Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 1997 Audi A4

Nine problems related to front suspension control arm have been reported for the 1997 Audi A4. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 03/25/2009

The lower front control arms in my '97 Audi A4 1. 8t quattro were replaced by an authorized Audi dealer as part of a voluntary recall campaign in 2004 by Audi to replace a noted defective part. A class action lawsuit brought against Audi by several owners spurred the voluntary recall. My lower control arms need replacing again, based on an inspection by an independent mechanic. When I contacted Audi customer service I was told that the 2004 control arm recall had a one-year warranty and after that time I was responsible for the replacement cost, which exceeds $2,000 for the lower front control arms. This is the second time this defective part needs replacing and it is a safety issue. Numerous Audi owners have reported repeated lower control arm failure and NHTSA is urged to call a mandatory recall for Audi to repair this defective part so it does not need to be replaced by owners every few years.

2 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 12/27/2004

Audi (97 A4 quattro) has issued a safety recall related to control arms - offering free replacement. They further state that if the control arms have already been replaced, they will reimburse all costs. I have my car maintained faithfully, usually by a dealer, but I did not have the formal 90k mile check done. Since I did not follow their formal process, they are refusing to pay for the repair. (this is not a "maintainable part", so the only fix, if indicated at 90k miles, would have been replacement). Audi's position seems unreasonable, given the "unrepairability factor".

3 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 07/09/2004

Control arms went bad. There's noise when turning and going over bumps.

4 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 04/30/2003

Front control arm ball joints clunk and squeak, they require replacement due to poor design.

5 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 03/19/2003

Upper and lower control arms (all 4) for the front suspension have failed and must be replace again. Squeezing/crunching noise at low speed and over bumps. Have been replaced- less than 15k miles ago by Audi dealer and they've worn out already. This is a poor design and Audi needs to come through with a solution for its customers. This is a several thousand dollar repair job!.

6 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 07/01/2002

On two occasions the front control arms failed. Nlm.

7 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2002

The control arms are part of the suspension. The front axle has 8 control arms in total. Went to the dealer and they explained that 6 of the control arms will cost me $2000. They also explained that this is not covered under warranty and that the manufacturer is not responsible for its malfunction. Apparently the part malfunctions is a myriad of cases with A4 and the part was never recalled. Now I have to repair a part that costs 1/7 the cost of the car because Audi is too cheap to stand by its product. I did nothing wrong--was not due to wear and tear or aggressive driving. Simply put by the dealer, "it just happens. " if you investigate this problem you will notice there is a trend with this constant problem. Please help.

8 Front Suspension Control Arm problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2000

Front control arms are notorious for making clunking noise. You can replace them every 6 months and problem starts all over. This is safety design flaw that Audi needs to assist in repairs or recall.

9 Front Suspension Control Arm problem