Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 11/22/2008 | 40500 | 1 | |
| Drc unit (shock/suspension unit) in vehicle is problematic and will have to be replaced. i understand that this is a very common occurrence in this type of vehicle that audi has not attended to. *tr | |||
| 08/14/2008 | 57157 | 1 | |
| I am the owner of a 2003 audi rs6 with repeat suspension failures stemming from audi's dynamic ride control (drc). the system first begins losing hydraulic pressure, then slowly leaks the fluid out of the linked damper system until the car is in effect riding on the springs with inadequate damper control. the end result is a very poor driving car with excessive bump-steer and bounce. if left unattended, it results in a unsafe driving situation due to the unpredictable handling of the car. i have put 12,000 miles in the car in one year and have had the shocks and central accumulator valves changed 3 times. i fully expect to be back into the dealer in 5,000 miles or less, and i just picked the car up from the dealer on thursday, aug 14th. *tr | |||
| 08/04/2008 | 29000 | 1 | |
| Audi rs6 dynamic response control (suspension/struts/hydraulics) failure after 80 miles. failure first time in 28k mile car. based on national survey, audi is running a 50% or greater failure rate in this critical component in this expensive car and is not paying for replacements nor redesigning. *tr | |||
| 06/23/2008 | 43500 | 1 | |
| The dynamic ride control (drc) failed in my car, and i understand it frequently fails in this type of car. it has jumpy handling and sidestepping over bumps on the interstate. rounding curves at speed over expansion joints is plain dangerous when the drc fails. the car bounces, wheels lose contact and car sidesteps. obviously the fact that it repeatedly fails in these cars is the issue. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2007 | 46000 | 1 | |
| My shocks and central control valves leak fluid which causes instability in the suspensions system. the fluid leaks off reducing the system pressures within the shock system such that stability is effected when going over bumps, excessive leaning around corners, tramming when encountering grooving in the road surfaces, directional stability when going over holes in the road surface in corners, etc. once the shock start leaking it only gets worse and effects the spring dampening and general stability of the car. a simple drop test comparison can be made to demonstrate the effect between a car which has not leaks in the system and one which has had leaking shocks for awhile (i.e. lower system pressure). the shock and valves have been replaced by the manufacture on both occasions. however, i continually see re-occurrence of this problem reported on the web sites. my original shocks and central valves were leaking and finally replaced after being on backorder for quite some time. less than 5000 miles later the shocks were leaking again and all shocks and central valves were replaced again.. i'm very concerned this failure will continue happening with this system. the manufacture should be responsible for installing re-designed parts which will not exhibit this premature failure mode of leaking resulting in instability when one least expects it. *tr | |||
| 06/03/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| 2003 audi rs6. i purchased this car new and over the last 3 years have had shock absorber failures on 3 of the 4 corners. left front and left rear shock have each failed once and the right rear shock has failed 4 times. this vehicle has accumulated less than 16,500 miles as of 6/12/2008. the most recent incident of shock absorber failure occurred in mar 2008 with a right rear shock. the shock and associated central control valve was replaced at an authorized audi dealer. two months later the same shock was found to be leaking hydraulic fluid and had to be replaced with it's associated central control valve. this was after only 600 miles of driving. when the shocks depressurize the cars handling is compromised and results in unpredictable handling characteristics that could result in an accident. although in my case an accident has not occurred at this point, it certainly could some time in the future as the system is unreliable. the only thing predictable about this drc dynamic ride control system is that it's only a matter of a short period of time before the shocks fail again. a single shock failure costs between $1,200 and $1,700 to repair due to the complexity of the system and the associated parts that also must be replaced. total costs of repairs to the drc system on my vehicle to date is over $8,000. keep in mind that this car has less than 16,500 miles on the clock as of june 2008. the manufacturer's warranty covered the costs of these repairs for the first 4 years and now the extended warranty is covering the cost since the original warranty has expired less a deductible. in my opinion the drc system on this vehicle was either under engineered or the factory has a vendor problem with defective parts. in any case this is unacceptable for any car and especially for a car that had a sticker price of $88,000 in 2003. *tr | |||
| 03/26/2008 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Complete de-pressurized of the drc system. such a failure causes the suspension to bounce unsafely while on the road. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2008 | 52000 | 1 | |
| Purchased car used at 48k miles (2003 audi rs6). by a 52k miles check up the audi dynamic ride control (drc) suspension system was deemed defective requiring complete replacement. it was replaced with an aftermarket coil over suspension because of factory cost to replace the drc. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2005 | 15000 | 1 | |
| A banging rattle from under the car was my first and only symptom. failed twice after that but without symptoms; it was discovered by dealer inspection. my complaint is about frequency and cost of this failure & subsequent repair(s). *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Drc suspension failure resulted in unsafe vehicle. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 41000 | 1 | |
| Dangerous nature of the handling while driving as the suspension system has failed. it is of high concern the twitchy handling and sidestepping over bumps on the interstate. rounding curves at speed over expansion joints is plain dangerous when the suspension system (dynamic ride control - drc) fails. the car bounces, wheels lose contact and car sidesteps. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 56000 | 1 | |
| I own an audi rs6 and recently my car's suspension in particular the shocks failed. the system is called drc and uses hydraulic shocks that are cross connected through central valves. when any of them leak or fail the opposite shock will have no or reduced pressure and fail too. when the shocks started to go the car would jump when taking curves for instance that have expansion joints on the interstate...the rear of the car would hop sideways. there is a very unsteady condition when it starts to fail. there is no real warning and no way to tell when the system is failing. only once full pressure is lost and the car becomes very twitchy is it obvious something is wrong. the design of the shocks seems to be inadequate to last a normal life and any of them failing causes full loss of the system all four of my shocks were leaking at once and the entire system was replaced (all four shocks and the two central valves). no individual shock can be replaced without doing them in pairs and replacing the central valves each time or the correct pressure cannot be maintained. audi of america refuses to cover the shocks under warranty although they fail constantly and not for wear or age reasons. mine were covered by my dealer as an ack of goodwill but otherwise would have cost me $2400. next time, which there will be a next time they will not be covered. there is no real assurance that the new shocks will last. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2008 | 49500 | 1 | 03/23/2007 |
| Automobile is a top of the line 2003 audi rs6. the suspension is known as dynamic ride control (drc) which has loud clunking upon cornering and feels quite loose. i am a auto enthusiast and amateur mechanic and audi club member. this is a common failure on these cars and most of the time audi mechanics only seem to be able to temporarily repair the cars, if out of warranty, it costs thousands of dollars for a repair which only seems to be temporary. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2006 | 15000 | 1 | 08/03/2003 |
| The drc fails. originally the car felt slippery on occasions. not always. dealer never found anything. once the warranty expired then they said the shocks were leaking and the drc is out in the front and the rest of them will go bad too. cost is at least $2,900 and could go up to over $6,000 if they fix everything, including labor. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2008 | 47000 | 1 | 10/10/2004 |
| Drc system failed resulting in a de-pressurized suspension system . *tr | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 75000 | 1 | 01/31/2004 |
| I purchased a brand new 2003 audi rs6 in jan/04, and have kept it meticulous maintained by the dealership according to their recommendations. i had a major suspension issue with all shocks going out and related pumps at approximately 70,000 miles. i have researched and determined that many other audi owners (seems like most) with this same car have also reported this same problem with relatively low miles 40,000 to 80,000. after a very vocal complaint, audi did share in the repair costs. however; this has now led audi to offer no other assistance with other recent defects (significant oil leaks) that popped up shortly after this issue. the suspension issue is a safety issue and could result in a catastrophic event. fortunately, i did not experience any personal injury due to this major issue. however; audi should do something about this expensive repair issue that seems to be a defective engineering flaw and is placing the traveling public at great risk. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2007 | 38200 | 2 | 04/15/2007 |
| Failure of the hydraulic suspension (drc) system. *tr | |||
| 04/04/2007 | 50000 | 1 | 03/26/2007 |
| Audi rs6 suspension dynamic ride control (drc) known for leaking, and causing unpredictable handling over uneven terrain.*ak | |||
| 12/30/2004 | 32775 | 2 | 08/07/2003 |
| The drc (dynamic ride control) suspension on the 2003 audi rs6 has failed twice. the only symptom was a banging undercarriage rattle, but others had handling problems. drc failure was rampant as a subject for threads on owner forums, and it was the subject of an article in the march issue of autometrix, a british publication, the first page of which could be found here: http://www.rs6.com/forum/attachment.php? *akattachmentid=5172&d=1181644759. since the drc failures occurred at 32,000 and 50,000 miles i expected more failures in the future. but while the first two repairs were covered under factory warranty which has expired. thus, i feared i will have to pay next time, and the cost to replace the entire system may be as high as $6500 according to forum postings. an aftermarket alternative was available, per the linked article above, but even it costs about $4000, and it was too new to determine its longevity. to me this was an obvious defect in audi design that coud lead to handling problems, audi should step up to the plate for all owners. so far they have refused to do so despite a 3/22/06 letter to me from a representative at audi of america hq in rochester hills, mi, in which he acknowledge having handled multiple repairs with this system. to be fair, aoa did extend the warranty for a year, but that was because i had so many problems with the car, including downt ime of up to one month. audi should at least extend their warranty for the drc component to all owners, as they did when owners reported widespread failures of the maf filter on the audi s4 for the 2000 model year. that response was exemplary! drc has become such a widely publicized issue that i am sure it was contributing to dramatic resale value declines in the past few months. audi needed to know that if rs6 owners get no satisfaction buyers of their onetimeflagship sedan will be flocking elsewhere next time they shop. *ak | |||
| 05/25/2006 | 27265 | 1 | 05/08/2004 |
| Failure of the suspension system, yielding erratic behavior of the vehicle over bumps and depressions. the vehicle is equipped with a system called dynamic ride control (aka drc) which is a fluid-filled system to control shock absorber movements, but the shocks leak the fluid resulting in failure of the suspension system as designed to perform. *jb | |||
| 01/15/2006 | 29000 | 1 | 01/15/2004 |
| 2003 audi rs6 - suspension failure - system leaked hydraulic fluid resulting in a very unstable ride. repair attempted by audi many times from jan to june, and after too much leg work on my part they almost fixed it. the car is better, but not normal, and this has affected many rs6's, and is a very dangerous system failure. *jb | |||
| 06/20/2006 | 27000 | 3 | 06/03/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the suspension was not pressurized properly. the vehicle leans during turns. the dealer replaced the suspension, however the problem still exists. the manufacturer has been alerted. updated 7/18/2006 - *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |||
| 01/15/2006 | 29000 | 1 | 01/15/2004 |
| 2003 audi rs6 - suspension failure - system leaked hydraulic fluid resulting in a very unstable ride. repair attempted by audi many times from jan to june, and after too much leg work on my part they almost fixed it. the car is better, but not normal, and this has affected many rs6's, and is a very dangerous system failure. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 46000 | 5 | 06/04/2004 |
| My 2003 audi rs6 has suffered its 5th drc failure in 4 years as front shock absorbers once again leaked fluid out resulting in dangerously improper handling. if i hadn't known what was happening it could cause one to think that the race tuned suspension was working and that aggressive driving in this 450 horsepower car could have resulted in a fatal accident. audi continues to charge its customers thousands of dollars to replace this faulty system with more faulty parts as they refuse to redesign the system and opt for instead putting more faulty parts on the car which they full well know will fail again. please help us force audi to make this right before someone loses their life as a result. it may have already happened but nobody has connected it yet. there is a website for rs6 owners that has taken a poll, and over 75% of the 1200 cars sent to the usa have suffered at least one failure, some after only a few thousand miles. this is criminally negligent behavior and we owners are appealing to you to step in and start an investigation. remember, this is the same company that suffered the 'unintended acceleration fisaco in the late 80's, and it wasn't until 60 minutes did a story on it that something was done. we need this kind of intervention to force them to fix this dangerous fault. how many have to complain until you do something about this? *tr | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 35000 | 3 | 02/14/2006 |
| Dynamic ride control (drc) is the suspension used on high-end audi sports cars (usually the r designation of the audi series: rs4, rs6, r8) it is very important to note that the r series is a lower volume production (there are less than 1,200 rs6's in the us) however the unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car coupled with volume and frequency of drc failures is unacceptable. many owners have had their suspensions replaced 2-6 times during the warranty period. my suspension components have been replaced 2.5 times. it is also important to note that most essential components in the suspension have to be replaced and will cost well over $12,000. 1. events leading up to the failure: occurs during normal driving conditions 2. failure and its consequences: extremely unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car over uneven terrain (man hole covers, small cracks will send the car drifting into other lanes) 3. what was done to correct the failure: components have been replaced by the dealership under warranty (now 2.5 times). *tr | |||
| 01/03/2003 | 4 | 12/28/2002 | |
| Vehicle has alignment problem. been in shop 4 times; problem still exists. verified by 2 dealers. company refuses to make good on warranty items. replaced 4 tires; problem still exists.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 03/01/2006 | 15000 | 1 | 08/03/2003 |
| The drc fails. originally the car felt slippery on occasions. not always. dealer never found anything. once the warranty expired then they said the shocks were leaking and the drc is out in the front and the rest of them will go bad too. cost is at least $2,900 and could go up to over $6,000 if they fix everything, including labor. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 35000 | 3 | 02/14/2006 |
| Dynamic ride control (drc) is the suspension used on high-end audi sports cars (usually the r designation of the audi series: rs4, rs6, r8) it is very important to note that the r series is a lower volume production (there are less than 1,200 rs6's in the us) however the unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car coupled with volume and frequency of drc failures is unacceptable. many owners have had their suspensions replaced 2-6 times during the warranty period. my suspension components have been replaced 2.5 times. it is also important to note that most essential components in the suspension have to be replaced and will cost well over $12,000. 1. events leading up to the failure: occurs during normal driving conditions 2. failure and its consequences: extremely unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car over uneven terrain (man hole covers, small cracks will send the car drifting into other lanes) 3. what was done to correct the failure: components have been replaced by the dealership under warranty (now 2.5 times). *tr | |||
| 01/29/2008 | 20800 | 1 | 01/07/2008 |
| My 2003 audi rs6 has a drc issue, which involves my shock absorbers leaking fluid and is creating a bouncing effect that is getting worse and worse. the vehicle has an uneasy and unsafe feel at low and high speeds, almost like the car is on ice skates and meandering all over the road. after reading many forums, it can be concluded that 77% or more of the 2003 rs6 owners have and are experiencing drc failures that are resulting in huge repair costs ( for vehicles out of warranty). i called the audi exchange in highland park illinois, and the cost to repair these inherent leaking systems is $2200 per axle. *tr | |||
| 06/07/2007 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Drc suspension leak - required two trips to dealer to fix it due to bad valve installed the first time - drc was audi's suspension that was on the rs6 and rs4 cars. these appeared to be problems with the system in terms of # of failures ,and if the dealers could adequately fix the problem, the car could be unsafe to drive if the shocks failed on a longer trip. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 46000 | 5 | 06/04/2004 |
| My 2003 audi rs6 has suffered its 5th drc failure in 4 years as front shock absorbers once again leaked fluid out resulting in dangerously improper handling. if i hadn't known what was happening it could cause one to think that the race tuned suspension was working and that aggressive driving in this 450 horsepower car could have resulted in a fatal accident. audi continues to charge its customers thousands of dollars to replace this faulty system with more faulty parts as they refuse to redesign the system and opt for instead putting more faulty parts on the car which they full well know will fail again. please help us force audi to make this right before someone loses their life as a result. it may have already happened but nobody has connected it yet. there is a website for rs6 owners that has taken a poll, and over 75% of the 1200 cars sent to the usa have suffered at least one failure, some after only a few thousand miles. this is criminally negligent behavior and we owners are appealing to you to step in and start an investigation. remember, this is the same company that suffered the 'unintended acceleration fisaco in the late 80's, and it wasn't until 60 minutes did a story on it that something was done. we need this kind of intervention to force them to fix this dangerous fault. how many have to complain until you do something about this? *tr | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 35000 | 3 | 02/14/2006 |
| Dynamic ride control (drc) is the suspension used on high-end audi sports cars (usually the r designation of the audi series: rs4, rs6, r8) it is very important to note that the r series is a lower volume production (there are less than 1,200 rs6's in the us) however the unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car coupled with volume and frequency of drc failures is unacceptable. many owners have had their suspensions replaced 2-6 times during the warranty period. my suspension components have been replaced 2.5 times. it is also important to note that most essential components in the suspension have to be replaced and will cost well over $12,000. 1. events leading up to the failure: occurs during normal driving conditions 2. failure and its consequences: extremely unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car over uneven terrain (man hole covers, small cracks will send the car drifting into other lanes) 3. what was done to correct the failure: components have been replaced by the dealership under warranty (now 2.5 times). *tr | |||
| 03/17/2004 | 15000 | 2 | 11/01/2003 |
| I was driving the vehicle for a family vacation to nashville tn from milwaukee, and i started to notice that the rear suspension was very bouncy. i thought it may have been due to the extra weight of the luggage in the trunk, but as the vacation went on, the bounce got worse. by the time we were headed back to milwaukee, the bounce was so bad, that the car would lose control while going over rough highway. we took the car into the dealership for repairs, and were told that the suspension system had a leak in one of the rear shocks. however, because of the way that the system is designed, all four of the shocks have to be replaced in order to balance the pressure in each absorber. my car was out of service for 2 weeks, and the first time it was repaired, the mechanic stated that he did not have any training on how to fix the system. he did an admirable job, but the ride has not been the same since. the mechanic has since received training, and had to re-pressurize and replace all four shocks again. the second time the mechanic made repairs the system was better, but now the car is due for another repair on the rear suspension this week. it seems that this system is prone to leak fluid, which helps it maintain the proper pressure on all four wheels. i am worried that when my warranty is expired, i will have to replace this suspension system again, and it will be very expensive, or there will be a terrible car accident due to lack of control over rough highways. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 03/01/2006 | 15000 | 1 | 08/03/2003 |
| The drc fails. originally the car felt slippery on occasions. not always. dealer never found anything. once the warranty expired then they said the shocks were leaking and the drc is out in the front and the rest of them will go bad too. cost is at least $2,900 and could go up to over $6,000 if they fix everything, including labor. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 35000 | 3 | 02/14/2006 |
| Dynamic ride control (drc) is the suspension used on high-end audi sports cars (usually the r designation of the audi series: rs4, rs6, r8) it is very important to note that the r series is a lower volume production (there are less than 1,200 rs6's in the us) however the unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car coupled with volume and frequency of drc failures is unacceptable. many owners have had their suspensions replaced 2-6 times during the warranty period. my suspension components have been replaced 2.5 times. it is also important to note that most essential components in the suspension have to be replaced and will cost well over $12,000. 1. events leading up to the failure: occurs during normal driving conditions 2. failure and its consequences: extremely unpredictable and dangerous handling of the car over uneven terrain (man hole covers, small cracks will send the car drifting into other lanes) 3. what was done to correct the failure: components have been replaced by the dealership under warranty (now 2.5 times). *tr | |||
| 01/29/2008 | 20800 | 1 | 01/07/2008 |
| My 2003 audi rs6 has a drc issue, which involves my shock absorbers leaking fluid and is creating a bouncing effect that is getting worse and worse. the vehicle has an uneasy and unsafe feel at low and high speeds, almost like the car is on ice skates and meandering all over the road. after reading many forums, it can be concluded that 77% or more of the 2003 rs6 owners have and are experiencing drc failures that are resulting in huge repair costs ( for vehicles out of warranty). i called the audi exchange in highland park illinois, and the cost to repair these inherent leaking systems is $2200 per axle. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 38000 | 3 | 12/18/2003 |
| Failure of the suspension system of the 2003 audi rs6, february 2006, the repair took 3 monthsed and the car was still not back to normal. audi claims this problem with leakage from the drc system was rare, but in factwas becoming quite common. *ak | |||