2006 Audi A3 Complaint Log

MY LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS BEEN DIPPING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. SOMETIMES IF I TURN THE CAR OFF THEN ON AGAIN IT WILL FIX ITSELF. *TR

SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT MY 2006 AUDI A3 2.0T, I AM HAVING THIS ISSUE. WHEN I START MOVING FROM A COMPLETE STOP (SUCH AS ON A RED LIGHT), THE CAR JERKS BACK AND FORTH 1-2 TIMES ROUGHLY. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITHOUT FAIL. THE JERK IS SO POWERFUL THAT IT MAKES ALL PASSENGERS' BODIES SHIFT FORWARD WITH ITS MOMENTUM. IT FEELS AS IF I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE SUDDENLY. ALSO, AT TIMES, FROM A STOP WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS, THE CAR HESITATES BEFORE SLAMMING INTO GEAR AFTER 2-3 SECONDS OF NOT RESPONDING TO MY THROTTLE INPUT. THIS HAS SCARED HELL OUT OF ME AT COUPLE OF INSTANCES BECAUSE I ALMOST GOT INTO A READ REND COLLISION FROM SOMEONE BEHIND ME NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND ALMOST SLAMMING INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR. LUCKILY, AS I KNOW MY CAR HAD THIS CHARACTERISTIC SO I REACT QUICKLY IN SUCH OCCASIONS. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND AFTER READING PLENTY OF STUFF ONLINE, THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE MECHATRONICS UNIT. MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD SUCCESS FIXING THE PROBLEM BY GETTING A REPLACEMENT DSG/TRANSMISSION/MECHATRONICS UNIT INSTALLED. WHEN I VISIT AUDI DEALER, THEY SAY EVERYTHING IS FINE. I HAD BEEN TO AUDI DEALER FOR 3 TIMES. BUT, I'M SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS DEFINITELY NOT FINE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AS EVERYONE I HAVE MET WITH THE SAME CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. INSTEAD OF ENDING INTO THE HOSPITAL BEDS FOR WHIPLASH FROM READ END COLLISION OR WORSE, THIS HAS TO FIXED IN ALL THE AUDI A3S. *TR

MY WIFE IS TRAVELING A LONG TRIP. SHE IS DRIVING A 2006 AUDI A3. SHE HAD BEEN HAVING WEIRD THINGS HAPPEN DURING HER TRIP. IT STARTED WHEN SHE MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN FROM A STOP SIGN. SHE PUSHED THE GAS, BUT THE CAR DID NOT MOVE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN IT WENT. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES, ALL THE SAME SORT OF WAY. THEN AFTER A RIGHT-HAND CORNER TURN, THE CAR MADE THIS HUGE NOISE AND CLUNK UPON ACCELERATION. AGAIN, IT DROVE OK AFTER THAT. HOWEVER, THE BIG UNSAFE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED @ APX. 49,870 ON ODOMETER, IRONICALLY, JUST BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS OUT. SHE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH & BACKED OFF OF THE GAS TO SLIDE IN BETWEEN TWO CARS & THEN PRESSED ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE TO THE SPEED OF THE MOVING TRAFFIC & SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SEEMED TO GO INTO NEUTRAL BUT BECAUSE THE GAS WAS INCREASING, THE ENGINE KEPT REVVING. SHE SEEMED TO COAST, NO INCREASE IN SPEED. THE CAR BEHIND HER SWERVED OVER IN TIME, BUT IT WAS TOO CLOSE! SHE BACKED OFF OF THE GAS OR BRAKED, SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER AND THE CAR CLUNKED INTO GEAR. WHEN SHE CALLED ME, THE CAR HAD 50,150 & SHE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE THIS HAD JUST HAPPENED A 2ND TIME. IT HAPPENED THE SAME WAY, WHEN SHE WAS ACCELERATING. I CALLED MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER & SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO AGREED TO PROVIDE A FREE DIAGNOSTIC TEST. WE HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM IN EFFECT FOR THE 2007-2009 AUDI (INCLUDING A3) AS WELL AS FOR 2007-2009 VW'S WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. 2006'S NEED TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL TOO. *TR

HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY FAILS TO COME ON. "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" OR "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" WARNING MESSAGE APPEARS ON DASHBOARD. AUDI REPLACED THE "RIGHT CONTROL IGNITER" ON 9/30/09, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUED. AUDI REPLACED THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT BULB ON 10/2/09, AND THE PROBLEM WAS MUCH REDUCED BUT NOT TOTALLY ELIMINATED. BOTH THESE REPAIRS WERE DONE UNDER WARRANTY WITH NO CHARGE. ON 5/16/11, AFTER CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, I STATED THAT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, BUT AUDI COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, SO NO REPAIRS WERE DONE. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO GET WORSE, BUT THE REPAIRS THAT AUDI PERFORMED SO FAR HAVE NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. *TR

MY AUDI A3 WITH DSG HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SHIFTING PROBLEMS FROM 1-2 AND 2-3. ON THE 29TH, WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A LIGHT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED VERY ROUGHLY AND THE ENGINE SEEMED TO HAVE LOST POWER. WHEN I LOOKED INTO MY MIRROR, THE CAR DIRECTLY BEHIND ME DIDN'T EXPECT MY SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND CAME CLOSE TO REAR ENDING ME. THIS ROUGH SHIFTING IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT SOON. *TR

1. NORMAL DRIVING. 2. THE CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER ON MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IN MY 2006 AUDI A3 WAS PUNCHED CLEAN THROUGH AND THE PLUNGER ON MY FUEL PUMP WAS EATING AWAY AT MY CAMSHAFT... I SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS, BUT HAD FUEL CUTS AND BOOST CUTS IN MEDIUM TO HIGH RPMS. 3. I HAD TO BUY A NEW CAMSHAFT, CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER, AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. VW/AUDI REFUSED TO HELP ME BECAUSE I AM AT 60,000 MILES, EVEN THOUGH MY MANUAL SAYS THE PART SHOULD BE CHECK, AND MAYBE REPLACED STARTING AT 100,000 MILES... THEY SAID THAT MY AFTERMARKET INTAKE MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE BY "OVER SPINNING THE ENGINE"... THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, AS THE ENGINE HAS A REV LIMITER, AND I NEVER HAVE GONE OVER 4K RPM YET, PLUS MY "AFTERMARKET INTAKE" IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE STOCK INTAKE, BUT WRAPPED IN CARBON FIBER, WITH A K&N FILTER REPLACING THE FACTORY ONE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 AUDI A3 3.2 QUATTRO WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM MY 45K MILE SERVICE(THE LAST ONE BEFORE IT GOES OUT OF WARRANTY). I WAS DOING ABOUT 45-50 MPH GOING THROUGH THE SUNPASS EXPRESS LANE. I LIFTED OFF OF THE THROTTLE FOR A SECOND AND THEN, WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE GAS, NO DRIVE, NO GEARS. THE RPMS SHOT UP TO AROUND 7500 RPM'S AND THE GEAR INDICATOR SCREEN LIGHTS (P,R,N,D,S) WERE FLASHING AND I HAD TO PULL OFF OF TO THE SHOULDER. AND TRYING TO PULL OVER WITH NO DRIVE ON THE PALMETTO EXPRESSWAY IN MIAMI ALMOST GOT ME INTO 2 DIFFERENT ACCIDENTS. I TRIED TO SELECT REVERSE THEN DRIVE AND SPORT MODE ON THE SHIFTER, NOTHING, SCREEN STILL FLASHING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I CALLED MY DEALER AND HE TOLD ME TO CALL AUDI ROAD SERVICE AND HAVE IT FLAT BEDDED BACK TO THEM. ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE OCCURRENCE, I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND IT NOW WAS ABLE TO SELECT A GEAR AND THE FLASHING STOPPED. I DROVE IT VERY DELICATELY BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS. THEY SAID THEY ARE REPLACING THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION CONTROL/MECHATRONICS UNIT. THIS HAPPENED ON 7/24 AND I AM STILL WAITING ON THE NEW PART TO COME IN. I WANT TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE, IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON TO EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE ON AN AUDI OR VOLKSWAGEN CAR USING THE DSG OR S-TRONIC GEARBOX.I WANT THIS TO BE DOCUMENTED IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS. I'M ALSO WORRIED THAT MY CAR IS JUST ABOUT TO COME OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND, IF I HAVE THIS FAILURE AGAIN, IT COULD COST ME THOUSANDS OF MY OWN DOLLARS TO HAVE IT FIXED. *TR

2006 AUDI A3 3.2 QUATTRO DSG TRANSMISSION FAILS TO ENGAGE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. TRANSMISSION ALSO UPSHIFTS AND DOWN SHIFTS ABRUPTLY DURING ROUTINE DRIVING. *TR

WAS A NORMAL DAY OF DRIVING, CAR WAS WARMING UP. I LIVE IN FLORIDA SO IT WARMS UP PRETTY QUICKLY. I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO 4TH STREET WHEN I GAVE THE CAR A LOT OF GAS, BUT THE TRANSMISSION DID NOTHING. IT JUST REVVED UP AND THEN AFTER ABOUT 1 OR 2 SECONDS, THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOWLY ACCELERATE. AFTER THIS 1-3 SECOND DELAY, THE CAR WAS DRIVING LIKE NORMAL. BUT THE INITIAL HESITATION ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BE REAR ENDED BECAUSE I WAS PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. MY DSG HAS NO FAULT CODES, YET IT HESITATES AT TIMES AND SOMETIMES SCARES ME. MY OTHER COMPLAINT HAS TO DO WITH IT HESITATING AND JERKING IN REVERSE. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BACK INTO STUFF. REVERSE IS VERY INCONSISTENT. MY FINAL COMPLAINT IS IN REGARD TO THE FUEL PUMP SYSTEM. THE FUEL PUMP USES A CAM FOLLOWER. THESE CAM FOLLOWERS WEAR OUT, AND CAN CAUSE FAILURE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP SYSTEM. MY FUEL PUMP FAILED UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS REPLACED. LESS THAN 10,000 MILES LATER I INSPECTED MY NEW PUMP AND FOLLOWER AND FOUND EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE FACE OF THE CAM FOLLOWER. THIS IS UNHEARD OF WITH A CAR LIKE THIS. WHEN THE CAM FOLLOWER FAILS, THE FUEL SYSTEM FAILS - HOW CAN VW/AUDI MANUFACTURE SOMETHING THIS UNRELIABLE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 AUDI A3 3.2 W/ DSG. THE CAR WAS DRIVING FINE UNTIL ONE DAY, COMPLETE DISASTER. WHAT HAPPENS NOW IS WHEN YOU START UP THE CAR, DRIVE ANY DISTANCE AND COME TO A STOP, THE CAR WILL GO NEUTRAL, THE PRNDS WILL START TO FLASH, AND COME TO A JOLTING STOP. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT GOING AGAIN, IS TO POWER OFF THEN START UP AGAIN. THERE HAS BEEN TIMES WHEN THE CAR HAS GONE NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING AND I'LL HAVE TO COME TO A STOP. THIS OCCURS 99% OF THE TIME. BEING IN THE D.C. AREA, THERE'S LOTS OF TRAFFIC SO POWERING DOWN AND UP AGAIN AT EACH STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ISN'T SAFE FOR ME AND OTHERS AROUND. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR 5 WEEKS NOW B/C THE REPLACEMENT PART (TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT / MECHATRONIC UNIT / DSG) IS FROM GERMANY AND HAS TO BE "CODED TO YOUR VIN". IT ALSO HAS TO GO THROUGH US CUSTOMS BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE DEALER. BEING OUT OF WARRANTY, THIS IS GOING TO BE A COSTLY REPAIR FOR WHAT SEEMS TO BE A FAULT THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING. *TR

LOSS OF POWER AND DTC P2293, P0087 IN ECM CAUSED BY PREMATURE WEARING OF THE CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER THAT DRIVES THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THE DTC ARE REFERENCED IN NHTSA ITEM 10025965, AND SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 15-08-05. THE CAMSHAFT WEARS THROUGH AND DAMAGES THE FUEL PUMP. OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION HAS DETERMINED THAT THIS PREMATURE WEAR IS CAUSED BY AN IMPROPERLY HARDENED CAMSHAFT. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AFFECTING A LARGE NUMBER AUDI AND VW VEHICLES UTILIZING THE 2.0 ENGINE. *TR

CHRONIC TIRE CUPPING DUE TO A MISMATCH BETWEEN VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS, SUCH AS WEIGHT, AND SUSPENSION TYPE. AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM MYSELF AND THEN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ONLINE ON MULTIPLE DISCUSSION BOARDS THE SAME PROBLEM IS MENTIONED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. ASSESSMENT BY EXPERIENCED MECHANIC IS THAT CAUSE MUST BE INAPPROPRIATE SUSPENSION SYSTEM. *TR

THE PROBLEM STARTED WITH AN INTERMITTENT RIGHT HEADLIGHT TILT MESSAGE. THE RIGHT BULB WAS REPLACED PER TSB 2013829/6 ON 4/15/09 BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON THE LEFT SIDE FOR THE PAST YEAR OR MORE. THE LEFT HEADLIGHT NOW TURNS OFF INTERMITTENTLY AFTER THE DIP WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND ON AGAIN, THE LIGHT TURNS ON. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE LEFT HEADLIGHT SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY. WE ARE OUT OF WARRANTY NOW AND FEEL BOTH HEADLIGHTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED UNDER THE ORIGINAL TSB WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE BULBS ARE XENON AND VERY EXPENSIVE. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH AUDI'S BASED ON THE SERVICE ORDER AND INTERNET DISCUSSION GROUPS. *TR

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING DSG SHIFTING ISSUES. ON SLIGHT INCLINES SUCH AS DRIVEWAY ENTRANCES, WHEN IN REVERSE, I'LL ACCELERATE AND THERE IS NO RESPONSE. MANY TIMES, NEIGHBORS THINK I AM REVVING MY CAR. ALSO, WHEN ACCELERATING FROM START OR A SLOW SPEED ON D OR S MODE, THE ENGINE WILL REV VERY HIGH CLOSE TO 4000-5000RPM. A DSG SERVICE HAD BEEN DONE BY THE DEALER A FEW YEARS AGO AND I HAD ANOTHER ONE DONE LAST MONTH SUSPECTING THAT IT COULD BE THE FLUID BUT TO NO AVAIL, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. *TR

CENTER SEATBELT LOCKS IN THE FULLY RETRACTED POSITION EVERY TIME THE REAR SEAT IS LOWERED AND REQUIRES TAKING THE VEHICLE TO DEALER TO REPAIRED. *TR

DROVE OVER A RAISED MANHOLE COVER. (1.5-2 INCHES ABOVE GROUND) BOTTOM OF CAR HITS COVER & DEPLOYS AIRBAGS. WAS GOING LESS THAN 15 MPH. IMPACT WAS SO MINOR THAT NEITHER MYSELF NOR MY FRIEND'S FACES TOUCHED EITHER AIRBAG. CAR WAS NOT STOPPED BY MANHOLE COVER. WE ROLLED ANOTHER 50 FEET BEFORE I STOPPED THE CAR WITH THE BRAKE. AIRBAG SENSOR MISREAD SITUATION WHICH PUT US AND OTHERS IN DANGER. *TR

LEFT DIPPED (LOW BEAM) HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT. SPOKE WITH DEALERS AND OTHER MECHANICS. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE THE BULB. MAY BE THE BALLAST, BUT MAYBE NOT. DEALER HAS NO INDICATION OF PROBLEM. MANY INCIDENCES OF THE PROBLEM REPORTED ON INTERNET FORUMS. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR A TRIAL FIX. BALALSTS ARE 400+ AND BULBS 300+. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SPENT THE MONEY AND HAD NO GOOD RESULTS. *TR

WHEN WEATHER HEAT CONDITIONS ARE ABOVE 90F THE CAR'S FUEL PUMP WILL SPORADICALLY GLITCH/SHUT -OFF AND PREVENT FUEL TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM THE TANK TO THE ENGINE FOR COMBUSTION. THIS MAKES THE CAR STALL MOMENTARILY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A START POINT AND WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE CAR TO AUDI SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY VERIFIED AND CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM AND SAID THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACE WITH A SUPERCEEDING PUMP. AUDI SERVICE CENTER STATED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN THE 2006-2008 A3, AND A4 VEHICLES. MY CAR HAS 66,000 MILES AND HAS GONE PAST THE WARRANTY LIMITS FOR A NO-CHARGE REPLACEMENT. THIS FAULT CONDITION IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD FOR DRIVERS. *TR

I BELIEVE THERE IS A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THE AUDI A3'S OPEN SKY (SUNROOF) SUN SHADE LATCHING MECHANISM. THE SUNSHADE HAS A PLASTIC CLIP ASSEMBLY WHICH ALLOWS THE SHADE TO COVER THE SUNROOF AREA. THIS DESIGN IS WEAK AND PRONE TO BREAK. THIS HAS BEEN NOTED BY NUMEROUS OTHER A3 OWNERS. IN APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS, WE BROKEN THE CLIPS 3 TIMES AND THIS IS WITH VERY INFREQUENT USAGE AND EXTREME CARE. AUDI SERVICE STAFF OPENLY ADMIT THIS IS AN ISSUE, HOWEVER AUDI ONLY SELLS THE ENTIRE SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY AS A FIX - NOT JUST THE CLIP. THIS IS A $200+ PART, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I BELIEVE AUDI SHOULD REDESIGN/RECALL THIS ASSEMBLY OR AT LEAST OFFER A STANDALONE LOCKING REPLACEMENT PART. *TR

PLEASE DISREGARD THIS A TEST FOR THE NEW DEPLOYMENT. *TR

ENGINE COOLANT LINE FLANGE FAILURE. CAUSES ENGINE COOLANT TO DRAIN FROM VEHICLE .THE DEALER INDICATES THAT THIS IS COMMON ON THE 2.0 ENGINES. PART UNAVAILABLE IN THE US (ON BACK ORDER). THE CAR WAS PARKED, LUCKILY. COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR EXPENSE IF ON THE HIGHWAY. DRAINED WITHIN SEVERAL HOURS WHILE PARKED. IF THIS IS AN ISSUE, WHY ISN'T AUDI REPLACING THIS WITH A METAL FLANGE INSTEAD OF A PLASTIC ONE? *NM

1) NO PROBLEM LEADING UP TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. 3 MONTHS AND 7100 MILES. 2) TRANSMISSION FAILED MID-COMMUTE HOME FROM WORK...CAR STILL IN SHOP, WILL TAKE AT LEASE A FEW WEEKS TO FIX DUE TO LACK OF PARTS 3) NOTHING DONE...PARTS ARE ON ORDER. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHADE COVERING THE SUNROOF FAILED IN HER VEHICLE. ALSO, THE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE HORN WOULD NOT FUNCTION ALONG WITH THE TURN SIGNALS. MOREOVER, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ALSO HAD TO BE RE-WIRED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER EACH TIME A FAILURE OCCURRED AND THEY WERE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. MOST RECENTLY, THE BATTERY FAILED AND THE CONTACT HAD TO PAY $257 FOR THE REPAIR. IN JULY OF 2007, SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. SHE HAS SPOKEN WITH THE DEALER MANY TIMES REGARDING THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER REIMBURSED HER FOR THE BATTERY REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,837 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 300.