1998 Audi A4 Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
  11
• Engine
  10
• Engine › Gasoline
  5
• Cooling system
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  00%
• 25k–50k
  16%
• 50k–75k
  635%
• 75k–100k
  847%
• 100k–150k
  16%
• 150k+
  16%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Audi A4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The airbag fault light and ABS light have been on ever since I had the vehicle, thinking that it May be a fault by the manufacturer as seeing very common problems in many websites. Another main concerned is the fault of the manufacturer's engine design causing engine damage from oil sludge. My concern is for future prevention measures.

Dt: the contact stated timing belt broke at the end of 2001. She stated that when the timing belts break on these audis and bend the valves,e they will destroy the engine. She reported having no problems with the engine since then. She had the car towed in 2001. The bill was $4,468.00. The timing belt went out at 80,000 miles. An advocate for Audi in michigan told her on 9-26-05 that they sent her a letter concerning the timing belt. They were unsure as to when they sent it. The contact searched the internet and found some information about a lawsuit filed against Audi. (9-27-05 the contact called the same advocate and asked her to check the reference number on the car, and the advocate told her that there was ongoing campaign concerning the timing belt. It was called the jk campaign. The control arm was called the je campaign. …

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Audi A4. While driving 45 MPH the engine stalled without any prior warnings. The vehicle was towed to her place of residence. A mechanic stated that the timing chain had fractured which caused the engine to stall. She contacted the manufacturer in reference to a class action lawsuit regarding timing chain failure. A representative stated that because the vehicle exceeded 70,000 miles she was ineligible for a free remedy. However she noted that the owners manual stated that the timing chain should be replaced at 90,000. She was in the process of having the engine rebuilt by a independent technician. The failure and current mileages were 74,000.

In very cold weather, the engine sticks and holds a speed of 6,000 RPM. This condition lasts for at least 40 minutes during which time the car is not controllable. I have had this happen four times. I have involved the local Audi dealer as well as Audi of America. They have attempted to fix this problem four times without success. Audi of America is refusing to either acknowledge or take responsibility for this problem. The first time this happened was on jan 16, 2003. The last time it has happened was jan 16, 2004.

Without warning, the timing belt on my 1998 Audi A4 failed, resulting in serious engine damage and leaving my family stranded in the mountains. Audi has know about the defective timing belt problem for years, and has done nothing to fix the problem or notify customers. Mazda had a very similar problem with some of their timing belts (see NHTSA recall no. 00V134/Mazda recall no. 92007); why hasn't Audi recalled the cars and fixed this problem??

1998 Audi A4 1.8t fully maintained timing belt failure causing catastrophic engine damage. Service manual calls for timing belt replacement at 90,000 miles. Failure occurred at 76,000 miles. Audi USA refusal to gather service info or compensate for loss and provided no avenue for appeal or escalation of the case. Audi USA had made no effort to inform drivers of this problem.

Audi A4 1.8t q timing belt tensioner failed at 75,000 causing catastrophic engine damage. Service interval published by Audi is no earlier than 90,000mi. Tensioner failure is known defect and has been redesigned by Audi, yet Audi will not acknowledge the defect. Audi claims no responsibility nor have they published any TSB alerting people to have this part replaced early.

The vehicle developed a severe vibration in the front end. The upper, lower suspension arms and the tie rod ends were replaced. There was a severe oil leakage observed coming from the engine during acceleration. Oil was found in the spark plug cavities and the spark plug wires protective sleeve was brittle due to high engine temperature.

While driving 1998 Audi 1.8 t along highway when timing belt failed, without warning, wrecking engine. Car had only 58K miles, and owners manual does not recommend replacing timing belt until 90K miles. There is no TSB for the belt but Audi is aware of the problem and requires all new timing belts to be installed in a new configuration.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Audi A4. The contact had the turbo replaced in the vehicle; however, months later, the vehicle stalled. The contact felt unsafe in the vehicle because she believed that a crash could occur due to the stalling. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.

Related recalls

Engine complaints in other A4 years