Volkswagen of America, Inc: Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Volkswagen of America, Inc reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 14, 2008 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 13,900. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 13,900 MY 1996-2003 AUDI A8 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE LOCKING CABLE MAY MOVE OUT OF POSITION OVER TIME. WITH THE LOCKING CABLE OUT OF POSITION, THE SHIFTER CAN BE MOVED OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION EVEN IF THE IGNITION KEY IS NOT IN THE IGNITION LOCK.
The risk
THIS COULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO ROLL, CAUSING A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOCKING CABLE BY INSTALLING AN ADJUSTING PIECE THAT WILL SECURE THE LOCKING CABLE IN PLACE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-822-2834.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Audi A8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Audi A8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Audi A8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 Audi A8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 Audi A8 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 Audi A8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997 Audi A8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 Audi A8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 08V397000.
Full record for the 2003 Audi A8 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →