Audi Death Trap

Hi Dan, Audi Hull declined making a contribution and there was no suggestion that they would press Audi UK on my behalf for a full settlement. If you have the full cost covered without my life-threatening experience I would love to know as Audi Executive Office have already shown total lack of consistency in the way these failures are being managed. Customers are being treated like absolute !Removed!.

My replacement alternator came with the standard two-year guarantee regardless of the vague warranty supposedly in place. Failure after June 2026 is likely to cost in excess of £2000 again. This time I incurred additional costs of £800 due to recovery damage and £3700 due to duff advice resulting in me buying the cheapest car I could find within walking distance of home as I could not manage without transport. Needless to say the dealership were unable to provide a car. After only one year of ownership the depreciation makes replacing the car an unattractive proposition. Dying is slightly less attractive but I suspect I will keep the car until June 2026 and hope for the best. After that I cannot risk the inevitable costs.

Hi RSW, I managed to get a letter published in my local paper describing what had happened to me as a warning shot to Audi. I intend contacting the national press in due course but I'm currently hanging on for the DVSA to update me. I would have no qualms whatsoever in cooperating with Which or any other media outlet. Luckily I wasn't hit but someone else could quite easily die. It still remains unclear whether the replacement parts being fitted are in any way better than the originals. I've deactivated the start/stop system every journey since I've owned the car which possibly prolonged the alternator's life but I don't know what the previous owner did. My car may already have had the alternator replaced in the first four years.

Sorry to hear you've also had problems. At least you managed to get out of traffic and out of your car which is more than I did! My car was more than two years beyond its three-year warranty. I managed to get a £500 goodwill gesture from Audi UK after kicking up a fuss. I suspect you will have to complain yourself as I don't honestly believe your local dealership will be able to make any inroads. It's usually the case of Audi UK pushing dealerships to cover costs rather than the other way round even if the problem isn't of the dealership's making. I've now got some kind of unspecified warranty on the replacement alternator. Audi UK were going to make me an improved offer but have now not done so as I continue to be a thorn in their side. Make a complaint but don't expect it to be easy and they will deny there is even a global problem. I was told the replacement part would take months to arrive which resulted in me buying another car. Then it was fixed the same day!

I don't think you can add to my case at the moment as it is technically still in the "Customer Review Stage." However I would strongly recommend filling in the form on the DVSA website and adding more weight that way but there would need to be a distinct safety element rather than just premature failure. https://contact-dvsa.service.gov.uk/report-vehicle-safety-defect/ There are multiple forums discussing this topic. Maybe other complainants could be encouraged onto here so there are more in one place. My next car won't be a 48v mild hybrid. I'm going back to pure petrol. I've already destroyed the environment by causing a 5-mile tailback of heavy goods vehicles and docks traffic. Strangely it won't be an Audi either.

The day before I ground to a halt in a live lane of traffic I actually visited my local Audi dealership to alert them to the fact that my start/stop system had deactivated itself. I booked myself in for diagnostics a few days later but I was overtaken by events. I subsequently found out this is typically the first indication of imminent alternator failure. Nobody knew to warn me. I asked Audi Executive Office why anyone reporting that issue wasn't cautioned about driving their vehicle any further and I was told anything could cause the start/stop to fail and there was no need for a warning.

Thanks Clifford. It's ultimately down to the DVSA now. My own dealings with Audi Executive Office have hit a brick wall as they won't discuss safety issues. Comments are just disregarded as if they didn't exist or have no merit. They are well aware that the DVSA are involved since the matter has been escalated to Audi AG. That hasn't stopped them shutting me down. All I can do is wait and see where the investigation goes next. At least I have Highways Agency staff as witnesses.

DVSA says "Thank you for your email. Their response appears to be at the end of an email discussion, and it is their prerogative as to whether they wish to continue communicating with Customers. Irrespective of their Customer Relations stance, DVSA will continue to communicate with their technical section (as they will with us). Thank you"

I've explained to the DVSA that Audi have archived my case and emplored them to pursue Audi relentlessly for the information they require. Surely the DVSA will have sufficient powers to make them comply.

Audi Executive Office have kindly archived my case 48 hours before the deadline for Audi UK to provide the DVSA with a written report explaining how it was possible for my car to fail in such a catastrophic life-endangering way. I will not be shut down or cancelled!

My 7 year extended warranty became valid when the car was 5 years old immediately after I paid to have the alternator replaced myself. My 7 year extended warranty will run for about 20 months and be worthless since the replaced part comes with its own 24 month guarantee. After that I'm on my own again and looking at another £2000 bill the next time it fails. If I live again.

After 8 years with Lexus I'm just not used to this kind of near death experience. The way my concerns have been dismissed by Audi UK has been a total and complete disgrace. I thank you Mike, Steph and Steve for your support. I hope the DVSA come to the right conclusion and force Audi to take decisive life-saving action. Hopefully the wait for that decision is almost over. If I can't force a recall with my list of circumstances I doubt anyone can. This is for everyone impacted by Audi's arrogance and apathy.

I'd consider a convoy to Milton Keynes but I wouldn't want to chance it in my A8. My new thirteen-year-old Hyundai i10 would be a safer bet!

I've gone over the same points with them again and again but when it comes to the perilous position I was put in they won't comment at all. Obviously they don't want to admit any kind of liability but how is it possible for a luxury car to break down in 2024 with literally no power at all with the driver sealed inside awaiting his fate. I also believe it is against the law to recover a vehicle with the driver still inside but there I was still at the steering wheel when my car was finally loaded up onto the transporter. The whole thing would be laughable if it wasn't for the potential element of death. The steering arm was wrecked by the Highways Agency recovery team as the wheels could not be straightened before my car was pulled up the trailer. Audi Executive Office suddenly wanted to re-evaluate my complaint the minute the DVSA became involved and I was told it had been escalated to Audi AG.

They asked me what kind of settlement I was looking for and I told them with all honesty that I did not know. My life was put in jeopardy as I was unable to get my car or myself out of the way of heavy docks traffic on a UK Strategic Road Network dual carriageway. Even with a guarantee or warranty in place I live in dread of any kind of recurrence. I could have easily been rear-ended by a 40mph juggernaut and I didn't even have hazard lights.

I was advised the part had an extended warranty as if it had been in situ from the date of registration in early 2019. This would therefore run out early 2026 if it ran for seven years but nobody can explain the duration. The replacement I just paid for myself plus £800 for a knackered steering arm wrecked during recovery has its own two year guarantee that will theoretically run longer than the warranty.

Audi Executive Office have asked to speak to me to try and negotiate a better outcome. They are keen to do this before the DVSA come back to me. I've refused to engage.

The three year Audi warranty would have run out early 2022. The replacement part is guaranteed for two years until June 2026. The extended warranty would supposedly run for seven years from first registration which would actually end before that date rendering it useless. I did go back to the Ombudsman once I was told about the extended warranty but it remains out of their remit on a technicality. Because the warranty applies to a specific part only and not the entire vehicle there's nothing they can do for me. How convenient!

Audi Executive Office pointed the finger of blame at Hull Audi for not identifying the extended warranty on the part and said I should not have been asked to pay. When the dealership looked into this further the warranty had been put in place the day before, weeks after my car had the work done! They will not address the issue of risk to life or the duff advice I was given that led to me buying a second car.

I intend to push for Total Recall. I have already made initial enquiries with AA Motor Legal Services and intend pursuing a claim for endangerment of life once Audi admit there is an inherent design fault and they are forced to bring in every affected vehicle.

This is the response from the Motor Ombudsman. Thank you for submitting your enquiry to The Motor Ombudsman. Having looked through your complaint, it looks like you have complained to the manufacturer of your vehicle but the vehicle is no longer within its manufacturer's warranty period. Under the New Car Code, accredited manufacturers must ensure that they keep to the terms of the warranty provided with the vehicle - however, as soon as the warranty period is over, the manufacturer has no obligation towards your vehicle and doesn't have to pay towards repairs, even if you think the problem is a manufacturing defect or you experienced the same issue during the warranty period. As such, this isn't something we can consider further for you as the manufacturer doesn't have to contribute and the New Car Code does not apply. You can ask the manufacturer to consider making a contribution as a gesture of goodwill - any contribution they make is at their discretion. This will depend on a number of factors including the age and mileage of the vehicle, where the vehicle was purchased and whether it has been serviced within the network. It's unlikely a manufacturer will contribute if you have had the car repaired at an independent garage and are looking to claim the cost back. If your vehicle was sold to you within the last six years, you could approach the seller of the vehicle to see if they would be willing to help. Please bear in mind that, if it has been more than six months since you bought the car, you will need to be able to prove that the fault was present when the car was sold to you. If the seller is accredited to our Vehicle Sales Code, and you are unhappy with their response, please get in touch and we will see what we can do to assist you further. You can check to see if they are accredited at www.themotorombudsman.org/garage-finder. If they are not accredited, you may wish to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau on 0808 223 1133 for some guidance on your legal rights as we will not be able to assist you further.

Below is the letter I recently had published in the Hull Daily Mail. "My Audi A8 came to an abrupt halt in the middle of roadworks during rush hour. All electrics shut down. I was unable to use my hazard warning lights. I was unable to lower my window to shout to a workman nearby. I was unable to exit the vehicle. Literally everything failed. In the event of fire I would have been burned alive which may have delighted some of those hurling abuse. It was almost impossible to recover the vehicle as the wheels were turned towards the kerb and the power steering and steering lock had seized. I eventually had to remain in the vehicle until it was finally dragged diagonally onto the back of a trailer and taken away. The replacement 48v alternator part is unavailable and on back order in Germany due to the sheer scale of vehicle failures that now require it. Apparently looking at online forums it's a case of when rather than if it fails. I could never feel safe in my vehicle again. Watching all those approaching HGVs in my rear view mirror was truly awful. I understand recalls have been issued elsewhere in the world and it's scandalous that this hasn't happened here. Why was my life endangered because Audi technology is not up to the job." Following publication I reported the matter to the Motor Ombudsman and the DVSA. The ombudsman said it fell outside their remit but the DVSA have given Audi UK 28 days to provide a written report explaining how such catastrophic failure was possible. Audi Executive Office only gave me a goodwill gesture of £600 (reduced to £500 due to VAT!) despite the £2,800 total repair cost and the serious risk to my life. To rub salt into the wound I even went out and bought a cheap runaround as I needed my own transport for hospital appointments and my car was miraculously repaired before I even picked it up. I now have two cars. The 28-day deadline is only three days away!