1999 Audi A6 from North America - Comments

I have an Audi A6 Wagon. I had a horrifying experience driving in a snow storm last night. I had the car on cruise control and was traveling on Highway RT 89 North in New Hampshire. I was traveling up a hill when the car accelerated to maintain the cruise speed. Before I knew it the car had accelerated from 68mph beyond 75mph and was increasing. I tapped the brake, turned off the cruise control. The car did not respond and continued to accelerate as though I had pressed the gas pedal to the floor. I tapped the brake again, and then pumped the gas pedal. There was no response from the car. I applied constant pressure to the brake, but the car continued to accelerate to 85mph. I put both feet on the brake pedal and applied full pressure and the car fought back continuing to accelerate. I pushed with both feet with all my strength and the car slowed. The engine was still racing and it took me over half a mile to bring the car under 25mph at which point I shifted into neutral. When I shifted into neutral the tachometer red lined at over 7000. I pulled off the road as quickly as I could and shut the car off.

If my wife had been driving I do not believe she would have been able to stop the car. This could have very easily resulted in a fatal accident. This is the second time this has happened in the last month. The last time, my wife was driving in town. The last time we had the car towed to the location where the car was purchased. They did a repair and commented that they recently had repaired a number of Audi's with the same problem. When I called today to report a repeat of the problem they said they had had several cars with similar repeating problems.

I have been on line and read about problems with the 1998 A4 and A6 pertaining to acceleration problems. I have also read about the problems with the 5000. There appears to be a history here. Has anyone experienced these problems?

I was slowing down at a stop light with 3 cars in front of me and I applied pressure to the brake, and thought I was at a complete stop. When all of a sudden the A6 I just bought the day before developed a mind of it's own and started to accelerate. I immediatley stomped on the brake.

That really got my heart pounding. Is this a recall that can be fixed, because next time I might not be so lucky!

Mine is an 99 Audi a6 2.8 4WD.As I was doing about 35 mph and as I try to accelerate further the accelerator seem to get stuck and high rev to 5.5k on the rpm and car accelerated to about 60 mph w/c on the local road is uncontrollable, luckily there is no car in front of me while I missed a left turn to where I am going and I stepped on the brake pedal with both feet to slow down the car and turned off the engine. I hope this will help those who who might yet encounter this ordeal. Road is clean temperature is very cold around 13 degrees Fahrenheit. I believe it's the cold weather that triggered this malfunction. accelerator pedal did not get stuck on the rubber mat, because I do not have one. Alex.

Consider the possibility that snow and ice on the floor is melting and the resulting water is migrating into the center tunnel where at least some of the computers are housed -- on the floor in 1998 and, perhaps, some 1999 models -- thus shorting out one of the computers. (In subsequent years Audi enclosed the computers in boxes and elevated them off the floor to attempt to remedy this situation.) I don't know for sure that engine management computers are located there, but transmission, brake, and power windows, etc. are.

I encourage you to file a complaint with NHSTA. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

I have recently experience the exact same sudden acceleration with my Audi A6 Quattro. The temperature outdoors was very cold and I was traveling up a hill when the car kept accelerating on its own. While applying pressure to the brakes the car continued to accelerate. Luckily I was able to pull the car off the road and shifted into park. Upon placing the car in park the tachometer red lined. After taking it to the garage the technician determined he could not find anything wrong the automobile.

The following week my husband drove the car and experienced the exact same thing. Again our car is in the garage and the technicians are trying to determine a cause. To date, they have been unsuccessful in finding the problem.

I have an Audi A6 from 1998. The throttle sticking problem happens only when it is below 0 degrees F. I believe it is ice forming from condensation on the throttle plate of the fuel injection or on the throttle cable. We have had this occur 3 times in two winters. It will take about 15 min. for the ice to form for sticking. No one at Audi has helped us with this. I believe a long period of engine warm up may be the answer before driving on the coldest days. The condition will go away after the engine heat melts the ice and it will not occur again the same day unless the engine is very very cold.

I am looking for current or past owners of 1998-2001 Audi (A4, A6, S4 and Allroad) or Volkswagen Passat owners whose brake pedal mounting bracket fractured or broke either during an accident or before an accident. The brake pedal mounting bracket collapsed on our 1999 Audi A6. All braking capacity was lost and the car went out of control at freeway speeds. A serious accident resulted. We have good reason to believe the bracket collapsed hours or days before the accident. After the bracket broke and before the crash, the bracket was loosely held in place with a bolt secured under the dash. The bolt did not hold during the panic application of the brakes. I am looking for owners who have had the same experience or who have had their brake pedal mounting bracket replaced FOR ANY REASON. The bracket may have been replaced by the dealer during a routine inspection of the car. The bracket is hard to locate since it is behind the cowl in the drivers foot well and attached to the engine firewall.

I have a 1998 A6 with the throttle sticking problem. It will happen in very cold temperatures below zero degrees F. The crankcase ventilation hose will deliver condensation from the oil to the throttle plate. The cold air will cause ice to form and stick the throttle. Audi Service Rep suggested using a Teflon spray on the throttle plate to keep this from happening because ice will not stick. Service the throttle plate before winter begins clean it and spray on Teflon.

If you have experienced a throttle sticking incident with your MY98 or MY99 A6, please contact me:

Chris Lash

Safety Defects Engineer

DOT/NHTSA

Office of Defects Investigations

400 7th S.t. SW

Washington, DC 20590

chris.lash@nhtsa.dot.gov.

My wife just found herself traveling down the highway at 75mph unable to stop our '99 A6 wagon. she finally made it to the side of the road, both feet on the brake and had to shift into park to stop the car. the brakes were smoking, and when she tried to start the car up again (in neutral) the motor reved right back up to cruising speed.

The dealer has the car now for diagnosis. they called to tell me that there was a bad accellerator cable, but that they also wanted to look inside the throttle body.

I don't know what to do. we got that car because we wanted the safest car for our family.

I think I will dump it and never get another audi agian.

Ideas?

Hey, I have a great suggestion.

Do yourself a favor and get rid of your Audi.

You will then experience the great relief of peace of mind motoring no matter which vehicle you choose to replace it with, that is unless you are foolish enough to purchase another Audi.

My 99 A6 was the most excellent vehicle to drive, but there was always something to repair. The repair costs are just ridiculous. I was pleased to find a dealer willing to offer me a trade on the Audi and I gladly gave it up for the reliability of a Nissan. The Nissan is not even close in comparison to the Audi for comfort, but I don't care.

I need my car on the road-not in the shop getting fixed.

1999 Audi A6 NHTSA Recall ID Number: 04V495000

Recall Date: OCT 12, 2004

Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Potential Units Affected: 28300

Summary: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.8L, V6 5-VALVE ENGINES, AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, WHILE DRIVING DURING EXTREMELY LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURES THE THROTTLE MAY FREEZE IN AN OPEN POSITION DUE TO ICE ACCUMULATING IN THE THROTTLE BODY.

Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, THE VEHICLE MAY FAIL TO REDUCE SPEED WHEN THE DRIVER LIFTS HIS/HER FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL. THIS LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy: AUDI WILL INSTALL A REPLACEMENT THROTTLE BODY KIT FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 29, 2004. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-822-2834. OWNERS OF VEHICLES WHICH ARE NOT REGISTERED IN THE COLD-WEATHER STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING, WILL BE NOTIFIED OF A SERVICE ACTION, UNDER WHICH THEY WILL BE PROVIDED THE FREE REMEDY UPON REQUEST.

Notes: VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC, JB/JG.