Three problems related to vehicle speed control have been reported for the 1998 Audi A4. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
This incident happened in indianapolis indiana around 11:40am the temperature outside was two degrees fahrenheit. I was driving my 98 Audi A4 2. 8 quattro north on a two lane city street with a speed limit of 35mph. I had been driving for twenty minutes and smelled a very powerful gas smell since I started driving. My foot was on the gas and all of the sudden the acceleration of my car increased to 45mph. I tried breaking to slow the car down and the break pedal resisted my effort. I was able to slow to 40mph but no lower. When I took my foot off the break the car accelerated greatly. Despite breaking, the speed kept increasing. I felt I had no control over my car. I was traveling for over a mile at speeds reaching 60mph on a 35mph speed limit. I approached a red light, luckily it turned green the minute I went under it. Had it not, I would have run the red light at a busy intersection. My car reached speeds too dangerous for the road I was on. I moved into the center lane into oncoming traffic, fearing I would hit the traffic in front of me. While driving over a mile unable to control my speed I was looking for somewhere to pull off and get out of traffic. When I did pull into the center lane I was able to turn into a parking lot at 50mph. I pushed the breaks with all my might; it did not stop the car, so I put it in park and turned the ignition off. Had I not found that parking lot, I would've run into a snow embankment or hit a building. There was no chance my car was stopping and I had no control of the speed or breaking. I am very lucky that parking lot was empty. I realize that my speeds were very dangerous on this road. Speeds of this nature could've resulted in damaged property and injuries or death to myself and/or others. This was a very frightening and upsetting experience that could've resulted in major damages, injuries, or even death. My safety was compromised.
My Audi A4 avant 2. 8 quattro 1998 accelerates on its own in cold temperatures ( below 15 degrees f ) and two dealerships failed to find the problem so far. It happens when the engine has warmed up partially, but has not reached it's operating temperature yet.
In extreme cold weather throttle may unexpectedly fail to return to idle when the accelerator pedal is released, making it very difficult to stop the car.