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Certain Audi vehicles contain a defect in the automatic Start/Stop system that can cause delays in steering, braking and acceleration that make the vehicles unsafe to operate, a class action lawsuit Canada alleges.
Plaintiff Gurmail Singh Dusanjh alleges that the “Start/Stop defect” can cause the loss of braking and steering power before the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and that the vehicles experience delayed steering, braking and acceleration when the driver attempts to resume motion.
The vehicles that are allegedly affected by the Start/Stop defect include the following 2017-2020 model year Audi vehicles (other than electric or hybrid): A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, S3, S4, S6, S8, Q5, Q7, Q8, SQ5, TT, and TTS.
According to the Audi Start/Stop defect class action lawsuit, vehicle manufacturers are responding to consumer demand for more efficient vehicles by introducing electric and hybrid drive vehicles. For vehicles that remain powered by gasoline, the vehicle manufacturers installed automatic Start/Stop systems that are intended to curb emissions while vehicles are stopped.
“While curtailing emissions from otherwise idling vehicles is a necessary and important function of a modern automobile, it cannot come at the cost of reliable operation of the basic safety systems in a vehicle, namely the brakes, steering and acceleration,” the Audi Start/Stop defect class action lawsuit argues.
Gurmail asserts that the Start/Stop system must not shut off a vehicle’s engine before the vehicle comes to a stop because it will disengage the power steering and power brakes while the vehicle is still in motion. Similarly, the Start/Stop system must restart the engine immediately when the vehicle begins motion to ensure the power brakes, power steering and acceleration are engaged.
In November 2016, Gurmail says he leased with the option to purchase a new 2017 Audi A4 2.0T Progressive Quattro that was equipped with a defective Start/Stop system. He says he made the decision to purchase the vehicle because he believed the Audi A4 would be a reliable and safe vehicle, and he was unaware of the alleged Start/Stop defect.
However, he discovered that his Audi A4 engine shuts down before the vehicle comes to a stop, making the power steering and braking system difficult to use. When restarting the vehicle from a stop, Gurmail says his Audi A4 “lurches forward” and the power steering system does not immediately engage, so it is difficult to steer the vehicle.
“In addition, the vehicle will not accelerate as expected initially, but then blasts forward,” Gurmail alleges. “The vehicle while stopped on an incline or hill will first roll back after the Plaintiff releases his foot from the brake pedal,” nearly causing him to have an accident.
According to the Stop/Start defect class action lawsuit Canada, defendants Audi AG, Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. and Audi Canada Inc. should have known about the defect but failed to fix it or disclose the problem to consumers.
Gurmail says that the defendants have received numerous customer complaints, and that they issued a Technical Service Bulletin about the problem. According to the Audi Start/Stop defect class action lawsuit, the most recent version of the TSB was issued in November 2018 and identifies the following customer concerns: “The Start/Stop system does not shutdown when the driver thinks it should,” “The Engine is not automatically switched off or on,” and “The engine restarts from a start/stop for reasons unknown to the driver.”
However, the TSB allegedly provides no solutions for the issues identified by the consumers and instead tries to explain away their concerns. “The Start/Stop system is complex and the number of the conditions affecting it is high,” the TSB states. “In many cases concerns about the Start/Stop system may actually be normal operation or influenced by the actions of the driver or passenger.”
Gurmail says that the Audi Start/Stop defect makes the vehicles less safe and therefore less valuable than they would be if they did not have the defect. If he had known about the Audi Start/Stop defect, Gurmail claims he would not have purchased his Audi A4, or he would have paid substantially less for the vehicle.
He says he has not yet received any recall or repair notices about the Start/Stop defect in his Audi A4.
The Audi Start/Stop defect class action lawsuit Canada asserts claims for negligence, fraud by concealment, breach of express warranty, breach of the implied warranty or condition of merchantability, breach of the Competition Act, unjust enrichment, and others.
Volkswagen and Audi have already settled a class action lawsuit over an alleged timing chain system. That class action settlement is currently accepting claims until Jan. 25, 2021.
Do you drive any of the impacted Audi vehicles? Have you had any problems with the start/stop functions? Tell us your story in the comment section below!
Gurmail is represented by K.S. Garcha of Garcha & Company.
The Audi Start/Stop Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Gurmail Singh Dusanjh v. Audi AG, et al., Case No. S 207957, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada.
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2 thoughts onAudi Class Action Lawsuit Claims Braking and Steering Delays
My 2013 Audi Q5 3.0T accelerated on its on to unknown ungodly speed for several miles in rush hour traffic until I drove it into a ditch and into the woods. I finally through it in park and it stopped. My car was totaled. I am traumatized. And I am stuck with no vehicle. I thank God my daughter was not in the car with me.
Stopped on the highway