2006 Audi S4: headlights failing or too dim

Filed May 16, 2019 · Lights · 145,000 miles · NY

Passenger headlight starts on. After a few minutes I get a headlight dipped error and the passenger headlight turns off.

Filed Jan 17, 2019 · Electrical, Lights · PA

As many others have noticed on the b7 models of audi's. The passenger headlight will flicker and go out at random times, it is not a bulb problem it has been replaced multiple times. It is concerning when driving at night and randomly my headlight will shut off. Sometimes when I shut the car off and back in it will return. There is an electrical problem with these headlights as I have read in other places. Very dangerous and concerning they want to charge 1000+ dollars for every customer to put in a new headlight. It is their duty to ensure safety of their customers.

Filed Nov 20, 2015 · Lights · NY

Right headlight sporadically shuts off (I.e. Dips) while driving. You have to turn both lights off and on when you are driving to make it function again. It is always the right headlight and sometimes will function properly for a month and then malfunction several times in one night. This is a safety hazard especially when you need to reactivate the light while in traffic at high speeds or when the driving conditions are poor. This has been happening since I purchased the car in the summer of 2010.

Filed Aug 21, 2014 · Lights · 64,500 miles · IL

Both headlights shutoff while driving at night and would not come back on. Bulbs are still in good condition. Error code 'dipping headlight' this is a known safety problem with audi and is extremely unsafe for the driver and other vehicles on the road.

Filed Feb 27, 2014 · Lights · 78,000 miles · ID

Front headlights flicker then go out. Bulbs are not burned out this seems to be a electrical or computer issue. Throws a code of dipped front head light alternates between left and right headlight on any given day. Seems like this has been a big issue for audi between 2006 and 2008 however no recall has been made. This is a safety issue and should be warranted do to the fact it cant be fixed by changing the bulbs.

Filed Feb 14, 2014 · Lights · 36,000 miles · TX

The 2006 audi s4 has a known headlight issue which causes the headlights to fail. The bulbs are not bad and audi is unable to identify the source of the issue. Audi dealers tell consumers that they can change the headlight assembly at $2500 per light and it may solve the issue, but they are not certain it will. Audi has been named in a lawsuit about the headlights and has agreed to repair some if they are within warranty constraints but cars that are not within the warranty constraints are required to be repaired at the cost of the owner. The headlights have not worked since the car was originally released but audi has only agreed to extend the warranty for 5 years or 50,000 miles from the original car purchase, however the settlement was issued in 10/2013, a 2006 car would be over the 5 years in 2011. If the audi owner can prove they had the issue prior to the expiration of the warranty it is supposed to be repaired at no cost, however when I attempted to get my fixed, with proof all I got was a runaround from the dealer. I called audi USA and after three weeks of "researching" the issue they came back and said the warranty was expired so they offered no coverage despite proof that the issue predates warranty expiration. The headlights give off a "dipped headlight" warning and then the headlight either severely dims or turns off entirely. If you completely turn the headlights off and turn them back on again then sometimes the error will resolve. It happens intermittently typically when the car hits a bump. This is very unsafe but rather than do the right thing and issue a complete recall audi has opted to give owners the run around which eventually ends up with them paying for expensive headlight repairs which do not solve the problem. Make audi issue a recall on these headlights.

Filed Nov 13, 2013 · Lights · 54,100 miles · CA

Right front headlight flickers and fails. Vehicle must be shut off and restarted in order to get headlight working again.

Filed Sep 22, 2012 · Lights · 60,000 miles · NY

Right headlight flickers and goes out repeatedly.

Filed Aug 13, 2012 · Lights · 63,800 miles · MA

This issue affects audi a4 and s4 vehicles with hid headlights. One or both of the headlights repeatedly fails while driving. This is not an issue with the headlight bulb. If the operator turns off the ignition after one or both of the headlights fails, and then immediately restarts the car, both headlights will operate properly. The issue occurs primarily within the first 5 to 10 minutes after starting the car. Once the car has been "warmed up", operating for more than 10 minutes, the issue does not reoccur. The specific scenario: I will start my car. Both of the headlights initially seem to be operating properly. Within a minute, one or both of the headlights will begin to flicker, and one or both of them will fail, causing a "headlight dipped" warning on my dashboard. The issue often occurs during braking, acceleration or when the car goes over a bump. The issue may occur with either the left or the right headlight or both lights, resulting in a severely unsafe condition. Restarting the car will cure the problem but it often reoccurs until the car has been driven for at least 10 minutes. This issue occurs almost every time I drive the car with the headlights on, usually every day, or at least several times per week. Moisture (rain/car wash) does not seem to make the issue worse. Audi of america is aware of the issue and has issued several technical service bulletins about the issue, but will not pay for repairs unless the vehicle is under warranty. Audi has not identified a specific repair technique that will definitely fix the issue. The repair attempts include replacing the light bulbs, replacing the hid ballasts and/or control modules, and installing shims around the light housings to quell the vibration that may be a cause of the issue. It is a trial-and-error repair process and it is very expensive for a vehicle that is out of warranty.

Filed Mar 14, 2012 · Electrical, Lights · 5,000 miles · CA

Hid xenon headlights randomly flicker and shut off during driving. It's getting worse. Dealers "never found" problem which recurs continually so they never fixed this issue under warranty after being asked several times since the vehicle was new. 100's of other stories about this online. Huge safety issue when headlights just quit at random.

Filed Dec 27, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · 101,000 miles · CA

While driving, the right headlight flickered and went off (hid lights). The information system registered an error "dipped right headlight" head light comes on when ever the car is started, and goes out with the same error again at a later time. So far this error has occurred the last 3 times I have driven (all three times since first occurrence). This is a safety issue since night illumination is involved. I have read on internet audi websites that this is an all too common problem, that audi of america is not taking seriously as far as offering a clear solution.

Filed Dec 14, 2011 · Lights · 120,900 miles · NC

The headlights flicker, then the dash says they are dipping, then they go out. If you stop the car turn it off then back on the lights come back on, only to do it again. There seems to be wide spread reports of this happening with these audi's and the hid lights.