TO RESEARCH I HAVE PERSONALLY DONE ONLINE, I AM NOT CONFIDENT THIS IS THE CAUSE OR SOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE. PLEASE CHECK THIS (HTTP://WWW.AUDIZINE.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/513862-STEERING-ISSUES-2013) THREAD FOR ADDITIONAL INFO FROM OTHER AUDI OWNERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE OVER 500 POSTS ABOUT THIS IN THIS THRAD ALONE AS THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE ACROSS ALL MODELS FOR 2013. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT AUDI IS NOT TAKING IT SERIOUSLY OR BEING UP FRONT WITH OWNERS AS TO THE SERIOUSNESS OR PREVALENCE OF THIS ISSUE AND I FEEL THEY WON'T UNTIL THE NHTSA GETS INVOLVED. PLEASE TAKE THIS AND OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM 2013 AUDI OWNERS SERIOUSLY AND TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10495146

Incident

Nov 1, 2012

Mileage

1,000 mi

I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE 2 ISSUES WITH MY STEERING ON THE 2013 AUDI S4 WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 800 MILES ON IT AND THE ISSUE GOES ON AND OFF. THE CAR EQUIPPED WITH AUDI DRIVE SELECT CONTROLS AND THE ISSUE IS MORE PREVALENT IN COMFORT MODE, HOWEVER ALSO CAN BE FELT IN DYNAMIC (HOWEVER STEERING IS MORE TIGHT IN DYNAMIC). 1. DEAD CENTER AND DISCONNECTED FEEL - WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS POINTED STRAIGHT AT 12 O'CLOCK THERE SEEM TO BE "DEAD" ZONE A FEW DEGREES TO EACH SIDE THAT CREATES A FEEL THAT STEERING IS COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED. FEW TIMES DURING SIMPLE MANEUVERS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS SUCH AS CHANGING THE LINE QUICKLY (REQUIRES SAY LEFT AND RIGHT WHEEL MOVEMENT) THE WHEEL SLEEPS THROUGH THE CENTER ZONE WITH THE FEEL OF NOT BEING CONNECTED TO WHEELS AND THE CAR SEEMS TO BE ON ITS OWN, BUT WHEN THE CENTER "DEAD ZONE" IS PASSED IT SEEM TO FIND THE GROUND AND "RECONNECT" WITH THE CAR. THIS CREATES A SAFETY CONCERN THAT I CAN'T CONTROL THE CAR. THE STEERING WORKS FINE AT BIGGER TURNS. ALSO "DEAD CENTER" FORCES ME TO CORRECT STEERING ALL THE TIME WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHICH CREATES A FLOATY FEEL IN GENERAL. THE DEAD CENTER ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE SECOND ISSUE: 2. NOTCHY FEEL - THE STEERING DOESN'T REACT ON SMALL INCREMENTAL STEERING WHEEL TURNS, BUT THEN WHEN THE DEAD CENTER IS PASSED IT BITES AND TRIES TO OVERCOMPENSATE WITH THE TURN. SO THERE ISN'T A PROGRESSIVE TURN FEEL, BUT IT'S GOING FROM NO TURN, TO MORE THEN REQUIRED TURN WHICH CREATES A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME. SEEING AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAVING THE CAR THERE FOR 3 DAYS THEY NOTED THAT: "CAR OPERATES WITHIN MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS" AND WHEN THEY TESTED ANOTHER S4 ON THE LOT - IT HAD SIMILAR FEEL. HOWEVER I DO BELIEVE IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN AND BAD IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELECTRIC STEERING ASSIST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10495096

Incident

Dec 15, 2012

Mileage

800 mi