- Vehicles
- 172,866
- Built between
- Aug 1997 – Feb 2004
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 26 July 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1997 and February 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998-2004 Audi A6Built August 1997 to February 2004
- 2001-2004 Audi AllroadBuilt August 1997 to February 2004
- 2003 Audi RS6
- 1998-2004 Audi S6Built August 1997 to February 2004
What the defect is
On certain passenger vehicles, if a driver's knees push against the knee bolster (crash element) located under the dashboard, it can contact the headlight switch wiring harness, and an electrical short could occur.
What could happen
A fire could originate in the left dashboard area.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVERING ON THE KNEE BOLSTER (CRASH ELEMENT). IN ADDITION, THE WIRING HARNESS AS WELL AS THE FELT PROTECTOR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD CARRIER WILL BE CHECKED, AND REPLACED IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1997 to February 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA18 March 2004
- Owners notified26 July 2004
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 18 March 2004.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.