During recent heavy rains, all of a sudden the car's transmission that had been working fine, after having been parked briefly pointing slightly down hill, no longer functioned properly, and had apparently gone into "LIMP Mode". after talking with Mechanics and doing research, we checked the carpet areas and determined and documented the car's interior was very wet, both in front and in the rear areas, with evident moisture and corrosion under the battery and cabin air filter areas and rear wheel well area. The Transmission no longer shifts properly and the car is not able to be safely driven. Apparently there is a well known design flaw in the Audi C5 A6 vehicles where multiple drains frequently fail. apparently there are 2 very hard to access drains under the battery, under the battery tray, and also the cabin air filter seal to the sidewall is prone to failure. I'm told that there is a "soft" NTSB Audi Recall on this. Please advise.
The worst 2003 Audi Allroad problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical5
- Transmission4
- Body2
- Airbags1
- Engine1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical5
- Transmission4
- Body2
- Airbags1
- Engine1
- Fuel system1
- Seat belts1
- Suspension1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Recalls 3
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen is recalling 68,240 my 2001-2004 audi a6 quattro vehicles equipped with 2.7l, 2.8l, or 3.0l engines and my 2001-2005 allroad quattro vehicles equipped with 2.7l or 4.2l engines. The aging of the plastic material in the fuel tank rollover valve combined with bending stress from the aluminum ventilation line to the rollover valve nipple may lead to cracking of the nipple. If this happens, a fuel leak may result.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could lead to a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reinforce the nipple on the rollover valve to prevent leakage or repair the cracking at the nipple. The recall began on june 27, 2008. Owners may contact audi at 1‑800‑822‑2834.
Recall number 08V157000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- This condition could lead to overheating or fire.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 06V198000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A fire could originate in the left dashboard area.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 04V133000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2003 Audi Allroad
Defect investigations
Fuel tank leak
Volkswagen (vw) is recalling certain vw passat 4motion and audi a6 quattro and allroad quattro all-wheel drive passenger cars.vw vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from november 22, 2000 through may 31, 2005 and audi vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from june 2, 2001 to june 1, 2005.the federal safety agency recall number for the vw vehicles is 08v‑156 (vw also is correcting defects related to heat shield and fuel line hazards for these vehicles and for 1999-2000 passats in this recall action.)the federal safety agency recall number for the audi vehicles is 08v‑157.since 2006, odi has received 17 complaints of fuel leaking from the subject vehicles' fuel tanks.the 400 complaints shown above may include duplicate reports to odi and the manufacturer. While the consequence (fuel leaks from the top of the tank) is similar for both the passat and audi subject vehicles, differences in design and construction require a different remedy for each vehicle.on the passats, the ventilation line could have been installed improperly with tension and with an incorrectly positioned cable tie.the tension could cause cracked or broken nipples on the fuel tank rollover valve.on the audi vehicles, a material change (effective june 2, 2001) with different aging characteristics used for the rollover valve and the use of an inflexible aluminum ventilation line could cause cracking of the nipple on the rollover valve.vw is recalling all vehicles subject to these defects.it will inspect passats to ensure that the vent line is tension free and correct the installation if tension is found.if a crack or fuel leak is found, vw will replace the fuel tank.audi will repair all subject vehicles by reinforcing the fuel tank rollover valve with an epoxy adhesive.this investigation is closed.
PE08008
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Audi Allroad 59
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin provides information on the additional reporting requirements for safety related inquiries.
- This informational bulletin explains how to order replacement VIN plates, Safety Certification Labels, etc.
- This information bulletin contains instructions for technicans on how to ensure their TAC call goes smoothly.
- This informational bulletin contains technical information for when there is condensation visible on the...
- This special notice is to inform dealers to return all part numbers listed in the document and order the...
- This informational bulletin contains all the the Audi Oil Quality Standards that should be used when doing...
- This informational bulletin contains instructions for sychronizing the remote key after the battery has...
- Due to increasing requests for high voltage personal protective equipment (HVE PPE) for dealer technicians...
- Audi: engine, on some vehicles, would run irregularly or have malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on or...
- High quality media files (video and sound) are now integrated into technical service bulletins on a...
What 2003 Audi Allroad owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
please see prior form submission re transmission...please confirm receipt of earlier entry.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 audi allroad. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing clock spring to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The fuel tank has developed a leak on its own. I filled my car the thursday september 3, 2015. On september 8, 2015 the fuel gauge was down a quarter tank. I smelled gas outside of the car. My mechanic tells me the leak is at a plastic welded nub on the right side of the tank.this is a plastic fuel tank. If I fill the tank above the halfway mark this is when the tank leaks. The car is going in for service on monday for a fuel tank replacement. I have opened case number 150699218 with audi corporate. They wanted me to allow them to tow the car to a dealership and let the dealer make a diagnosis. We were desperately afraid that the cost of this would be exorbitant. It takes 10+ hours to get the removed and reinstalled. The tank is about $700.00 we are truly afraid to go to the dealer for anything. We have an independent audi mechanic we have used for years. Audi was offering to pay for the tow and the diagnosis. We were thinking audi would use the excuse of disassembling the car, "find the problem" and then charge 5 of the 10 hours to put the tank in. We did not want to get stuck with that. This is awhy we go to an independent mechanic who is highly competent and we trust. I will know more about the leak on monday or tuesday . This could lead to a fire.
2003 audi all road. Consumer states problem with vehicle transmission, seat belts and wheels *tgw the consumer stated at times, the transmission did not react to a sudden depression of the gas pedal. The resulting delay in acceleration could result in a collision due to the inability to move the vehicle in a timely manner. The driver's seat belt did not retract. Also, the consumer experienced multiple flat tires, due to wheel corrosion, which resulted in a loss of the air seal, between the wheels and tires.
Engine overheat, automatic fan fails to go on, the engine spill fume to a blinding level when it begins to come from beneath the hood . Heating and cooling systems shut down actions taken by the dealership service department include new water pump new radiator new air conditioning pump did not bring any solution.
Air suspension for audi allroad failed. All air was vented out of the front suspension without warning resulting in loss of vehicle control when car hit a bump/dip in the road. Car seemed to bounce off the front tires and was a violent compression and rebound. I momentarily lost control and did not know what happened until pulling over and discovered front of car was sitting on the tires. I restarted car after several failed attempts to use the ride height leveling system controls and noticed all three ride height leveling lights flashing and then a suspension light flashing on operator console that was not laminated until after restart of car. After the incident the air compressor reputedly failed to inflate front shocks. This took place aprox. 2 miles from my home on wonder wood expressway. In jacksonville fl. Car is now at residence. Un-drivable. Contacting dealer!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 audi allroad. The contact stated that his vehicle has a design flaw. When it rains, water enters the passenger compartment from the passenger side. There is a small drainage hole in the bottom of the vehicle where the battery is located. Debris and water enter this hole and drains the battery. The dealer stated that nothing could be done because the vehicle was too old and had excessive mileage. The audi manufacturer had the same response. The failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 07/28/09. *lj the consumer stated the drain holes in the battery compartment were blocked. Water flooded the battery compartment then the passenger compartment and shorted out the electrical system causing over $3000 in damage. Updated 07/30/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 audi allroad. The contact stated that the ignition coil was faulty on his vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced one of the six ignition coils for free. Currently, the other five coils are beginning to fail and need to be replaced; however, the contact does not want to pay the repair cost. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 48,000.
The instrument cluster of my 2003 audi fades out. This make the information it displays hard to read. It is safety and quality issue.
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Questions about the 2003 Audi Allroad
Is the 2003 Audi Allroad reliable?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2003 Audi Allroad, 1.8 times a typical Allroad model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Audi Allroad?
Electrical system, with 5 complaints. Next is transmission (4).
How many recalls does the 2003 Audi Allroad have?
3 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline and electrical system.
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