Dipped headlight sign comes on and headlight goes off intermittently. Happens off and on no rime or reason. No success with dealer this has been reported by many Audi A4 owners.

- Mountain Lakes, NJ, USA

The left dipped headlight of my 2006 Audi A4 first flickers and then shuts off. This seems to occur more when the temp outside is below 55 degrees. If you shut the lights off (which is not a good idea while driving) wait about a minute or so the left dipped headlight comes back on and will stay on. This has happened repeatedly. I've owned the car for almost 2 years now. I have brought it to the dealer, they have looked at it and have replaced the light. They claim there is nothing wrong with the car, light or main computer.

- Lyndhurst, NJ, USA

An error message appeared on the display console saying, "left headlight dipped." It happened during day and the dealerships business ours, so we immediately drove it to the service department, leaving the error message on the screen. On September 22, the dealer stated that the left headlight was burned out and that we needed to replace it. We knew that the light was not burned out so we rejected their repair resolution. Sure enough, when we picked up the car, we turned on the lights and the left headlight worked fine. On the evening of September 22, the error message appeared again, this time on the right (passenger) side. There are over 3900 web pages on the internet of other Audi owners who have described the same problem from model years as far back as 2003, most with no resolution.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

I was driving home with my 2 year old son, and the left and right headlights continued to "dip", every few minutes, all the way home. An error message would appear on the display console saying either, "left headlight dipped" or "right headlight dipped." What was most frightening was when they both went out, seconds from one another, on the part of the drive where there were no street lights and plenty of dashing deer. On September 17, we took it back to the dealer and heard the same story, I.e. that until they could reproduce the fault, they could not fix the car. Furthermore, as the car is nearing the end of the warranty period, should we bring it in later, and they are able to recreate the fault, we would still be responsible for paying for it, despite prior reports of the issue.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

We bought a new 2006 Audi A4 quattro 2.0T in the spring of 2006. About a year later, while driving on a rough patch of road at night, the error message 'left headlight dipped' appeared on the display console and the left headlight went out. There was not much we could do at that time, so we continued to drive the car. We got to our destination, conducted our business, got back in the car, the headlights worked fine, and the error message disappeared. We did not have the problem again until a few months later. Specifically, on rough surfaces the left headlight would "dip, " turn off, and an error message would appear on the display saying, "left headlight dipped." As a temporary fix, we would turn the lights off, then on - the error message would clear and the lights would re-ignite. This is not a safe fix while driving at night. Therefore, in April 2009, we took the car to the dealer from which we bought it. At the time, they told us that although they could not recreate the fault and were not sure what the problem was, perhaps we should have it replaced. Given the dealer's lack of confidence in its own repair suggestion and the cost (~$500), we chose not to have the bulb replaced. The dealer said that until they could reproduce the fault, they would not attempt to fix the problem.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

I drive a 2006 Audi A4 quattro S-line and my passenger side headlight seems to go off randomly when I am driving at night. Once I complete turn off the lights and turn back on, the headlights work for some time. This is not the first time it has happened to me and I also see that lot of others sharing similar experiences online.. ex: www.fixya.com/cars/T593349-audi_A4_left_dipped_headlight_problem I got pulled over by a cop since my passenger side headlight was off. Luckily I just got a warning and I didn't get any ticket. It is very annoying to turn off and on a headlight all the time and I feel there is some inherent problem with the car. Please help me out. Thanks manjesh

- Lewisville, TX, USA

Audi A4 B7 platforms with hid headlights have numerous problems with lights turning off while in operation. This has been documented on many internet forums. Searching for "Audi headlight dipped" or "Audi headlight flicker" will yield many results. The problem manifests initially as flickering headlights. Proper state for hid headlights is not maintained and flickering ensues. If proper steady state is not retained within a tolerable time the headlights will turn off requiring a refiring to create ignition in the bulb again. The "headlight dipped" message tells the operator that the dipped headlight is not operational. A dipped headlight is the european term for a low beam. Once the headlight has gone out it will remain out until the headlight system is refired by turning off the lights and turning them back on. This procedure can be followed to reobtain lighting while the vehicle has lost lighting in motion but depends on the operator's ability to recognize the situation and perform the appropriate action. A vehicle's ability to properly maintain operational headlights is important for collision avoidance. The mitigating factors for this issue are the fact that often it is only one headlight that goes out and that with the proper procedure the headlights can be relit. Aggravating factors for this safety issue are the fact that hid headlamp assemblies are several thousands of dollars to replace and many of the vehicles that exhibit this problem will soon be off of the warranty. Additionally the manufacture warranty does not cover bulb replacement, which costs several hundred dollars for hid bulbs, and requires bulb replacement before service of the remaining parts of the system. The cost allocation will result in many vehicles remaining on the road with defective headlight systems.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Turn car on, lights go on then as soon as I start driving, mostly with a cold engine, acceleration, left turn, slight bump/vibrations in the road the left headlight goes off, there is a warning message in the car that says left dipped headlight, but when I turn the lights off then back on and it "fixes" the problem, then a few minutes later it happens again and if you turn the lights off it will fix it again, but it does happen (almost) every day. If I go particularly slow in and out of parking lots sometimes I see the light flicker but it does not always shut off right away, it may take a minute or two for it to do this later. This headlight issue happens daily and the dealer states it is a light bulb issue, but the bulbs are very expensive to purchase and replace and I have read many people having the same issue with my same vehicle and replacing the bulb does not fix the issue, it is a malfunction that the dealer is unaware of how to fix.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

Left headlight extinguishing during driving at night. Dealers have claimed that they cannot fix the problem after repeated attempts. This causes dangerous conditions because the light goes out with no warning. This has happened many times while driving at night.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

I have a 2006 Audi A4 3.2L and I have been having this problem on and off for a few years now. The left headlight flickers and then it turns off. Then I get a warning message that says "left dipped headlight". but when I turn off the lights and then turn them on again, both headlights would turn on just fine. But then few minutes later, the left headlight starts flickering again and turns off, repeats over and over again. This happens to me frequently and it is very dangerous especially when I'm driving on highway or very dark areas, as I have to turn off the headlights to reset them. I did some research on the internet and it looks like many people are having the exact same issue. I have been to dealerships to fix this issue for years and they have not been able to do anything about it so far.

- West Lafayette, IN, USA

The hid headlights had been flickering for almost a year in my 2006 Audi A4 quattro 2.0. originally (almost a year ago, approx 35K miles) I brought it to the dealership to have the problem investigated, and they told me they could find nothing wrong. The headlights would flicker and then extinguish, leaving me driving in the dark, or with only one headlight. The display in my car would indicate left or right headlight 'dipped'. if I shut the light switch to the off position, then to the on position, the headlight would re-ignite. I recently had my car serviced again, and they indicated the left front headlight bulb would need to be replaced. After replacing it (at a cost of $515), after driving it for about a week, I noticed the condition was still present. I brought it to the dealer, and they indicated the other bulb would need to be replaced. The dealer in this instance covered the cost of the bulb and labor. I fear that the problem has not been repaired by simply replacing the bulbs, and I will be again driving the car with a faulty headlight, which could lead to an accident in the wrong conditions.

- Haverhill, MA, USA

The left headlight of my 2006 Audi A4 quattro has this annoying -- and dangerous -- problem: 1. the left headlight flickers 2. it then turns itself off 3. the message "left dipped headlight" appears 4. the message is changed to a sign indicating that the lightbulb has failed. If I turn the light off (note: We're talking about driving at night here) and turn it back on again, the light will become normal again, for about a few minutes and then the cycle repeats itself. This problem is intermittent. It has been occurring a lot recently with the cold weather. My Audi dealer said that Audi knows about this problem but doesn't know how to fix it. Numerous other individuals are having the same problem as evidenced by postings on user forums. www.fixya.com/cars/T593349-audi_A4_left_dipped_headlight_problem.

- Northbrook, IL, USA

The xenon headlights of my 2006 Audi A4 quattro has this annoying -- and dangerous -- problem: 1. the left or right headlights flicker (the left one was recently fixed) 2. after flickering the headlight will shut off 3. the message "left dipped headlight" or "right dipped headlight" appears 4. the message is changed to a sign indicating that the lightbulb has failed. If I turn the light control switch to off (note: We're talking about driving at night here) and turn it back on again, the light will become normal again. The problem occurs more in colder temperatures. This issue is a known issue as many people discuss the problem over the internet.

- Brookline, MA, USA

The right headlight of my 2005.5 Audi A4 quattro has this annoying -- and dangerous -- problem: 1. the left headlight flickers 2. it then turns itself off 3. the message "left dipped headlight" appears 4. the message is changed to a sign indicating that the lightbulb has failed.

- Montreal, Canada, PA, USA

Hid light on left side flickers then can fail and go to a dipped status displaying in the console. Turning off the lights and back on will restore them. Forums cannot isolate the issue to bulb-flash update for headlights-or ballast. Just google Audi dipped or hid flicker. My concern is that the light make other drivers think your flashing them. Its a distraction to other drivers. Failure in a corner is dangerous.

- Myrtle Creek, OR, USA

The xenon headlights of my 2006 Audi A4 quattro has this annoying -- and dangerous -- problem: 1. the left or right headlights flicker (the left one was recently fixed) 2. after flickering the headlight will shut off 3. the message "left dipped headlight" or "right dipped headlight" appears 4. the message is changed to a sign indicating that the lightbulb has failed. If I turn the light control switch to off (note: We're talking about driving at night here) and turn it back on again, the light will become normal again, for about a few minutes and then the cycle repeats itself. The problem occurs more in colder temperatures. The dealership has replaced one of these very expensive bulbs, but will not replace the one that is currently causing problems. The car is still under warranty. This issue is a known issue as many people discuss the problem over the internet. In fact, Audi of North America is aware of the problem as well because there has been some sort of redesign of the bulb and a tsb has been issued for cars that are less than 1 year old and has less than 12000 miles on it. I would think they would want to recall these cars on their own because it is not safe to have to turn your lights off and on while driving in the dark.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

My 2006 Audi A4 avant 2.0 has the xenon headlights. One of the lights has been failing intermittently for the past few months. The Audi dealership in sunnyvale can't point to the specific problem and wants to charge me $500 to replace the xenon bulb which is not broken. It works after you turn of the light and then on again. It's happening in cold weather mostly late at night or very early in the morning. It works fine otherwise. I suspect that this may be related to the light control blast. A quick search on google reveals hundreds of people complaining about this problem since the car was released but no real solution seems to have been found. Those who had the bulb replaced still have the problems. It is a major safety concern to me since my light turns of in the middle of drive when it's dark. I'd like for the dealer to recall this and really fix this problem without making me pay for something that does not solve the problem.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Left headlight flickers and then goes out randomly on my 2006 Audi A4 while I am driving. This happens almost daily. The consequence is that you are driving without a headlight. To correct the problem, you have to turn the headlight switch off and then back on again. To do this, you have to stop the car so when you turn the headlights off to reset the left light, you won't be driving without headlight. Sometimes the light will go out again within a few minutes and sometimes it is ok.

- Scarsdale, NY, USA