Several dozen Quebec owners of an electric Audi Q4 are fuming as their vehicles have recurring problems with starting, recharging and geolocation.
Since they acquired their vehicles, mechanical problems and visits to the dealership have increased. The Journal spoke with five owners who experience constant stress when they find themselves behind the wheel of their luxury cars.
“Every place I park, I always check the space in front and behind my vehicle in case I have to be towed,” explains Amir Houshmand, who had problems with the electrical system. There is always joy that comes with purchasing a new vehicle.
“There, there are more. I’m always stressed.”
A feeling shared by Shawn Erridge whose vehicle had parts to replace even before taking possession. His dealer had to change a battery and a part in the air conditioning system before he could drive it the first time.
“Two weeks after leaving the garage, my car wouldn’t start and I needed to be towed,” he says. They had to replace another part and I was without my vehicle for six weeks.
“At the service, an experienced employee told me that he had never seen a vehicle with so many problems in his career.”
To make matters worse, despite numerous communications with Audi Canada, he must respect his four-year lease contract.
“I mentioned that I didn’t feel safe because the vehicle could break down anywhere and at any time,” adds Mr. Erridge. And this is not an isolated case.
“From the beginning, I regretted my purchase.”
Even though he is dissatisfied with his vehicle, Shawn Erridge must complete his four-year lease.
Photo provided by Shawn Erridge
Question of life and death
For her part, Amélie Tessier only kept her vehicle for a few months due to the numerous problems she suffered.
For example, his reloading gun got stuck in his vehicle three times. She even had to have it towed in order to find a solution at the dealership.
“I have a child with asthma and if he has an attack during the night, we have to go to the hospital quickly. If you can’t use your vehicle to get there, it could put people’s lives in danger.”
Amélie Tessier changed vehicles because she was so exasperated by her problems with her Audi Q4.
Photo provided by Amélie Tessier
On the Audi Canada side, the spokesperson did not want to comment on the problems with the Q4 model when the Journal contacted him a few times. He simply said that the files were evaluated individually.
“We are fulfilling our obligations to our customers,” said Cort Nielsen. It’s the same for all our models.”
“We all contacted Audi Canada to talk about our problems,” explains Daniel Perez, another Audi Q4 owner. However, no one has had an answer and that is deplorable.
“It seems like they knew the model had problems before they sold it to us.”
Luckily, the majority of Audi dealers in Quebec have tried to help owners by increasing the number of repairs to restore the vehicles to running condition until the next problem.
Daniel Perez has started steps to file a class action against Audi Canada.
Photo provided by Daniel Perez
Towards a class action?
For several weeks, resistance has been organized on social networks. Mr. Perez launched the idea of bringing a class action against the German manufacturer on a Facebook page which has nearly 2,000 subscribers.
“I have reached more than 70 people who are ready to join the movement,” he emphasizes. I have a letter that is ready to send to a law firm specializing in this type of case.
“Before continuing my approach, I wanted to gauge interest among people in the Facebook group. I am confident that we will reach the milestone of 100 people in the coming weeks.”
