The lower front control arms in my '97 audi a4 1.8t quattro were replaced by an authorized audi dealer as part of a voluntary recall campaign in 2004 by audi to replace a noted defective part. A class action lawsuit brought against audi by several owners spurred the voluntary recall. My lower control arms need replacing again, based on an inspection by an independent mechanic. When I contacted audi customer service I was told that the 2004 control arm recall had a one-year warranty and after that time I was responsible for the replacement cost, which exceeds $2,000 for the lower front control arms. This is the second time this defective part needs replacing and it is a safety issue. Numerous audi owners have reported repeated lower control arm failure and the federal safety agency is urged to call a mandatory recall for audi to repair this defective part so it does not need to be replaced by owners every few years.
1997 Audi A4: ball joint or control arm failure
20 of the 98 complaints about the 1997 Audi A4 describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 20
- of this car's complaints
- 20%
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 64,000
- recalls
- 0
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
Failing lower control arms.
Audi (97 a4 quattro) has issued a safety recall related to control arms - offering free replacement. They further state that if the control arms have already been replaced, they will reimburse all costs. I have my car maintained faithfully, usually by a dealer, but I did not have the formal 90k mile check done. Since I did not follow their formal process, they are refusing to pay for the repair. (this is not a "maintainable part", so the only fix, if indicated at 90k miles, would have been replacement). Audi's position seems unreasonable, given the "unrepairability factor".
Both of the vehicle's front lower control arms failed. *nm the consumer previously owned a 1882 audi 4000 and a 1985 audi 4000s quattro. *sc
I have a 97 audi a4 2.8 . Quattro. I have ahad numerous repairs on this vehicle. The most recent problem is that a control arm on the sunroof (appears to be a powder metal part about 1 inch in size) has broken. This break requires that the the complete sunroof be replaced at a cost of $1300. I was interested to known if others have complained about similar failures on audis or vws. Thanks!
Every 30,000 miles to 40,000 miles the lower control arms failed. When this occurred, the front end made a clanking noise, and the front wheels loosened. Consumer contacted the dealer and the manufacturer, and was offered 50% of total repair cost by the manufacturer.
Control arm failure, front passenger side. Resulted in loss of steering control and veering into a curb, damaging the vehicle ($2000+), insurance would not cover the failed part (esurance). It was extremely fortunate that I was going only 35 MPH, that no one was standing or driving where I hit that curb.
Tie rod end failure.
Control arms went bad. There's noise when turning and going over bumps.
Front control arm ball joints clunk and squeak, they require replacement due to poor design.
Upper and lower control arms (all 4) for the front suspension have failed and must be replace again. Squeezing/crunching noise at low speed and over bumps. Have been replaced- less than 15k miles ago by audi dealer and they've worn out already. This is a poor design and audi needs to come through with a solution for its customers. This is a several thousand dollar repair job!
Front control arms
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Audi A4 ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1997 Audi A4?
20 of 98 owner complaints about the 1997 Audi A4 (20%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 1998.
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the 1997 Audi A4?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Audi A4?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Audi A4
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