1996 Audi A4 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I HAD MY BRAKES AND TIRES REPLACED AND NOW THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ARE ON IN THE CAR THE REAR BRAKES LOCK UP IF THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT GO ON ADN THE CAR CAN GET OUT OF CONTROL IN CASE OF BRAKING IN AN EMERGENCY . *AK
BRAKE FAILURE IN WET CONDITIONS. I WAS DRIVING ON 95N IN PROVIDENCE. AS I WAS CHANGING LANES, I LOST STEERING ABILITIES. WHEN I BRAKED I DID NOT GET A RESPONSE AND CRASHED INTO THE JERSEY BARRIER THEN BOUNCED OFF IT AND WENT INTO A 180 DEGREE SPIN ACROSS 4 LANES. I WAS STOPPED BY THE GUARD RAIL. *LA
THE BRAKES ARE NOT FUNCTIONAL, CAN HARDLY STOP THE CAR, WITHIN THE FIRST 150 FEET WHEN INITIALLY APPLIED IN WET CONDITIONS. THIS CONDITION REAPPEARS EACH TIME AFTER THE VEHICLE GOES FOR 1 TO 2 MILES WITHOUT REAPPLYING BRAKES TO DRY IT.
THIS CAR HAS A LONG DELAY DURING WET BRAKING AND I CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY. WHEN THEY ARE WARM IT IS FINE, BUT WHEN THEY COOL OFF SUCH AS ON THE INTERSTATE WHILE DRIVING, WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED THEY DO NOT STOP THE CAR. IN A SITUATION WHERE STOPPING IS NEEDED QUICKLY, THIS CAR WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS IN A DECENT AMOUNT OF SPACE. I DO NOT HAVE ANY AFTERMARKET PARTS ON THIS CAR, GY EAGLE RSA TIRES ALL NEW, NOT ORIGINAL BRAKE PADS, 16" FACTORY WHEELS. THIS ISNT A NORMAL PROBLEM LIKE DRIVING THROUGH A PUDDLE AND BRAKING, IT OCCURS VERY OFTEN AND AT THE WORST TIMES, IT FORCES ME TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN AND CONSTANTLY USE THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO KEEP THE WARM ENOUGH TO EVAPORATE WATER AND KEEP THEM WORKING. MR
WET BRAKING PROBLEMS. EXTREMELY LONG TIME FOR BRAKE TO ENGAGE WHEN WET. CAUSES UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION AS BRAKE DO NOT WORK PROPERLY WHEN WET. *AK
BRAKES ARE MUCH LESS EFFECTIVE DURING WET WEATHER. *AK
WHEN THE BRAKES ARE WET, THEY DO NOT WORK UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE HELD FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS. A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 5 SECONDS. *AK
ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, WHEN DRIVING IN VERY WET CONDITIONS, THERE IS A VERY NOTICEABLE DELAY BEFORE THE BRAKES HAVE ANY EFFECT. THIS CAN BE UP TO 2 SECONDS OR SO, AND DEPENDING ON DRIVING CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ME YET, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS DEFECT. *AK
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 1996 Audi A4 has 8 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.