DirkM

The issue with the jerky steering wheel seems to be more common than I thought. I first noticed this after the 5k service in August but was unable to reproduce this on purpose to figure out when exactly it happens. It's totally random, not dependent on the tires (I changed recently from 18” to 20”) or tire pressure not dependent on the outside temperature or how long I drove the car before it happens. It happens in Comfort/Dynamic or Auto mode although I think when I change the mode it disappears for a while. When the steering is jerky it’s really annoying, almost impossible to drive a straight line.

I found a lot of topics about this on motor-talk.de, seems like the facelift A4, A5 and Q5 with electric power steering show the same symptoms. According to those topics Audi has acknowledged the issue and is working on a solution but doesn’t give a time frame. Dealers are advised to stop any repair attempts and wait for updates Audi.

I was wondering if any of you that have felt the jerky steering found a solution or is in contact with the dealer to find a solution.

NVThs1

I am setting my 5K appointment today actually with my dealer and this will be one of my topics I bring up. I can let you know from there.

fEArmE

Totally agree with you.. it is just very annoying. Strange thing though, it happened yesterday and not today even at low temperature of 24°F. Even if I bring this to the dealer, i'm sure they cannot replicate the issue. The only positive way to look at this is it will go away in 5 minutes .. but again, we paid 60k for a car and we expect it to work properly the moment we drive it, not 5 mins later

DirkM

That would be great. Are you going to Continental Audi in Naperville? That's where I usually go. I'm only at 8k now but I may stop by there before the 15k service if there is a solution.

BugeyeRX

Good luck, I got the "car and steering are in spec so there is nothing wrong story". I personally found the comfort mode to be less annoying.

NVThs1

Yea, I fully expect to hear that as well. Gotta love dealers sometimes.

Yea, that is where I bought the car as well. I like the service people there, but Keith stands out to me. He is an enthusiast to Audi as well. I am wondering how my squeeky brake issue in this cold weather will play out seeing that I put 6mm spacers on my car to fit the winter wheels I bought. I don't see how spacers would cause a squeek that reminds me more of a grinding motion, but I am sure they will try and convince me the spacers are causing this.

NVThs1

My car is done with the 5k check. They are saying the steering I am experiencing might be due to the winter set up. They are experiencing the same problem with their own Audi offered winter set up. I guess the style of tire could give off that feeling. Personally I think it is something else. My tech said to keep an eye on it and we will talk more. I just remember this becoming an issue more around the time when cooler temps started rolling into my area. I try to warm the car up some to avoid this.

Just wondering if anyone else has heard of any solution(s) yet or noticed a trend of when they tend to see the problem vs not seeing the problem.

DirkM

There is a blog posting on <a href=http://www.audi4ever.com/v2/blog/details/24265/Probleme-mit-der-elektromechanischen-Lenkung-im-Audi/index.html>Audi4ever.at</a> saying that Audi has acknowleged the issue but as of 29Jan2013 the is no eta for a solution. I'm following a couple of topics on Motor-talk.de (A4/A5/Q5 facelift and A6 C7, they all seem to have the same steering wheel setup) and some get the the steering box replaced by their dealers while some others don't. Those who had the box replaced say that the issue is gone but given that most people start seeing this issue after 5000-10000km this may not say anything.

I had the issue over the last 4 weeks only once, even though it's pretty cold in Chicagoland. I have no hard facts to confirm this but it seems to happen only after driving a little (~10min), the parking the car for a little (~10min) and then driving again.

Some posts on Motor-talk.de say that either cycling ignition or turning the steering wheel all the way to the left and all the way to the right will reset whatever is causing this until it happens again. I have yet to try either method when it happens the next time.

newmoon

Go to this address:
http://www.1stcallhosting.com/tech/a....php?dir=A7%2F

and read the section about the electric power steering in the A7 Running Gear and Suspension Systems pdf.

I will post my thoughts on this issue later.

newmoon

Ok, if you study the information carefully, it looks like the on-center 'notch' is inherent to the electric power steering system design.

Basically there is a steering torque sensor that detects when you turn the steering wheel. The computer then controls an electric power steering motor that is on the steering rack, but is separate from the steering pinion connected to the steering wheel. Therefore, it is going to be very sensitive to when the steering torque sensor picks up that you are turning the steering wheel, and any delay or abruptness in activating the electric power steering motor, particularly on-center when it needs to decide whether to add assist left or right.

I have noticed the 'notch' the most when driving on the highway in crosswind conditions where the steering wheel needs to be held slightly off-center to 'crab' the car. Especially if the wind is gusting on and off, I will be making lots of steering corrections and going in and out of the center position, which probably makes the power steering motor go crazy, and is felt as the 'notch'. Because it is so subtle, I'm not that concerned about it.

The document also mentions that two steering sensors are synchronized when the car is switched on, which is probably why switching the car off then back on to reset the system may help.

Also, because the Audi Drive Select system automatically adjusts the power steering assist maps to the way you drive, some of these maps may be more or less sensitive to the notch issue. That may be why the issue arises so inconsistently under different driving conditions, and from car to car as well.