Since it's unlikely that a passenger will get in and use the car without a driver, I think that passenger side locks are probably more of a hangover than anything else. I drive around with my wife all the time and I hadn't even noticed it was missing. I just always unlock the car for both of us. If leaving off the lock enabled Audi to save me some money or to put other great touches into the car, then I'm all for it. Honestly, this car has more thoughtful touches than almost any other I've ever seen, so it's hard to think that Audi would leave things off just to be cheap.

Philip M
99.5 1.8tms

It was the biggest thing that turned me off to the A4. I know it's a driver's car, but there are obviously going to be at least one passenger at some time. Every car I have owned and/or test driven has had a passenger's central door lock. I think it is an important safety feature. I have mentioned this on this forum a couple of times and have received various different answers.

1. If the driver leaves the car and leaves the car running, the passenger must reach over to the driver's door lock to lock all the doors. The remote in the ignition won't work unless the car is off. I know when my husband leaves the car, for safety's sake, I want all the doors closed, especially in a four door car, where access into the car can be had four ways.

2. If the driver turns off the car but leaves the remote in the ignition, the passenger can lock all the doors, but still not the safest and/or most convenient way.

Although there are many thoughtful touches on the A4, I noticed this omission right off the bat. It won't stop me from purchasing the car as there are so many other pluses, but I think it is a big negative for Audi's intuitive and safety minded thinking..

While it's true that there is no power lock button on the passenger side, the original post is referring to the lack of an "exterior key hole" on the passenger door of the 99.5.

But while I'm on the subject of locks, Audi should, for safety sake, have door locks interiorially and exteriorally on the passenger's side. What if the driver's door doesn't open for some reason, such as cold weather, broken lock, etc. There is no way to get into the car without calling a locksmith. Another omission on the part of Audi. I can't think of another car that does not have these features.

Don't get me wrong, along these are annoying, and possibly a safety hazard to some degree, it still won't stop me from buying the car. Will be putting in an order very soon.

Yes, we do have remotes that are attached to keys, but being the cynic that I am, what if you lose your key/remote setup, and your significant other only has a key and comes to your rescue, only to find a broken lock on the driver's door.... I know this scenario is probably nil, but there are other things I could think of. I'm just trying to play the devil's advocate.

In any case, again, I think there should be a door lock inside and outside on the passenger's side.

nt

... on my other car I often use passenger-side when driver-side lock freezes. Passenger-side locks are certainly a good thing to have, especially in this price range. Frozen/faulty locks are quite common. Transmitter/receiver/battery failures are even more likely.

nt

nt

I don't know about 99's or 2000's, but in 1998 a heated driver's door lock was only available via the Cold Weather Package.

I think this subject is becoming a mountain from it's original molehill beginnings. Next we'll find someone who almost skipped the A4 because the passenger can't see the clock or outside temp display.

My wife was a little upset about this until we got the auto-locking programming done. What you'll notice though is that the door unlocks itself if the passenger tries to get out and the doors are locked.

If you don't have a remote, you want to have a second way to get into the car. The driver side lock can freeze over - how do you get into the car??? (Yes, it happened to me).

adc

Now that would really be a problem! JK.