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.
1998 Audi A4 brakes complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 125, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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 .
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.
Anti lock braking system failure, goes into non-antilock mode. The failure is constant, it fails everytime the car is started.
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.
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.
Abs control module failure and inactive, which is an intermittent problem.
In march 2003, the oil warning light came on. Dealer diagnosed a faulty sensor that was replaced for $300. In june 2003, the oil warning light again came on. This time it was diagnosed as a faulty oil pump that was replaced at $900. In september 2003 the engine overheated. Diagnosis: faulty thermostat and sensor. Replacement cost $750. Also, washer fluid container cracked and hand brake lever handle cracked (at different times) -- both made of cheap qualtiy plastic.
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 .
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!
1998 audi a4 1.8 liter quattro. Experiencing reduced braking capability when brakes are wet. This is the exact complaint being investigated in the federal safety agency 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
In wet weather the brakes need to be applied much harder otherwise no slowing occurs.
Malfunctioning of housing for brakes and clutch caused brake failure which resulted in a vehicle crash. Driver received severe injuries.
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.
Brakes appear inactive for approx 1sec during heavy rain.
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.
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.
Brakes do not resond for a couple of seconds when driving at highway speeds in wet road conditions
Car always has a delayed response when applying brakes when they are wet.
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.
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.
When applying brakes after driving for extended distance, brakes fail on first applying, but return to normal if pumped.
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.
Braking is delayed 3-4 seconds in rain and or snow conditions. Additional pressure is required to stop vehicle.
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