Audi A4 1998 - Service brakes - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Audi A4 1998

Recalls
Technical Service Bulletins
Defect investigations
Consumer Complaints

Recalls

Campaign	Manufacturer	Manufacturing date	Type	# of units affected	Date Owner notified Mfg	Recall Initiated by	Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products	Report Recieved Date	Record Creation Date
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
99V131001	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC	from 10/01/1997 to 02/28/1999	V (Vehicle)	88121	10/09/1999	ODI	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	05/21/1999	01/21/2000
Defect Summary	Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. a control valve in the vacuum hose connecting the brake booster to the intake manifold may not open or close fully at temperatures below -4 f under certain driving conditions.
Consequence Summary	This condition could cause insufficient vacuum to be provided to the brake booster.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will install a vacuum by-pass system into vehicles operated in these states which is designed to provide sufficient vacuum for full brake assist under all weather conditions.
Notes	Owner notification began october 9, 1999.owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact vw at 1-800-822-8987 or audi at 1-800-822-2834.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
TSB-45-08-04	11/19/2008	10028008	Audi: abs activates during light brake application . control noises are heard from the abs unit at low speed without brake application. *pe	02/26/2009
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
TSB-45-08-04	11/19/2008	10028008	Audi: abs activates during light brake application . control noises are heard from the abs unit at low speed without brake application. *pe	02/26/2009
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - WHEEL SPEED SENSOR
TSB-45-08-04	11/19/2008	10028008	Audi: abs activates during light brake application . control noises are heard from the abs unit at low speed without brake application. *pe	02/26/2009

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject	Recall campaign
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
RQ99008	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	06/01/1999	11/14/2000	POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM BY-PASS	99V131001
	A control valve in the vacuum hose connecting the brake booster to the intake manifold can fail to open or close fully at low temperature resulting in insufficient vacuum for proper operation of the brake booster
PE02008	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	01/23/2002	07/12/2002	BRAKE AND CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET
	Allege bracket that attaches the brake and clutch pedals to the instrument panel fractures while driving
EA00021	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	08/11/2000	03/29/2002	DEGRADED BRAKING IN WET WEATHER
	There is no summary currently available

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT
06/11/2005	82500		11/12/2003
	Abs light and brake light started up on the dash, checked the owners book and it told you to cantact the audi dealer. conatacted the dealer and was told that it costs a lot on money, quote for the part was $2711.00, not installed. went to the web and found out that this is a big issue, and that there is no recall. poor design and a very expensive part, who is making money out of this safety issue. miles on the car 82k
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
05/15/2005	82000	1	10/22/2001
	Normal driving conditions, no modifications to vehicle, at 80k miles the anti lock brake module fails and the abs no longer works. the brakes are prone to locking up. the replacement part for the vehicle when out of warranty is $1200. i have been driving it as little as possible until i can save for the repair. additionally, the cruise control stopped working out of the blue at 55k miles. this module has not been replaced either due to cost.
03/20/2005	119000	1	03/12/2004
	Abs control unit on my 1998 audi a4 failed as i was driving on the highway, total brake failure resulted, in which i was only able to stop via the triptronic transmission which allowed me to downshift, and finally using the ebrake...called audi of america, they told me that their shouldnt have been total brake loss if the abs unit failed, which made no sense since the pump was spewing brake fluid all over my engine...i assured them that it was a safety issue, and that audi should be responsible for its repair, which runs in the range of $2500...they told me that that shouldnt have happened, and because of the high mileage on my car, they werent obligated to repair the problem, even though thousands of audi owners have complained about the same problem...i believe audi should be directly accountable for this mechanical defect, and issue a recall asap, before other audi owners experience the same scary ordeal i did on the highway...thank you.*ak
05/11/2004	108000	1	08/14/2003
	(1) faulty design of abs controller, 2) failure of said abs controller, (3) abs no longer functioning, causing a safety hazard.*ak
12/10/2004	120000	1
	Abs control unit has failed on 1998 audi a4 quattro 2.8. this ~$2000 part raises a significant safety issue, as its failure results in loss of abs braking and traction control.*ak
12/01/2004	98000	1	11/12/2001
	Abs unit failed on 1998 audi a4 2.8l quattro. repair cost is > $2000 for a rarely used electronic module. *ak
05/01/2004	65000	2	04/09/2002
	Control arms on driver and passenger side have gone bad in the last year. i dont think that is right for the parts to fail like that.. i bought the audi cause i thought it would be a safe and reliable car, when all it has been for me is a money trap. *ak
08/15/2004	59000	1	06/15/2004
	My abs and brake light initially came on intermittently, then began to occur more and more frequently. now it happens every time that i get into the car. my abs does not work. a loca audi dealer told me that this is a very common problem for this year of car. the dealer told me that i needed a new abs control module ($1100.00) and three hours of labor at $78.00 an hour.*ak
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
03/10/2011	120000
	Faulty abs module in my 1998 audi a4 1.8t. the electrical component to the abs system fails in many of these similar year audis and vws, and it appears to be a big problem. the failure of this component can cause deadly accidents, and should be addressed by audi.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
09/28/2005	133500
	Tl-the contact owns a 1998 audi a4. while the vehicle was parked, he notice the abs light was on and the brake light was flashing on the dashboard. the contact stated that he was a mechanic and tried to scan information from the abs modular and was unable too. he stated he was unable to repair the failure. the vehicle was purchased used september 28, 2005. the contact purchased the vehicle used with the failure. the failure mileage was 133,500 and the current mileage was 270,000. vwb
04/01/2007	95000
	The abs control unit on my audi a4 failed after 95,000 miles. i have no anti-lock braking and audi has denied any responsibility for the part since it is out of warranty. searching through audi forums i found this failure to be very common and everyone had no abs until the control unit was replaced which cost an average of $1500+. there were no events that lead up to the failure, i started the car one day and the abs and brake light started flashing on my dash. i tested the abs and found that it indeed does not prevent my brakes from locking up. nearly three years later, the part has not been fixed due to the high cost to repair it.
02/10/2006	85880	1	04/01/2004
	1998 manual audi a4. the temperature was 32 degrees f or below. the conditions were steady snow and wet/icy/slush roads. i experienced complete break failure when exiting the highway to a rest area. i pumped the breaks and regained some breaking power to finally slow the vehicle. i completely missed the proper exiting lane due to lack of breaking. no injuries or damage resulted. this is not the first incident of loss of breaking power. *nm
07/10/2005		1	04/15/2004
	Dt: the contact owns a 1998 audi a4. the abs light came on and the brake light flashed intermittently while driving. the brake light has been on for the past two days. *nm
01/01/1998		9000	12/22/1997
	Terrible wet braking performance, the first 1 or 2 pedal applications in the rain cause no slowing down. the pedal needs to be pumped to dry the rotor. i went through several brake pad compounds with no improvement. of all the audis that i owned, the a4 brakes are the worst. hell, these brakes are the worst of all the cars that i owned! *nlm
05/08/2003	40000	0	06/28/2001
	1998 audi a4 1.8 liter quattro. experiencing reduced braking capability when brakes are wet. this is the exact complaint being investigated in nhtsa action number pe00016. the brakes work fine when dry, but effectiveness is greatly reduced when wet, and stopping distance increases significantly, causing a safety concern. *nlm
01/04/2003		1
	I have had many close calls in rainy weather when trying to stop in my 1998 audi a4 1.8t quattro. in dry weather braking is fine. this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. i am more than certain i would have hit someone if i would not keep a greater distance knowing the horrible braking performance in wet weather.*jb
11/17/2002
	Consumer stated that when braking and without warning they will have bad brake performance during rainy weather causing the vehicle to have extend stopping distance. dealer notified. ts
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
12/01/2005		2	08/14/2002
	1. heated seat burned through the leather burning the back of my leg when on the lowest setting(1/6). 2. the cruise control works about 1% of the time and will engage unexpectedly if not turned off. *jb
04/04/2006	82500	1	04/01/2006
	Abs computer out. from people i have talked to it's a frequent problem in these cars. it is quite expensive to replace. *nm
02/05/2006		1	01/15/2004
	My abs light started blinking in my 1998 audi a4. i went to a mechanic and had it diagnosed; found that it was a light failure; i was told i would have to pay a lot of money to pull out the electronics and most likely not even solve the problem. later i started to notice that my abs was not engaging properly and sometimes not at all (which is now the case), i filed complaints with audi and boshe about this but they told me there could be no recall because abs is not a traffic concern. recently i was driving in the rain and making a 98 degree turn not terribly fast; there was no stop sign, and i ended up doing a 360 to a stop. i found this not only a scary experience, but one that could have been life threatening. it didn't make sense; im driving the honorable quattro. i decided to look further. i found many people have the same problem. specifically w/ models in 1998. im a fairly good driver in fact i did a defensive driving class at infineon raceway so i was still confused how i lost so much traction in such a short amount of time. i found the problem was actually part of the quattro itself. the electronic braking, traction systems, and various other vehicle dynamic systems are all dependent on the abs control module. all the test up to then showed no link to abs control unit; i was made to believe that my car just had a light failure. i started researching the control unit and i found that there is already a recall on the part but not for audi but for volkswagen! the campaign id number is 02v031000. i talked to people who were owners of volkswagens who got the recall and many of them had almost identical problems to mine. some even said the unit caught fire. so here i am told i have a light problem, then told audi cant do anything for me except get a whole new abs system at my expense. now i find the truth is one control module is responsible for the lack of control in my car as well as a possible car fire. please help: i and many others need a new unit. *nm
12/23/2005	119000	5	03/24/1998
	Abs warning light intermittent. research uncovered the fact that the abs controller in the audi and vw passat is faulty. audi customer care has replaced the abs controller for other customers. see this discussion thread http://tech.bentleypublishers.com/thread.jspa?threadid=3409&start=0&tstart=0. if this articlead (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/abs-bosch-5-3i-abs-controller-repair_w0qqcmdzviewitemqqcategoryz111105qqitemz4601089179qqrdz1qqsspagenamezwdvw) is true and the problem is a cold solder joint then it is truly a manufacturers defect. please investigate. *jb
10/01/2005	156000	10	09/01/1998
	Audi a4 abs malfunction. 1998 2.8 liter quattro. *jb
08/19/2005	76755	1	12/01/1997
	Abs system failure. abs dash light flashes and brake light remains lit. abs system not functional. standard hydraulic brakes remain functional without abs safety feature. *jb
04/16/2005	98950	3	11/01/2002
	Abs light and brake light came on while driving. pulled over and checked owner's manual which indicated loss of abs, but full conventional brake power. blinking lights went off by themselves after few minutes. since the warning, i am experiencing slight resistance from brake pedal occasionally. judging by postings on audi world.com, this has happened to several people. waiting to get appointment for diagnostics and part replacement if necessary.*ak
12/20/2004	756023	1
	The abs warning light illuminated after starting the vehicle ,and stayed on until vehicle was shut off. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
01/23/2005	60000	9999	01/17/2005
	1998 audi a4 2.8 quattro- my abs sensor has failed. abs light is on. *jb
10/19/2004	50002	1
	Once vehicle warms abs light comes on ,and the system is inoperable. consumer had not serviced the vehicle. *ak
07/20/2004	98000	1	06/20/2004
	Audi a4 quattro, 1998, 2.8l abs control module failure. abs light and blinking break light displayed on dash warning lights. carrera motors of bend, or defined the problem as no communication/faulty abs control module /n #8e0 614 111m . *ak
04/10/2004	89600	1	02/18/2004
	Anti lock braking system failure, goes into non-antilock mode. the failure is constant, it fails everytime the car is started.*ak
03/05/2003	82000	1	07/21/2001
	Car experiences diminished braking abilities under wet/cold conditions. if roads are wet, even if above freezing conditions, braking suddenly to avoid other traffic results in near crashes or dangerous swerving to avoid accident. this is not due to poor road conditions but directly related to the audi's braking abilities in wet conditions. very dangerous and unpredictable. have recently traded in vehicle and incurred large financial loss due to this and other serious problems. *jb
			09/01/1999
	If brakes are cold (not used for more than 15 minutes on a freeway) and the weather is cold and wet, the brakes will not grip for the first one to two seconds. at best, only one or two may slightly grip making the car swerve to one side. checking the audiworld.com web site forums shows that this is a common and serious safety problem.*ak
04/20/2000		5	07/01/1998
	In wet weather the brakes need to be applied much harder otherwise no slowing occurs. *ak
03/03/2000			08/01/1997
	Everytime it rains the brakes seems to have a .5 sec to 1 second delay before it works. audi please recall this brake system as it might cause accidents. *ak
			06/01/1998
	Brakes appear inactive for approx 1sec during heavy rain. *ak
			12/01/2000
	In heavy rain or slush, braking is severely degraded. it appears that the brake rotors and/or pads act like sponges in wet weather, and can't shed water fast enough during initial braking. a scarey 1-2 seconds will elapse before the brakes, under high pedal pressure, will engage. to avoid the problem, you have to drive with 1 foot on the brake, and 1 foot on the gas to dry out the brakes, then repeatedly check for braking effectiveness.*ak
12/30/1998			12/01/1998
	In snow and sometimes rain and when going over railroad tracks the brakes do not respond and you feel like you have absolutley no brakes. *ak
01/06/2001			04/01/1999
	Brakes do not resond for a couple of seconds when driving at highway speeds in wet road conditions
02/10/2001		9999	02/01/2000
	Car always has a delayed response when applying brakes when they are wet.*ak
01/08/2001		1	02/01/1998
	Cruise control inoperative.during high speed braking car shimmies and hops. problem began after serviced by audi as per audi brake recall. in the last 12 months my audi has spent 2 months at the dealership for repairs. this vehicle is a lemon.*ak
		6	05/01/2000
	When driving in the rain, the brakes do not immediately grab. there is a one half to one second delay before the brakes become effective. it is especially noticable on the highway when you have not touched the brakes in several miles. the rotors obviously get wet and are not able to generate enough heat to slow the car initially. the dealer takes the position that this is normal and, although i know others with this problem who have had their cars inspected by audi, they have done nothing to address the issue. i believe it to be a glaring safety defect on an otherwise well built and safe car.*ak
03/01/1998		1	03/20/1998
	When applying brakes after driving for extended distance, brakes fail on first applying, but return to normal if pumped. *yh
01/09/2001			04/01/1998
	Braking is delayed 3-4 seconds in rain and or snow conditions. additional pressure is required to stop vehicle. *ak
01/02/2001
	While backing out of driveway there were no brakes. vehicle was towed to automobile shop, and mechanic verified that wheel itself rubbed brake line every time vehicle was turned to left, wearing a hole in line, and causing brake failure. *ak

	Reduced brake performance when driving in rain or wet condition. especially when driving for long periods without applying brake (i.e. long distance highway drives) you need to put a lot of pressure on the brake pedal to get sufficient stopping power. it's startling for the driver to have to push the pedal down that far.*ak
02/20/1998			02/01/1998
	When braking,brakes would grind and squeek excessively and revealed premature wear.
06/17/2000		5	05/01/1998
	I continue to have problems with the brake system on this auto, even on dry surfaces. it appears that the problem is a misaligned interface between the all-wheel drive (quattro) system and the abs. the problem is one of software, not hardware, and audi needs to replace the appropriate chip.*ak
		1	08/01/1998
	My a4 exhibits a severe delay (3-4 secs) in braking force when the brakes get wet (i.e. any time it rains). this is not normal and seems quite hazardous. it only happens when the brakes get wet, which always happens driving in rain (and i don't mean driving through puddles). dealer's latest story is that audi is aware of problem but has no fix. some (not all) owners of this car model have the same complaint. *ak
		1
	Vehicle does not brake properly when brakes are wet. when applying brakes vehicle continues to travel. this problem has been reported to dealership and manufacturer many times. problem has not been corrected. ak the problem was corrected on 2000 models by redesigning brakes but no on earlier models. yh
			04/01/1998
	After driving on the highway in the rain, when brakes first applied, the car accelerates, then brakes after 1-2 seconds. this is very unnerving and the dealer says audi knows about this but there is no advisory or technical bulletin to fix it please help. otherwise, this car is one of the best.*ak
		10	08/01/1998
	Wet braking problem - during rain brake efficiency falls to an unacceptable level. brake shoes slip on the disc and do not provide sufficient braking. abs does not activate which means that tires do not even try to lock. this makes me to believe that the problem is really in the shoe/disc engagement.
		15	06/01/1998
	Wet braking delay; 15 occurrences a guess, but is any heavy rain - when intially hit the brakes in heavy raing, get no braking action, sometimes for over a second. pedal is firm, feels normal. after about a second, water washed off rotors and braking is normal. complained to dealer, but they say have to drive car under these conditions before can take action - haven't heard of any other complaints. difficult to do when am 1 hr away from dealer and have to suddenly take off from work and drive to them, hoping that rain continues. have driven/owned cars since 1969, had previous 1990 audi - experienced no such problems on any previous vehicle. *ak
05/05/2000		20	03/01/2000
	Since i have owned th car, i have experienced a delay or a lack of braking ability when driving in the rain. i have had a few near accidents when i had to brake suddenly and i had no response. luckily i had quatrro and room to move. normal driving is o.k. only becauise i know of the problem and give myself time to stop. this should not be the case. i need the brakes to work properly every time and under all conditions. my 87 maxima has beeter brakes now than the audi. this needs to be solved or i will have to consider selling my vehicle for a safer bmw especially since children are on the way. not a safe vehicle for them. i hope you can remedy. *ak
			08/01/1999
	Wet braking problem. *ak
		20	06/01/1998
	Major hesitation when brakes are wet. (one to two second delay). *ak
			12/01/1997
	Every time it rains it is nearly impossible to brake the car, even thought the brakes work properly in the dry. i have had this problem ever since the purchase, but have decided to report it only now. the car seems to actually go faster when initially pressing the brake pedal, and oly after about 2 seconds it starts to show some sign that it is actually braking the car. this makes the car, which is basically new, unsafe to drive in the rain. *ak
			05/01/1998
	When driving in wet conditions, the brakes respond very differently than when dry, especially when the brakes haven't been applied for a while. the brake pedal requires much greater force to decelerate at the desired rate compared to what the operator expects based on the experience of driving the car previously. the problem seems to be most obvious when driving on the highway in the rain. i'm guessing a layer of water builds up on the discs or pads (or both), and when exiting the highway and applying the brakes for the first time in a while it almost feels like there is no braking at all! the few times my wife has driven the car in the rain on the highway she has complained loudly to me. the problem is not limited to highway driving, however. even normal driving around town can result in the feeling of significantly reduced braking. if i drag the brakes a little using my left foot to keep the discs heated up and clear of water then when i need the brakes they seem to be fine. the problem never shows up when it's dry outside. this is very disconcerting and makes me afraid of getting into an emergency situation where i need to deccelerate quickly and simply can't do it. as it is now i have to plan way ahead knowing that i may not have the braking power i think i should have. i have never felt this kind of reduced braking power in the rain in any other car i have ever owned or driven. *ak
01/22/2000		4	03/01/1999
	Traveling at highway speed, weather was raining/snowing, when i attempted to apply the brakes to exit the highway, the brakes did not slow the car as they should. i pumped the brakes several times and was able to slow the car for the exit ramp. this has occurred on several occasions prior and since, all during wet conditions. on the 1/22/00 incident, i was on my way to the dealer to have a scheduled service completed and mentioned the problem to the service writer. he acknowledged that there is a problem with wet braking in my model however audi has not authorized any repairs. he did have the pads removed and cleaned along with the rotors. this has not solved the problem.
04/02/2000		3	11/01/1998
	When traveling at speed of 50 mph or greater in very heavy rain, there is an initial delay while braking (0.5 sec-1 sec) when brakes don't have an effect. pushed the pedal and nothing happened for the initial delay. then, abruptly the car brakes. also, there is a lack of splash shields on the front rotors on the model year 98 (model year 2000 has it). the rotors have water on them and it takes a while for that to be evacuated. *ak
		2	05/16/1998
	Abs system failed on two occasions. *mjs
02/27/1999		5	07/01/1998
	Wet braking performance greatly diminished due to wet rotors, requires higher brake effort and stopping time/distance. *ak
01/25/2000		1	12/01/1999
	The wet braking is horrible on this car. if you are driving in the rain, it takes 2 seconds for the rotors to dry out. i have always had cars with 4 wheel discs and have never seen a car that loses its brakes so easily. the car brakes great in the dry and when the roads are wet, but when it is raining enough to wet the rotors, all drivers with the stock pads need to be extrememly careful. i don't know if this is part of the problem, but there is no spash shield behind the rotor. i don't want to be involved in an accident because of this and felt like i should report it. i do know that this is not just happening to me, but that is not what the dealer wants us to think. i have heard that changing the pads to an aftermarket helps, but i feel audi should do something about this before someone gets hurt. *ak
04/04/1998		10	02/01/1998
	After driving in rain, foot will sink on brake pedal as if hydraulic fluid is gone and stopping force is gone until re-applying foot to brake pedal 2nd-3rd time. *ak
01/07/2000			09/01/1997
	Brakes hesitate when consumer applies brakes & the pedal goes all the way to the floor. brakes will not work in the cold weather. *ak
05/02/1999		2	05/01/1998
	Audi of america has launched a recall campaign, labelled ku, for its defective brakes. i received a formal notification on october 10, 1999. hoever, since then i have been unable to have this recall performed at any audi dealer. since the recall represents a serious defect and potential hazard, i seek the nhtsa's involvement to have the recall performed on my vehicle as soon as possible. *ak
08/01/1998		1	07/01/1998
	Problem is major braking delay in rain (worse with heavy rain). when push on pedal, get no braking action for 1-3 seconds, then brakes act normal. pedal feels firm/normal. seems like there is water sheeting on the rotors; brakes have to wipe water off before get any braking. this is the absolute worst case of this phenomena i have felt in 30 years, 750,000 miles of driving. dealer informed at routine service, could find nothing wrong.
06/17/1999		1	05/01/1998
	On june 17, 1999 i simultaneously lost control of both the steering wheel and the brakes. the weheel was locked and the brakes would not pump. the trip instrument panel showed the battery sign and the warning check. the car came to a stop uphill, and resumed normal (?) operation after i turned on the engine again.*ak
04/20/1999			10/01/1998
	My audi has wonderful brakes in dry road conditions. however initial braking in wet conditions results in a few seconds of diminished braking capacity which almost resulted in an accident. this seems to have been reported by many a4 owners as internet forums like www.a4.org have many complaints similar to this. please do not confuse my observation with reduced braking performance in wet weather, for this is obvious. this condition is rather unique to the audi, as my wife's '98 honda accord v-6 ex does not exhibit this characteristic given similar road conditions. my audi dealer did not indicate that my a4 was part of any braking recall campaign.
04/10/1999		5	03/01/1998
	Brakes do not respond properly for 10-15 feet when it is raining, the water that gets on the brakes effects their gripping efficiency. it's very bad. *mjs
		6	09/01/1998
	Brakes do not appear to work at all for 1-2 seconds after application. then they work with reduced efficiency and finally (after heating up) work normally. if one side dries more quickly on applying brakes, car pulls side-to-side lightly but noticably. i must apply my brakes regularly to dry them when it rains and have irritated drivers behind me who believe i am playing games with them. *mjs
02/06/1999		1	09/01/1998
	The brake pedal would go to the floor with very little braking. you could pump-up the pedal, but if you applied steady pressure it would go to the floor. at a light, if you kept the automatic transmission in drive, the pdeal would go to towards the floor until the car started to move forward at idle. the dealer could not duplicate the problem. the problem has not reoccurred. *ak
			06/01/1998
	The brakes on my car are very suspect in rain or snow conditions. i dread a panic stop. i must pre-apply brake pressure in plenty of time to be able to stop when i need to when it is wet outside. i don't mean after driving through a puddle. i'm talking just general wet road conditions.
02/24/1999		2	05/01/1998
	Abs system was unable to stop the car for 30 feet, while i kept pressing the brakes, as required, and felt the vibration. seven feet before i was about to hit the car in front of me, i re-applied the brakes ( removed my foot and braked again) and then the car stopped within inches from the rear of the car ahead of me. road conditions were slippery. this is the second time that this audi a-4 model does not stop at all when brakes are applied consistently, as requires under the abs system
12/02/1998
	While drivingthe abs braking systm which is activated malfunctioned, having no braking ability, and causing a frontal impact. the driver's and passenger's airbags did deploy but not all the way. also, seatbelt tensioner malfunctioned, which did not hold properly the occupant, and occupant sustained a broken bone. please provide further information. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT
07/27/2004	78000	1	09/28/2002
	I have 1998 audi a4 2.8 quatro. abs and break lights is on. word on the vw/audi tech circle is that the bosch 5.3 module is malfunctioning at a higher than normal rate. please make a recall on this part.*ak
04/10/2004	89600	1	02/18/2004
	Anti lock braking system failure, goes into non-antilock mode. the failure is constant, it fails everytime the car is started.*ak
04/16/2004	70000	1
	Abs controller is defective, cost $1000 to replace, and i have been told by independent audi mehcanic and said there are a lot of the controllers going out on my year car which is a 1998.5. *ak
11/07/2003	45000	1000	12/22/1997
	The abs system does not work. the abs mil would come on at random and stay on. now it is on all the time the ignition is turned on. *la
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
06/02/2008	130000
	Tl*the contact owns a 1998 audi a4. the contact noticed that the abs warning lights sporadically illuminated on the instrument panel. the dealer stated that the antilock:control unit/module failed, and the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. the cost would exceed $1,100 because there was no recall for that component. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 130,000.
09/06/2006	80000	1
	Abs/brake light just started flashing. the abs brakes are not working abs module is the cause. under hard braking or wet conditions the car slides looses traction. old part is still in car to expensive to replace right now. had car looked at by certified mechanic and they told me abs module is the problem. *nm
07/06/2005	67532	1	05/10/2002
	The abs control unit on my audi a4 failed after only 67,000 miles. i have no anti-lock braking whatsoever, and audi has denied any responsibility for the part since it is out of warranty. searching through audi forums i found this failure to be very common and everyone had no abs until the control unit was replaced which cost an average of $1500+. there were no events that lead up to the failure, i started the car one day and the abs and brake light started flashing on my dash. i tested the abs on an icy road and found that it indeed does not prevent my brakes from locking up.*jb
01/01/2006		1	04/28/1998
	Failure of abs module, 1998 audi a4. *jb
02/05/2006		1	01/15/2004
	My abs light started blinking in my 1998 audi a4. i went to a mechanic and had it diagnosed; found that it was a light failure; i was told i would have to pay a lot of money to pull out the electronics and most likely not even solve the problem. later i started to notice that my abs was not engaging properly and sometimes not at all (which is now the case), i filed complaints with audi and boshe about this but they told me there could be no recall because abs is not a traffic concern. recently i was driving in the rain and making a 98 degree turn not terribly fast; there was no stop sign, and i ended up doing a 360 to a stop. i found this not only a scary experience, but one that could have been life threatening. it didn't make sense; im driving the honorable quattro. i decided to look further. i found many people have the same problem. specifically w/ models in 1998. im a fairly good driver in fact i did a defensive driving class at infineon raceway so i was still confused how i lost so much traction in such a short amount of time. i found the problem was actually part of the quattro itself. the electronic braking, traction systems, and various other vehicle dynamic systems are all dependent on the abs control module. all the test up to then showed no link to abs control unit; i was made to believe that my car just had a light failure. i started researching the control unit and i found that there is already a recall on the part but not for audi but for volkswagen! the campaign id number is 02v031000. i talked to people who were owners of volkswagens who got the recall and many of them had almost identical problems to mine. some even said the unit caught fire. so here i am told i have a light problem, then told audi cant do anything for me except get a whole new abs system at my expense. now i find the truth is one control module is responsible for the lack of control in my car as well as a possible car fire. please help: i and many others need a new unit. *nm
06/01/2005	110000	1	02/14/2000
	1998 audi a4 2.8 quattro abs control module, part# 8e06141111m or n vin: waued28d0wa171053. *jb controls the anti-lock braking feature. i have encountered many other people that have had the same defect at various mileage points, even random audi a4 owners that i have met in person. it nearly caused accident on 2 occassions as brakes locked-up prematurely. part is being repaired.
07/08/2005	130000	1	07/01/2005
	Abs control modules (bosch 5.3) on all early model 98-01 audi a4 and it's sister car the vw passat 98-01 will and do fail at some point. control module is completely inoperative most times while driving. may start working sporadically and then quit again. common problem on forums (audiworld.com). i have been a vw / audi technician for 7 years now and have seen several of these. would be nice to know that this safety feature is going to work when needed. vw / audi is aware of the problem and has just released a technical bulletin alerting that the control module may now be purchased separately from the hydraulic unit. this control module at my cost (considerable discount since i work for the company) is $1495.00. please help myself and other audi / vw owners get our cars stopping safely. *jb
05/24/2005	51100		01/22/1998
	Abs and brake warning lights are illuminated on the dash. took it to a dealer and was told there was no communication with the abs controller. dealer wanted $2600 for parts plus $450 (3 hrs) to replace. vehicle only has 51000 miles!
05/07/2005	82000	10	06/01/1998
	Abs light comes on intermittently and abs system is not functional. abs system also used in electronic differential control. audi dealer diagnosed as a abs control unit failure with part cost of $2600 plus labor and was repaired by audi dealer. contacted audi customer care and they did not offer any assistance. this is a very real safety issue and based on internet searches has affected hundreds of audi and vw vehicles. this appears to be a faulty design of a critical safety component and warrants further investigation.
04/12/2005	55500	1	09/08/1998
	Abs light and blinking brake light came on intermittently after 55800 miles. diagnosed as (possibly) a bad abs control module. also told it could be a bad instrument panel. cost of $2200 quoted for abs control module replacement with no guarantee that it would solve the problem. as a result abs control module not replaced reducing safety of vehicle.*ak
02/14/2005	80000	1
	Abs light illuminated while driving 35 mph. vehicle was taken to the dealer, wh informed the consumer that the abs brake module needed to be replaced.*ak
09/01/2003	101500	50	03/21/1998
	Abs control module failure and inactive, which is an intermittent problem. *la
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
		11
	When parallel parking noticed difficulty in the steering, later noice broken wires at front of engine. brakes have always required extra effort and performed poorly.
03/01/2001			04/01/1999
	Malfunctioning of housing for brakes and clutch caused brake failure which resulted in a vehicle crash. driver received severe injuries. *jb
05/20/2000		5	08/01/1998
	In heavy rain conditions, brakes become unresponsive for appx 1-2 seconds, regardless of pedal pressure. i have been driving for 18 years and can attest that this is not a case of normal 'reduced effectiveness' associated with wet conditions. in certain conditions, the car will travel for 20-50 feet without any noticeable brake effectiveness. yes, i do pump my brakes frequently under these conditions to clear excess water from the pads/rotors.
02/01/1998			01/01/1998
	Brakes do not work in wet conditions!
06/17/1999		1
	Vehicle experienced steering wheel and brake lock up. mjs
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC
			12/01/2000
	In heavy rain or slush, braking is severely degraded. it appears that the brake rotors and/or pads act like sponges in wet weather, and can't shed water fast enough during initial braking. a scarey 1-2 seconds will elapse before the brakes, under high pedal pressure, will engage. to avoid the problem, you have to drive with 1 foot on the brake, and 1 foot on the gas to dry out the brakes, then repeatedly check for braking effectiveness.*ak
01/06/2001			04/01/1999
	Brakes do not resond for a couple of seconds when driving at highway speeds in wet road conditions
08/08/2000		1	02/01/1998
	Car quit running. would not restart. brakes squeek and grind revealing excessive and premature wear.
10/20/1998		1	02/01/1998
	Brakes noisey and showing excessive wear.
11/15/1999		25	08/01/1999
	There is a 2 sec. delay for brake response when wet. much worse than any other vehicle i have driven. this will cause accidents. vehicle will not stop in published distance when brakes are wet. new brake pad material is required . there are already many other reports of this same problem in your data base.
04/05/2000		20	01/01/1998
	During wet weather, the brakes takes several seconds to catch after the pedal is depressed. this has caused many near accidents since this behavior is not normal nor expected. dry weather braking is just fine. i am very concerned about this problem and have contacted audi of america and my dealer. they do not have a solution for the problem yet. i need help!!
		1	08/01/1998
	My a4 exhibits a severe delay (3-4 secs) in braking force when the brakes get wet (i.e. any time it rains). this is not normal and seems quite hazardous. it only happens when the brakes get wet, which always happens driving in rain (and i don't mean driving through puddles). dealer's latest story is that audi is aware of problem but has no fix. some (not all) owners of this car model have the same complaint. *ak
04/01/2000			03/01/1998
	Brakes ineffective for 1-2 seconds during heavy rain
05/01/2000		100	07/01/1998
	In wet conditions (rain or slush), brakes intermittently fail to respond for several seconds, then grab normally. been this way since i took delivery of car. this is not normal wet weather braking force reduction. more like no brakes at all for a few seconds. i believe the brakes are getting wet internally due to lack of proper shields, but dry themselves off after a few seconds of application, which would explain the several second delay followed by normal braking. the dealer has inspected all braking system components twice for me and found nothing unusual. lots of other audi a4 owners complain about the same problem. no other car i have ever owned or driven has behaved like this in wet weather. especially at highway speeds the braking delay is extremely dangerous, paticularly since it is intermittent. you just never know when the car will decide not to stop when you need it to! the only way i have found to deal with the problem is to apply the brakes every ten or fifteen seconds to k eep them dry. but that, too, is dangerous, since following traffic goes bananas seeing my brake lights come on all the time for no apparent reason. i have complained to audi of america, which claims they know nothing about this problem and have not had other complaints about it. they are lying, because i know other a4 drivers who have also complained bitterly to audi of america and their dealers about this problem. please help us! *ak
		15	06/01/1998
	Wet braking delay; 15 occurrences a guess, but is any heavy rain - when intially hit the brakes in heavy raing, get no braking action, sometimes for over a second. pedal is firm, feels normal. after about a second, water washed off rotors and braking is normal. complained to dealer, but they say have to drive car under these conditions before can take action - haven't heard of any other complaints. difficult to do when am 1 hr away from dealer and have to suddenly take off from work and drive to them, hoping that rain continues. have driven/owned cars since 1969, had previous 1990 audi - experienced no such problems on any previous vehicle. *ak
01/22/2000		4	03/01/1999
	Traveling at highway speed, weather was raining/snowing, when i attempted to apply the brakes to exit the highway, the brakes did not slow the car as they should. i pumped the brakes several times and was able to slow the car for the exit ramp. this has occurred on several occasions prior and since, all during wet conditions. on the 1/22/00 incident, i was on my way to the dealer to have a scheduled service completed and mentioned the problem to the service writer. he acknowledged that there is a problem with wet braking in my model however audi has not authorized any repairs. he did have the pads removed and cleaned along with the rotors. this has not solved the problem.
01/25/2000		1	12/01/1999
	The wet braking is horrible on this car. if you are driving in the rain, it takes 2 seconds for the rotors to dry out. i have always had cars with 4 wheel discs and have never seen a car that loses its brakes so easily. the car brakes great in the dry and when the roads are wet, but when it is raining enough to wet the rotors, all drivers with the stock pads need to be extrememly careful. i don't know if this is part of the problem, but there is no spash shield behind the rotor. i don't want to be involved in an accident because of this and felt like i should report it. i do know that this is not just happening to me, but that is not what the dealer wants us to think. i have heard that changing the pads to an aftermarket helps, but i feel audi should do something about this before someone gets hurt. *ak
11/09/1999		4	08/01/1998
	In heavy rain or after washing car brakes do not work for about 1-2 seconds after application. it is very scary and dangerous imo.
10/28/1999		3	06/01/1998
	Brakes do not grab in the wet/rain. there appears to be a one to two second delay between stepping on the brakes and the car slowing done. i have noticed this same delay, in dry weather, at highway speeds of 50-60 mph.
			12/01/1997
	During or after raining, initial braking has no response for about 1 - 2 seconds. then the brakes slowly build up friction to engage stopping power. i realize that wet roads cause some brake performance loss, but this exceeds the norm. there are also many other a4 owner complaints about the same problem on the a4.org forums.
			12/01/1997
	Brake performance poor when wet. unsafe in a panic stop
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS
04/15/2003		1
	Multitude of probs. w/ almost every aspect (brakes, engine valves, oil light stays on, rain leaks, bad wheel bearings, etc.) of this car. most frustrating has been rude and incompetent service by audi dealer. after an expensive repair to the rear wheel bearings the dealer said that although not all the noise was gone, the car was safe enough to drive to calif.,(we live in nj). we did not believe the dealer because a loud grinding noise remained and took it to another shop where both front control arms were found to be damaged. we were advised not to drive the car as it was not safe to do so . *ak
05/21/2000		1
	Front and rear brake pads and rotors failed. yh
		10	08/01/1998
	Wet braking problem - during rain brake efficiency falls to an unacceptable level. brake shoes slip on the disc and do not provide sufficient braking. abs does not activate which means that tires do not even try to lock. this makes me to believe that the problem is really in the shoe/disc engagement.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
11/13/2000		10	11/01/2000
	During rainy weather the brakes have a very pronounced delay from application to engagement due to wet rotors, the delay is between 1 and 2 seconds. this is not an intermittent problem, it happens whenever it rains at a moderate to heavy amount. *ak
05/21/2000		1
	Front and rear brake pads and rotors failed. yh
04/02/2000		3	11/01/1998
	When traveling at speed of 50 mph or greater in very heavy rain, there is an initial delay while braking (0.5 sec-1 sec) when brakes don't have an effect. pushed the pedal and nothing happened for the initial delay. then, abruptly the car brakes. also, there is a lack of splash shields on the front rotors on the model year 98 (model year 2000 has it). the rotors have water on them and it takes a while for that to be evacuated. *ak
02/27/1999		5	07/01/1998
	Wet braking performance greatly diminished due to wet rotors, requires higher brake effort and stopping time/distance. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM
10/10/1999		4	07/01/1998
	Brakes failed to work on highway off-ramp during heavy rain. depressed pedal, but almost no braking force. had to veer back into interstate traffic, almost causing major crash. this has happened before to me, always in wet weather. problem is intermittent. usually brakes are ok in wet, but now and then almost complete failure for no apparent reason, always in wet. brakes return after brief application. i believe brakes are getting wet somehow and failing to operate until they warm up and dry off, but this is just a theory. the failures are infrequent but very dramatic and extremely dangerous. other audi a4 owners have experienced exact same problem. dealers have no solution. please help! thanks.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST
			06/01/1999
	Vechicle has a severe decrease in breaking power in wet conditions, especially in colder weather. it takes up to 5 seconds for the vechicle to start to slow down in these conditions.*ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - HYDRAULIC
			05/31/1997
	Recall # 99v131000 vw/brake booster; owner received recall notice in september 1999. owner has contacted dealer on several occasions. dealer has no parts available to correct recall. manufacturer stated that parts should be available in the middle of january 2000. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM

	No parts have been available for recall # 99v131000/ brake booster since october 1999. consumer has contacted dealer about every 4 weeks as dealer has instructed. also, dealer claimed that manufacturer was not sending out parts for recall repair. *ak

	Consumer received recall 99v131001 concerning the brake booster.contacted the dealer, no parts were available to correct the problem. recall please give any further details.*ak
09/30/1999
	Recalls 99v248 000/tie rod & 99v131 001/brake booster; both mamufacturer's recalls could not be honored because dealer had no parts. but informed consumer that parts would be available on oct 15, 1999. asking nhtsa help in this matter. *ak

	Recall # 99v131000 brakes:hydraulic:power assist: booster: owner received recall letter in september. contacted dealer on november 1, 1999. owner called again after one mont. , and again on january 4, 2000. parts have not been shipped from manufacturer. on january 28, 2000 dealer installed recall item. *ak
			08/20/1998
	Recall 99v131000 concerning brake booster failure. dealer has no parts since september, 1999. *ak

	Recall 99v131000, brake booster: recall, which dealer fred lavery audi porsche, 34602 woodward avenue, birmingham, mi phone # 2486455930, claimed had no parts available since october.cold season is coming up which could cause the brake booster to malfunction and cause a crash. *ak
10/26/1999
	Recall 99v131000; brake booster recall. dealer needs to install a vacuum by-pass system so the braking system wont malfunction. dealer won't set an appointment until april 2000, and vehicle is experiencing braking problems which may result in a crash. dealer contacted, fray audi, greenwich, ct 203-661-1800. please provide further information. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT
07/27/2004	78000	1	09/28/2002
	I have 1998 audi a4 2.8 quatro. abs and break lights is on. word on the vw/audi tech circle is that the bosch 5.3 module is malfunctioning at a higher than normal rate. please make a recall on this part.*ak