2005 Audi A4 Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHT FLICKERS AND GOES OUT "HEADLIGHT DIPPED" WARNING. *TR

THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AND FLICKERS ON MY AUDI A4 QUATTRO T 2005 AND IT HAS HAPPENED DAILY AND IVE BEEN READING ABOUT IT IN BLOGS AND NOTHIN. *TR

WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AT NIGHT, WHEN ERROR MESSAGE "LEFT DIPPED HEADLIGHT" APPEARED, AND SHE NOTICED LEFT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT NOT WORKING. REPLACED WITH NEW BULB AND STILL NOT WORKING. A FEW MONTHS LATER, NOW BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHTS NOT WORKING. THIS VEHICLE IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. *TR

FRONT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER ON EITHER SIDE AND I GET A HEADLIGHT DIPPED ERROR ON MY DASH. AS A RESULT EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT LIGHT GOES OUT COMPLETELY. PROBLEM OCCURS DAILY AND THE ONLY WAY OF TURNING LIGHTS ON BACK AGAIN IS TO COMPLETE TURN LIGHTS OF OFF THEN ON AGAIN. A SAFETY ISSUES WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING.

PROBLEM: LEFT FRONT HEADLIGHT FLICKERS FREQUENTLY, AND OFTEN SHUTS OFF WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. IT HAS BEEN EVALUATED BY SEVERAL AUDI DEALERS, AND AT LEAST 2 ATTEMPTS TO FIX IT HAVE FAILED. THE LIGHT BULB IS NOT BROKEN, SINCE IT TURNS BACK ON AFTER SWITCHING LIGHTS OFF. THE PROBLEM IS MORE FREQUENT DURING COLD WEATHER. WHEN IT HAPPENS, A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING A "DIPPED HEADLIGHT." *TR

MY AUDI A4 CURRENTLY HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT. WHEN I TURN IT ON, ONE OF THE HEADLIGHTS WILL START FLICKERING AND THEN DIP, GETTING A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH THAT SPECIFIES THE HEADLIGHT HAS DIPPED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND TENDS TO HAPPEN EARLY AFTER DRIVING, USUALLY WHEN ROADS ARE UNEVEN OR GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER WHO SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND ADVISED REPLACING THE BULBS AT THE COST OF OVER $700. THEY DID NOT GAURANTEE IT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AS SOON AS I DROVE OFF THE LOT. APPARENTLY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY AND HAZARD ISSUE AS IT OCCURS WHILE I AM DRIVING. IF YOU TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AND TURN IT BACK ON, THEY WILL SOMETIMES STAY ON BUT MORE OFTEN WILL FLICKER AND THEN GO OFF AGAIN. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE VS. WEAR AND TEAR AND WOULD LIKE AUDI TO PERMANENTLY FIX THE ISSUE AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TT

RANDOMLY, AND AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND ROAD CONDITIONS, THE LEFT OR RIGHT LIGHT WILL FLICKER AND GO OUT. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL SAY "DIPPED LIGHT". THE LIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF THEN ON TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. VERY DANGEROUS ON DARK CURVY HIGHWAYS. SO FAR BOTH HAVE NOT GONE OUT TOGETHER. DEALERS HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT AS THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES OR CANNOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, AND SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE EVENING. *TR

THE LEFT HEADLAMP WILL FLICKER AND THEN DIP TOWARDS THE GROUND WHILE DRIVING, A DASHBOARD WARNING SAYS "LEFT HEADLAMP DIPPED". THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THE AUDI DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE, AND TELL ME THE FAULT DOES NOT GENERATE A COMPUTER CODE FOR THEM TO CHECK. IT HAS STARTED HAPPENING ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS, AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND ON DIFFERENT ROAD CONDITIONS. *TR

DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. GOOGLE "DIPPED HEADLIGHT AUDI". CAUSES RAMPANT FLICKERING THAT BLINDS EVERYONE ON THE ROAD OR TURN OFF YOUR HEADLIGHT AND DRIVE IN THE DARK AT NIGHT. CHANGED BULB DOES NOT FIX IT. CHANGED BALLAST DOES NOT FIX IT. *TR

MY 2005.5 AUDI A4 QUATTRO FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCES HID HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS, TYPICALLY STARTING WITH A RAPIDLY FLICKERING HEADLIGHT AND THEN FOLLOWED BY THE HEADLIGHT(S) EXTINGUISHING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THERE IS A RIGHT OR LEFT DIPPED BULB FAILURE INDICATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE HEADLIGHTS CAN BE RESTORED BY CYCLING POWER. THIS PROBLEM IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY; CURRENTLY IT OCCURS AT LEAST EVERY 30 MINUTES AND SEEMS TO BE TRIGGERED WHEN BRAKING THE CAR TO A STOP, GENTLY ACCELERATING IN LOWER GEARS, OR WHEN TURNING WHILE CLIMBING OR DESCENDING STEEP HILLS. WHEN THIS CONDITION IS EXPERIENCED, THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER RAPIDLY AND EVENTUALLY EXTINGUISH. RESTORING THE AFFECTED HEADLIGHT REQUIRES ME TO EITHER PULL OFF THE ROAD AND CYCLE POWER OR TO MANUALLY TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS UNSAFE, PROBABLY ILLEGAL, AND VERY ANNOYING TO THE DRIVER AND OTHERS IN TRAFFIC. I HAD THIS CONDITION REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY UNDER WARRANTY (40K MILES), BUT IT HAS RECENTLY RETURNED AND WORSENED. MY AUDI NOW HAS 92K MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM SURPRISED THAT AUDI HAS NOT OFFERED A COST-FREE RECALL ACTION TO FIX THIS SAFETY PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY GIVEN ITS PREVALENCE IN AUDI A4'S. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT IS HIGH AND APPARENTLY COULD INVOLVE REPLACEMENT OF THE HID BULBS, IGNITERS, AND SENSORS. *TR

LEFT OR RIGHT HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND FAIL EVERY TIME I USE MY HEADLIGHTS. NO WORSE OR BETTER WITH BUMPY ROADS. AFTER A LIGHT GOES OUT, TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON TEMPORARILY FIXES THE PROBLEM. BUT A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE LIGHT FLICKERS AND FAILS. MOST RECENT FAILURE WAS WHEN GOING AROUND A CORNER AT NIGHT. ONCOMING TRAFFIC DID NOT SEE ME AND NEARLY CRASHED HEAD ON. NEWLY PURCHASED CAR AND HEADLIGHTS FAILED FIRST NIGHT. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND READ DOZENS OF THREADS WITH SEEMINGLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED AUDI HAS NOT PUT OUT A RECALL. SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH NO CURRENT SOLUTION. THE QUESTION IS OUT OF ALL THE DEADLY ACCIDENTS IN AUDI CARS, HOW MANY HAD THIS ISSUE AS A FACTOR. I DON'T ENVY THE PERSON QUICKLY DRIVING DOWN A WINDING BACK ROAD, WHEN THEIR HEADLIGHTS GO OUT AN INSTANT BEFORE A QUICK TURN THEY WONT SEE AND WRAP THEIR CAR AROUND A TREE. *TR

MY AUDI A4 CONSTANTLY WILL GET A DIPPED HEADLIGHT, MEANING THAT THE HID LIGHTS WILL DIP AND FAIL TO STAY ON. IT HAPPENS ON BOTH SIDES AND WILL HAPPEN AT NIGHT. I HAVE DRIVEN IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AND HAD BOTH LIGHTS FAIL, IF I TURN THE LIGHTS OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS AND BACK ON THEY WILL RESET BUT IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG BEFORE THEY DO IT AGAIN AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS ME ANYTIME I DRIVE DURING DARK TIMES. I LIVE IN A AREA WITH SNOW AND ICE IN THE WINTER AND ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH DEER AND PEDESTRIANS DURING THE SUMMER. MY LIGHTS GOING OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN FOR NO REASON HAS ME QUESTIONING THE SAFETY MY CAR PROVIDES. I AM CONCERNED THAT I MAY HAVE MY LIGHTS GO OUT AND WRECK, OR POTENTIALLY HIT A ANIMAL OR PERSON. *TR

VIBRATIONS ON THE ROAD OR AT IDLE CAUSE MY AUDI A4 (B7)'S HEADLIGHTS TO FLICKER OR EVEN TURN OFF FOR A BRIEF MOMENT! IT OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY NIGHT, AND SO FAR AUDI HAS ISSUED NO REMEDIES. I HAVE THE XENON BULBS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE HEADLIGHTS (EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT OR SOMETIMES BOTH) WILL JUST GO OUT. HAPPENS ON THE FREEWAY, HAPPENS IN THE DRIVEWAY OR ON A SURFACE ROAD...IT HAPPENS NEARLY EVERY TIME I DRIVE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON. AUDI CAN'T REPLICATE THE ISSUE WHEN I BRING IT IN AND DOESN'T HAVE A FIX. MANY PEOPLE REPORT THAT REPLACING HEADLIGHT BULB OR BALLACE DIDN'T FIX PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS THEY JUST FLICKER AND GO OUT. THERE REALLY SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE ON THE A4. *TR

2005 AUDI A4 2.0T - HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTION. WARNING SIGN COMES ON "LEFT/RIGHT HEADLIGHT DIPPED OUT". DURING NIGHT, THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. ONLY WAY TO GET LIGHTS BACK ON IS TO EITHER TURN HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN OR PULL OVER, TURN CAR OFF AND RESTART. THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX THOUGH. WITHIN 10 TO 15 MIN, THE HEADLIGHT WILL "DIP" OUT AGAIN (LIGHT FLICKERS AND GOES OUT). CHANGING BULBS DO NOT HELP. CHANGING BALLAST DOES NOT HELP. WITHIN A 20 MILE STRETCH, MY HEADLIGHTS WILL "DIP OUT" AND BLACK OUT ON AVERAGE OF 3 TIMES. THIS MAKES FOR VERY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. *TR

PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AT NIGHT, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT BEGINS TO FLICKER AND THEN SHUTS OFF WITH AN ERROR, "RIGHT DIPPED HEADLIGHT". IT OCCURS EVERY NIGHT, WHICH IS DANGEROUS AND HAZARDOUS AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE AND OBSCURES THE VIEW TO DRIVERS OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS PROBLEM IS BEING SUFFERED BY A LARGE NUMBERS OF OWNERS AND IT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 AUDI A4. THE CONTACT STATED THE HEADLIGHTS SHUT ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD DISPLAY HEADLIGHTS DIPPED ON THE INSTRUMENT. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO WAS TOLD THE ENGINE VIBRATION CAUSED THE HEADLIGHTS TO SHUT OFF. THE DEALER PLACED RUBBER PIECES INTO THE CASING IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE VIBRATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

OVER THE COURSE OF NEARLY TWO YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, THE RIGHT AND LEFT HEADLIGHTS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED (TURNED OFF), WITH NO CONSISTENT CAUSE APPARENT. THE SPECIFIC ERROR MESSAGE THAT APPEARS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN IS "RIGHT/LEFT HEADLIGHT DIPPED". THIS CONDITION IS BOTH UNSAFE, AND ILLEGAL - AS MANY STATES WILL ISSUE A TRAFFIC VIOLATION FOR DRIVING WITH A NON-FUNCTIONING HEADLIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 7-8 TIMES, THE HEADLIGHT FLICKERS, THEN GOES OUT, BUT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED, THEN BE FINE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A TIME. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM ON AT LEAST 3 VISITS, AND HAS CLAIMED THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE AND THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE SAID ERROR. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED/GUESSED THAT IT IS THE XENON LIGHT BULB ITSELF, HOWEVER IT HAS CHECKED OUT FINE EACH TIME, AND AS MENTIONED, HAS FUNCTIONED FLAWLESSLY AFTER EACH OCCURRENCE WITH MERELY A RESTART OF THE VEHICLE. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED, HOWEVER THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO PERFORM A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS ON AT LEAST ONE VISIT. GIVEN THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ONLINE AND BY WORD OF MOUTH FROM OTHER FELLOW AUDI OWNERS, THIS PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST MY CASE. I WOULD LIKE AUDI TO STEP UP AND ADDRESS THIS ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR THEIR OWN PR, BUT FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY. *TR

EXCESSIVE MOISTURE IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS. DEALER STATS THAT AN "O" RING HAS FAILED AND INFERS THAT THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM. STATES THAT MOST HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES WILL CLEAR UP WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. MINE HAVE SO MUCH MOISTURE IN THEM THAT I HAVE WATER DRIPS. THIS CAUSES THE LIGHT OUTPUT TO BE VERY DIM. AUDI HAS A TSB THAT STATES THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY SHOULD NOT BE REPLACED, AND HAS NO OTHER REPAIR SUGGESTION (JUST LIVE WITH THE PROBLEM I GUESS). ALSO, IT APPEARS THAT THIS HAPPENS ON THE 2002-2005 MODELS AS WELL AS THE 2005.5 - 2009 MODELS OF THE A4. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT AUDI DOESN'T SEEM TO WANT TO ADDRESS. DEALER HAS ESTIMATED THE "O" RING REPLACEMENT TO BE ABOUT $250 (FOR A $1 PART!). *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE XENON HEADLIGHT UNIT FLICKERS OFF AND ON AND EVENTUALLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. TURNING HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON WHILE TEMPORARILY RELIEVE THE PROBLEM (SOMETIMES LESS A FEW SECONDS, OTHERS TIME 30 MIN OR HOUR). WHEN PROBLEM STARTED A COUPLE YEARS AGO , TIME BETWEEN THE PROBLEM WAS LONG (WEEKS). THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED AND NOW HAPPENS EVERY TIME I DRIVE AT NIGHT. WHEN PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED (CAR UNDER WARRANTY, ~45K MILES), NOTHING WAS FOUND TO BE AN ISSUE BY THE DEALERSHIP AS THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE REPLICATED AT THE POINT OF INSPECTION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. FROM THINGS I'VE READ, AUDI FAILED TO PROGRAM FAULT TESTS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS, MAKING THE PROBLEM HARD TO DIAGNOSE. ADDITIONALLY, MANY AUDI OWNERS SPENT LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY TRYING TO REPLACE BULBS AND REPLACE BALLASTS (VERY EXPENSIVE) ONLY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM PERSIST. I'VE ENCOUNTERED A COUPLE OWNERS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY HAD CHARRED CONNECTORS OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS AFFILIATED WITH THE LIGHTING SYSTEM (FIRE HAZARD?). THE DEFECTIVE NATURE OF THE SYSTEM IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE HELP FACILITATE AN ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE PROGRAM FROM AUDI. *TR

LEFT XENON HEADLAMP WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. IT STARTED BEING A PROBLEM ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR USED. IT WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE INTERMITTENT OPERATION HAS RETURNED. *TR

AUDI A4 (2005) - AUDI IS APPARENTLY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE "DIPPED HEADLIGHTS" IN THEIR VEHICLES, BUT WILL NOT OFFER A FIX TO OWNERS. IF ONE DOES AN INTERNET SEARCH YOU CAN FIND LITERALLY DOZENS OF SITES DEDICATED TO THIS ISSUE AND PEOPLE TRYING TO GET A RESOLUTION. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES ONE OR BOTH OF THE HID HEADLIGHTS TO FLICKER AND GO OUT WHILE DRIVING AND REPEATS EVEN WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. ASIDE FROM IT BEING A SAFETY ISSUE, IT'S ALSO CAUSING OWNERS IN THE FORM OF DRIVING VIOLATIONS, ETC...AND YET AUDI USA REFUSES TO ADDRESS THIS WELL KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

I OWN A 2005 AUDI A4. ONE OF MY HEADLIGHT CONSTANTLY FLICKERS THEN TURNS OFF. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS IN ANY AND ALL SITUATIONS. COLD, HOT, DAY, NIGHT, MORNING, EVENING, RAINING. THE ONLY SOLUTION AT THE MOMENT IS TO TURN OFF THE HEADLIGHTS FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS THEN RESTART THEM. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS AS IT IS NIGHT TIME. THE BULBS THEMSELVES ARE NOT BAD. IT IS AN ELECTRONIC MODULE PROBLEM OR SOMETHING OF THE SORT. I AM AN ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC SO I HAVE DIAGNOSED THE CAR NUMEROUS TIME. THE HEADLIGHT SYSTEM IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD. ONE CAN EASILY FIND HUNDREDS OF CASES ON THE FORUMS BY SEARCHING FOR "AUDI FLICKERING HEADLIGHT". I BELIEVE AUDI NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ALL DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. DRIVING AT NIGHT SHOULD NOT INVOLVE TURNING OFF YOUR LIGHTS AND RESTARTING THEM TO RESET THE COMPUTER. *TR

I OWN AN AUDI A4 2.0T 2005.5 (B7). THE DRIVER SIDE XENON HEADLIGHTS FLICKER INTERMITTENTLY AND SHUT OFF. THIS IS NOT A HEADLIGHT BULB ISSUE THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. THE DEALER AWARE OF THIS AND IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE COST. I HAVE READ OF MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CREATING AN ACCIDENT. *TR

DIPPED HEADLIGHT ON 2005 AUDI A4. HAD ISSUE WITH LEFT HEADLIGHT WHICH AUDI USA EVENTUALLY REPLACED, NOW RIGHT HEADLIGHT IS DOING THE SAME AND AUDI REFUSES TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. *TR