Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | ||||||
| PE03019 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 05/15/2003 | 09/17/2003 | STEERING WHEEL HEATER OVERHEATS | ||
| This pe was opened based on four odi complaints that the steering wheel overheats. vw has shown that moisture and prespiration permeate the steering wheel cover causing the heating element to corrode.this corrosion may cause a small, localized area of the steering wheel to experience a brief duration of overheating.there are no reports of the steering wheel sustaining combustion. the investigation has found no occurrences of severe burning and no consumers required medical attention. a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 1 | 08/08/2005 | |
| 1999 audi a6 avant with serious safety issues. consumer would like audi to pay for the last 4 repairs that needed to be done. consumer has had some serious safety issues with this vehicle and states that it is a lemon. *kb there was a rumbling noise coming from the engine, there was an oil leak coming from the engine, the engine light illuminated due to a bad pipe, the front rotors and pads were replaced, the transmission was leaking, the back wheels were dragging so the pads would not release, the brake and abs light illuminated, the cruise control was inoperative, t he sunroof was inoperative, the tie rods needed to be replaced, the timing belt, water pump, gasket oil cooler and serpentine belt were all replaced. *jb | |||
| 07/20/2003 | 1 | ||
| Dealership refused to perform control arm recall repairs unless consumer paid to have the tie rod done by them.*ak | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 76200 | 5 | |
| Consumer stated tie rods ends grease boot tore causing tie rod ends to wear out and make clunking noise. dealership refused to repair them under extended warranty policy so the tie rod ends were replaced at consumer's expense by independent mechanic. | |||
| 10/10/2003 | 50000 | 1 | 01/18/2003 |
| Front suspension failures. audi a6 front control arms and tie rod ends seem to fail prematurely. i have had to replace first 3 of the left control arms and tie rod end, and then 2 months later 3 of the right control arms and tie rod end on my 1999 audi a6 with 53,000 miles. *la | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 12/17/2005 | 120000 | 1 | 03/03/1999 |
| My 1999 audi a6 avant's heated steering wheel would overheat to the point i could not touch it. it caused the ignition swith's wires to melt and i had to have the ignition switch replaced by audi and the heated wheel deactivated. the failed ignition switch caused my headlights, horn, windshieldwipers to not work. everything now works after the switch was replaced and the steering wheel heater deavctivated by my audi dealer. | |||
| 05/02/2005 | 77600 | 2 | 10/29/2002 |
| 1999 audi a6 avant heated steering wheel. wheel generally heats at 12, 2, 5, 7 and 10 o'clock positions. on this particular occasion, i was driving at about 45 mph with my hands at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions. i initiated a right turn that required my hands on the 12 and 7 o'clock positions. however, these two spots were too hot to hold. my instant reaction to the high heat was to jerk my hands from the wheel. for that instance, my focus shifted from driving to the heat of the wheel. vehicle control was maintained. no accident. | |||
| 12/13/2002 | 42050 | 1 | 03/30/2002 |
| My 1999 audi a6 avant is equipped with the cold weather package. this package includes heated seats and steering wheel. when the driver's seat heater is turned on it activates the steering wheel heater. on 12/13/02 in using this heater the steering wheel became hot enough to burn my hand and began to fill the car with smoke. it melted the foam under the leather cover. if i had not turned off the seat/steering wheel heater i believe the steering wheel would have caught fire. my independent repair shop indicates there is a short in the wheel that will require replacement. i checked an enthusiast internet site (audiworld.com) and did a search of similar problems. i found several other audi models had similar problems. ts | |||