Audi A6 1999 - Electrical system - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Audi A6 1999

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
04V133000	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	from 08/14/1997 to 02/12/2004	V (Vehicle)	172866	07/26/2004	ODI	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	03/18/2004	03/22/2004
Defect Summary	On certain passenger vehicles, if a driver's knees push against the knee bolster (crash element) located under the dashboard, it can contact the headlight switch wiring harness, and an electrical short could occur.
Consequence Summary	A fire could originate in the left dashboard area.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will install a protective covering on the knee bolster (crash element). in addition, the wiring harness as well as the felt protector on the left side of the dashboard carrier will be checked, and replaced if necessary. the recall began on july 26, 2004. owners should contact audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Notes	Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration
06V198000	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	from 08/01/1997 to 05/31/2000	V (Vehicle)	70512	12/16/2006	ODI	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	06/05/2006	06/07/2006
Defect Summary	On certain passenger vehicles equipped with halogen low beam headlights, certain connector pins in the headlight switch connector come into contact with each other causing a short circuit. note: vehicles with xenon low beam headlights are not affected because the circuit in these vehicles contains a fuse, which precludes excessive current flow in the case of a short circuit. audi s6 and s6 avant vehicles are all equipped with xenon low beam headlights and, therefore, are not longer affected by this recall.
Consequence Summary	This condition could lead to overheating or fire.
Corrective Summary	Dealers will reroute the wiring harness by installing a jumper wiring harness. the recall began on december 16, 2006. owners may contact audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Notes	Volkswagen (audi) recall no. jn.customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Replacement Bulletin	Item no.	Summary	Added
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
900104	11/07/2001	900102	627106	Subject regarding instrument cluster, driver's information display fades. *jg	02/05/2002
900102	09/28/2001		627068	Subject regarding instrument cluster, driver's information display fades. *jg	02/05/2002

Investigations

NHTSA ID	Manufacturer	Date open	Date close	Subject	Recall campaign
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	04V133000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
RQ06003	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	02/27/2006	07/20/2006	DRIVER'S SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	Volkswagen of america, inc. (voa) conducted a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 04v133) to add a plastic cover to the top section of the knee bolster crossmember to prevent contact with the headlight switch wiring harness.the scope of the original recall covered model years 1998 through 2004 with vehicle production dates of august 1997 through december 2004.the office of defects investigation has received nine complaints alleging that after having the recall remedy performed, a fire started in the driver's side dashboard area.voa reports that if the plastic cover is not installed properly by the dealers, the headlight switch wiring harness could continue to contact the crossmember, resulting in a short and/or fire in the driver's side dashboard area.voa will conduct a new safety recall to add an additional (and larger) cover over both the knee bolster crossmember and the plastic cover assembly installed in the first recall.all of the nhtsa complaints and all but 3 voa claims are for my 1998 through my 2000.voa reports that beginning in my 2001, audi extended the time for the deburring process of the crossmember.voa was not able to verify the cause of fire in the my 2001 and later vehicles due to either extensive fire damage or other reason.the rate of fire occurrence is significantly less for the my 2001 and later vehicles. the recall covers model years 1998 through 2000 with vehicle production dates of august 1997 through may 2000.voa will recall 66358 my 1998-2000 audi a6, a6 avant, s6, and s6 avant vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 59 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 06v-198.
PE03035	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	07/25/2003	11/25/2003	DRIVERS SIDE DASHBOARD FIRE
	Of the 22 total complaints, 11 were received for the 1999 model year and 11 for the 2000 model year. audi is conducting testing to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	04V133000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
PE03035	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	07/25/2003	11/25/2003	DRIVERS SIDE DASHBOARD FIRE
	Of the 22 total complaints, 11 were received for the 1999 model year and 11 for the 2000 model year. audi is conducting testing to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	04V133000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
PE03035	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	07/25/2003	11/25/2003	DRIVERS SIDE DASHBOARD FIRE
	Of the 22 total complaints, 11 were received for the 1999 model year and 11 for the 2000 model year. audi is conducting testing to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	04V133000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
RQ06003	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	02/27/2006	07/20/2006	DRIVER'S SIDE DASH FIRE	06V198000
	Volkswagen of america, inc. (voa) conducted a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 04v133) to add a plastic cover to the top section of the knee bolster crossmember to prevent contact with the headlight switch wiring harness.the scope of the original recall covered model years 1998 through 2004 with vehicle production dates of august 1997 through december 2004.the office of defects investigation has received nine complaints alleging that after having the recall remedy performed, a fire started in the driver's side dashboard area.voa reports that if the plastic cover is not installed properly by the dealers, the headlight switch wiring harness could continue to contact the crossmember, resulting in a short and/or fire in the driver's side dashboard area.voa will conduct a new safety recall to add an additional (and larger) cover over both the knee bolster crossmember and the plastic cover assembly installed in the first recall.all of the nhtsa complaints and all but 3 voa claims are for my 1998 through my 2000.voa reports that beginning in my 2001, audi extended the time for the deburring process of the crossmember.voa was not able to verify the cause of fire in the my 2001 and later vehicles due to either extensive fire damage or other reason.the rate of fire occurrence is significantly less for the my 2001 and later vehicles. the recall covers model years 1998 through 2000 with vehicle production dates of august 1997 through may 2000.voa will recall 66358 my 1998-2000 audi a6, a6 avant, s6, and s6 avant vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 59 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 06v-198.
EA03025	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	11/25/2003	05/07/2004	DRIVERS SIDE DASH FIRE	04V133000
	The subject vehicles are equipped with a knee bolster located under the dash, near the drivers knees.a wiring harness is also located in the dash, in that same area.audi's analysis of 39 vehicles indicated that the knee bolster was rubbing against that wiring harness.over time the harness sheathing wears away and the wires come into contact with the metal knee bolster, resulting in a fire. audi will conduct a safety recall on an expanded scope of audi a6 vehicles, to add a plastic cap to the top of the knee bolster bracket, which will prevent abrasion to the wiring harness. audi will recall 186,000 my 1998-2004 audi a6 vehicles.odi is aware of a total of 24 warranty, field and consumer reports for these vehicles.the recall is identified by nhtsa number 04v-133.
PE03035	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC	07/25/2003	11/25/2003	DRIVERS SIDE DASHBOARD FIRE
	Of the 22 total complaints, 11 were received for the 1999 model year and 11 for the 2000 model year. audi is conducting testing to determine the origin and cause of the fire.

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
03/04/2013	96000
	Tl- the contact owns a 1999 audi a6. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, smoke and flames began to enter the vehicle through the air vents. the contact moved the vehicle over and extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. the contact stated that the passenger sustained burns to the fingers. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection and the cause of the fire was unknown. there was not a police or fire report filed. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 96,000. kmj
03/04/2013	96000
	Tl- the contact owns a 1999 audi a6. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, smoke and flames began to enter the vehicle through the air vents. the contact pulled the vehicle over and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. the contact stated that the passenger sustained burns to his fingers. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection. the cause of the fire was unknown. there was not a police or fire report filed. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 96,000. ap
03/02/2008	85000	1
	During normal use and driving abs, brake light and the air bag light comes on. erratic at first then steady. diagnosis: abs controller failure. during period of failure vehicle operates but without automatic braking system. this appears to be a common concern after conducting a quick internet search. mechanic states this is common. *tr
11/05/2008	9000
	Tl*the contact owns a 1999 audi a6. while driving 65 mph, the contact smelled a toxic odor from the driver's side of the vehicle. he noticed green smoke coming from the vents and pulled the vehicle over. the smoke from all four of the vents turned into flames. the contact exited the vehicle and the fire department was called and filed a report. the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and the vehicle was inspected to determine the cause of the fire. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact sustained minor injuries and had to go to the hospital. the failure and current mileages were 9,000.
05/16/2007	142500	1
	On may 2nd, 2007 i brought my vehicle for repair to beverly hills audi service. specifically i informed him that there was a burning smell coming from the vehicle that penetrated my sinuses like sulfur. beverly hills audi service department was able to duplicate the same smell and burning sensation during that week. they advised me that certain parts needed to be changed and i authorized the repair totaling almost $2,000.00. on may 10th, 2007 i picked up my vehicle and drove it for a couple of days. on may 16th, 2007 i contacted beverly hills audi service department and advised my service adviser that i could still smell the burning in the car and that it was unbearable. i proceeded to drive the car to the service department and on the way the car began to burn a horrible smell and within a few moments there were flames coming out of the dashboard from the ac vents. i immediately shut down the car and proceeded to the left of the 405 north freeway and put the car to a stop. at that time the car was completely in flames and i was fortunate to get the door open. i ran away and watched the car blow up and go into complete flames. the fire department and police arrived minutes later. the fire department determined it was an electrical fire from the dashboard. i researched on the internet (nhtsa) if their had been issues with audi a6 vehicles catching on fire and found that their had been a recall campaign initiated in july 26th, 2004. it stated that in certain passenger vehicles a fire could originate in the left dashboard area. i contacted the beverly hills service department and was advised that the recall had not been performed on my vehicle. my vehicle had been serviced ten times since the recall was initiated. recall for the audi 1999 a6 - recall 04v133000. i can provide additional information, if needed. at this time i have filed a complaint against vw of america, audi of america, and beverly hills service department. *tr
06/02/2008	141500	1
	I parked and shut off my car to go in a store leaving a friend in there to wait. i was in the store for 2 mins and my friend came in and said there was smoke coming from the vents, an abundance of smoke. i went outside to see and witnessed what was happening and proceeded to open the hood of the car to see if the engine was causing the smoke. i opened the hood to realize that the smoke in fact was not coming from the engine. i walked back around to the driver side door and saw flames coming from the vent and a man walked up to say get away. immediately i called 911 and tried to explain as i was hysterically crying. i went back into the store, which was rite aid and they proceeded to move any persons to the back of the store. the car continued to engulf in flames and continued to burn. the fire department finally showed up. there was a car parked next to me and was also damaged. *tr
01/09/2007	59632	1	02/26/2001
	Audi a6 customer states that after receiving a recall notice she took her car in for repairs and was given a larger bill for other things that need to be repaired*cc the consumer stated the dealer made repairs to the steering and engine. update tr
01/01/1901		1
	1999 audi a-6 had a recall on headlight switch wires and dealer refuse to fix problem*cc the consumer was told by the dealer that they could not perform the recall due to the vehicle having an after market device installed. the after market accessories were wired into the headlights system. jb
05/22/2006	92000	1	10/28/2002
	While driving my 1999 audi a6 on the expressway with my 3 year old son in his booster seat, the driver side of the dashboard starts to smoke . then in less than a minute flames were coming out, by the time i was able to pull over, my dashboard was completely on fire,while taking my son out the airbag blew, scaring him even more, and not to mention all the toxic fumes we inhaled. the insurance tells me the car is a total loss, and if that airbag was activated while i was still driving, it could have been fatal. *jb
01/09/2006	91000	1	04/26/2000
	Heated steering wheel burns hands, smokes. doesn't vary with settings. did not allow it to get to a fire condition. *jb
11/03/2005		1	06/01/2005
	Dt: the contact stated while driving vehicle she smelled melted plastic, maybe an electrical odor. when she pulled over fire and smoke was coming from the dashboard vents. there were no prior warnings or prior problems with the vehicle. the vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire. the insurance company inspected the vehicle to determine the cause of the fire. *ak
01/01/2004	31000	30	12/20/2004
	The central dash cluster, drivers information display fades to illegible after a few minutes of operation. *ak
04/27/2003	64000	1	06/18/2002
	As the car was driving normal, light smoke began coming out of the air vents. nothing was on, such as the ac or the heater. there were no signals or any alarms lit on the dashboard. in terms of minutes, without any warning, the light smoke turned into pitch black smoke, immediately turning into flames. in a matter of a minute, there was an explosion that completely destroyed the entire interior as well as the exterior of the vehicle. however, the vehicle was left with no visible fire damage to the engine or front end. *nlm
01/08/2003	45000	1	01/07/2003
	Instrument panel is faded to unreadable. an alarm is going off and i can't read what it says. a known problem with audi's. can't believe they didn't do a recall.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY
03/20/2007	120049	4	03/19/2007
	Tl* - the contact purchased a 1999 audi a6. on march 19, 2007. the contact explained that on march 20, 2007 the check engine light turned on for the first time ,and that there was burnt smell coming from the engine. the dealer stated that there was air in the gas lines. on march 21, 2007 the air conditioner stopped working. on march 22, 2007 the check engine light turned on a second time. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the contact was told that the air conditioner needed to be repaired, and that the engine hoses needed to be tuned. on march 24, 2007 the vehicle would not start. the dealership transported the vehicle back to the repair shop. the contact was told that this problem was due to a bad battery, the hoses were adjusted. they were only waiting on the parts for the air conditioner. the contact had informed them that there continued to be a strong burnt smell coming from the engine. on march 31, 2007 the contact took the vehicle back to the dealership to have worked on the air condition unit. on april 1 the contact heard a loud fan noise from under the hood when she started the vehicle. on april 4, 2007 the contact called the dealer and was told that all vehicles go through a 25 point inspection before sales. on april 7 the vehicle was taken to a professional dealer, where the contact was informed that there were leaks on the front and the back of the engine. all engine cam seals, hoses, and abs module need to be replaced . the repair costs would come to over $5000.00. the contact wanted to file a complaint against americar trading company 501 north thompson, spring dale ar, 72764 (479-927-0333) since they did not report that these problems existed on the vehicle prior to the sale. the dealer has not returned the contacts calls after this last failure. the failure mileage was 120,049, and the current mileage was 121,594. ak updated 07/17/07. jb
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION
01/01/1901		1
	Audi a6 1999. the vehicle was able to be started easily while in gear. sc the master cylinder failed without warning. the low beam headlight burned out without warning. nm
09/10/2002		1
	The ignition system has a flaw allowing the ignition/auto-transmission to be switched off in drive. without knowing that had happened, the driver started the vehicle which immediately began rolling. the owner tried to stop the vehicle and was injured in the process. please describe details.*jb
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH
07/01/2004		1
	Flames started shooting out the driver's side vent on 1999 a6 sedan.mr while driving smoke began coming out of the ac vents then flame starting coming out of the driver's side vents. the driver was able to pull of and extinguish the fire. the consumer sustained a small burn while putting the fire out. the consumer looked on the nhtsa website and found a recall on the ignition switch (04v13300) but has not received a notice about the recall. nm
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING
01/21/2002	60000		04/08/1999
	While driving my audi 1999 a6 quattro 2.8l my veh statred to smoke from the dashboard. i pulled off the road and with in 5 minutes my veh was totally destroyed. thankfully there was no injuries
03/19/2001		1
	Consumer states red panel lighting is visible at night, mechanic discovered a short at cigar lighter housing and repaired. *jb
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
02/06/2007	91223	2
	I was pouring windshield fluid into my audi a6 one day. i sat down in the car to move it onto the street because i wanted to wash it, i turned the ignition on, as i got in i smelled burning plastic. i thought nothing of it so i drove it to the street. smoke started pouring out of the vents on the drivers side of the cabin. i rolled down the windows and the sunroof because i thought the air-conditioning or heater was having a problem. i turned the car off and got out and watched the smoke for a minute. the smoke then turned a black-dark grey color. then came flames pouring out of the vent on the drivers side. just then i hear this piercing screech and pop, the car was completely ruined inside and soot spewed everywhere around the car i then turned the hose on which i already had out from when i was going to wash my car. i put a majority of the fire out, so i walked over to my garage and got a fire extinguisher and sprayed it all over to make sure it was out. i hosed my car out and around, surprisingly the interior was still intact but just a tad bit dirty, so i took it to my friend who owns a dealer/body shop and he got the car fixed and its just like new again. he was saying something about wiring and headlights but i was just happy that my car was back. please fix this audi because i would hate to see someone get hurt over this problem and be less fortunate than i was. out of the whole mess i had to get a new dashboard, steering wheel, windshield and wiring also a paint kit. the car looks stunning i also had to get it detailed after so the total cost to repair was $1967.34 i love this car otherwise and i hope this does not happen again. *tr
04/01/2005	84000	1
	Consumer was driving and suddenly there was fire coming from the dashboard. consumer contacted the fire department, and the fire was extinguished. vehicle was totaled.*ak
07/19/2004	93000	1	07/06/2001
	While traveling home on the atlantic city expressway, my wife and i noticed a peculiar smell coming from the vents. as the odor got stronger, we decided to pull over and check underneath the hood. when i looked underneath the hood, i saw nothing out of the ordinary. a few seconds later, i heard my wife exiting the vehicle because the cabin began to fill with smoke. upon closer review, i saw a small flame inside the drivers side vent. we worked frantically to put the small flame out however, we had no idea that the flame was much more intense than what was visible. seconds later, the entire dash was completely on fire. due to traffic conditions, it took the fire department 22 minutes to reach the fire consequently; the vehicle was completely demolished by the time they arrived. after spending an hour or so giving the state police the details of what happened, we finally realized that our cell phone, house keys and other important items were lost in the fire. we had to walk home- (3 miles) and wait for my parents to bring our spare key so we could get into our house. it took us more than a week to get all of the paperwork submitted to have our drivers license, social security card, etc. replaced. my personal computer that had more than 100 sensitive work-related documents (worth more than the pc) was lost. these documents are completely unrecoverable and i havent begun to evaluate the amount of time it will take to replicate them.*ak
07/14/2004	72000	1	01/23/2001
	My husband and i were driving our 1999 audi a-6 sedan on a limited access highway, we noticed an acrid smell in the car. suddenly smoke began pouring out the ac vents then flames began coming out the vents on the drivers side. *ak i called the audiof america help line on the 16th of july, gave a report and on july 19, spoke to anette johnson who took a full feeling very unsatisfied by ms. johnsons unhelpful, though sympathetic response, i did a web search using the terms audi, fire, dashboard and discovered that on march 23, 2004 it was announced that audi was recalling 172,888 vehicles because a wiring problem could cause a fire on the drivers side. exactly what happened to us! i then went to the site www.intellichoice.com/reports/vehiclereport.efm/vehicle_nmb/11642/section/recalls there i discovered that they disiplay all current information provided by the nhtsa in their recall database and you had noted that 22 reports had been filed on fires on this vehicle. are we the 23rd or the 85th? i called ms. johnson back and asked her why, when i described exactly what audi was recalling cars for she had not told me about the recall and offered to repair our car since it fell under that problem. she said that audi has not released this iformation that it was pending. yet i told her you had assigned a recall number to it (according to the above site). that number is 04v133000. i am appalled that news of this problem hit the media on march 24, 2004 and we were not notified. a fire just like the ones described in intellichoices site occurred to us and we certainly could have been seriously injured. yet, the audi representative told us that owners still had not been notified. my husband and i still are having horrific flashbacks to that terrifying moment when flames lept into the passenger compartment. we strongly urge you to take action to make audi notify all owners of cars like ours immediately.
03/09/2003	54000	1
	Center display faded out at 55000 miles and needed to be replaced for $900. *ak

	While driving between 45-50 mph consumer turned the heater on and a distinct smell came from the dashboard, followed by condensation smoke; first being gray smoke, then turning to black smoke. consumer stopped the vehicle just before the vehicle became engulfed in flames. *ak
11/30/2003	44000	1	08/10/2002
	I own a 1999 audi a-6 sedan. today it had a fire in the dashboard near the driver's side. fortunately it occurred while it was at home where i had access to fir extinguishers and tools to disconnect the battery. it took 3 extinguishers to put out the blaze. just moments earlier, my wife and 5 year old son returned home from church complaining of a toxic smell in the car! we were very fortunate the situation was not worse!*ak