Audi faces legal action over dangerous coolant pump defect in its vehicles

Six Audi models were affected by defective electric coolant pumps. This problem can lead to a fire in the car, endangering the lives of drivers and the reason why Audi is already facing a lawsuit.

When we buy a new car, we all want to assume that our new purchase is pretty safe. You are also probably assuming that it was designed in such a way that it cannot suddenly fall apart or fail. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and then reviews are issued to address these issues. Recently, some Audi owners have found quite serious problems with the coolant pump enough to initiate a class action lawsuit.

Defects in the Audi coolant pump of some cars

In June 2021, a class action lawsuit settlement was reached against Audi (Sager et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Civil Action No. 2: 18-cv-13556). The lawsuit alleges that "turbochargers suffered from faulty electric coolant pumps.“. If the coolant pump overheats, it may cause a fire in the vehicle, which is very dangerous. In addition, failure of the turbocharger can also lead to engine failure.

What models are affected?

Faulty coolant pumps are found on some, but not all, of these models:

– 2013-2016 Audi A4 sedan and A4 allroad

- 2013-2017 Audi A5 Sedan and A5 Convertible

– 2013-2017 Audi K5

– 2012-2015 Audi A6

Owners can check their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the Class Action Settlement website to see if it is included in the settlement agreement.

Audi already knew about this problem.

As requested, Audi learned about the problem with the coolant pumps no later than 2016. Audi announced the recall in January 2017. As part of this recall, mechanics checked the coolant pump and cut power to it if the pump was blocked by debris. While these efforts were intended to prevent the coolant pump from overheating and starting a fire, the lawsuit says they did not fix the problem.

Audi announced a second recall in April, but the upgraded coolant pumps were not available until November 2018. Dealers installed replacement coolant pumps as needed until upgraded coolant pumps became available.

Although the Audi owner who filed the class action had no problems with the coolant pump, they filed the lawsuit due to the long delay of the redesigned pumps. The suit alleges that Audi had to provide owners and renters with cars to use for free until the upgraded coolant pumps were ready for installation.

Volkswagen denies the allegations.

Volkswagen, Audi's parent company, denies all allegations of wrongdoing and maintains that the cars are fine and that warranties have not been breached. However, the matter has already been settled, so there is no need to go to court.

Conditions for settling a class action

Under the terms of the class action, certain Audi owners are eligible to extend the warranty on their car's turbocharger (but not the water pump). They can rate four different categories. The four categories refer to Audi vehicle recalls as of April 12, 2021 and how long the turbocharger warranty will be extended.

The final fairness hearing was held on June 16, 2021, and the last day to file a claim was June 26, 2021. If the court approves the settlement, homeowners do not need to do anything to extend the warranty, but they will need to file any claims before the expiration time limit for any refund.

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