Settlement Approved in Audi CVT Class-Action Lawsuit
Audi has reached a settlement on a class-action lawsuit over alleged defects with a continuously variable transmissions (CVT) used in thousands of Audi vehicles.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit that was originally filed in January 2011 covering owners of 2002-2006 Audi A4, A4 Cabriolet or A6 models with factory CVTs in the U.S. The lawsuit argued that there were manufacturing and design problems with the affected vehicle’s CVTs that caused the transmissions to fail and left owners having to pay for the repairs themselves. The lawsuit also accused Audi of hiding the known issue from its owners.
The German automaker denied the allegations but has agreed to reimburse owners for certain repairs and costs. The final settlement will cover about 64,000 vehicles but does not mention any wrongdoing from Audi.
SEE ALSO: Should You Buy a Car with a CVT Transmission?
Owners with certain CVT repairs occurring within 10 years or 100,000 miles are entitled to a cash reimbursement while parts for reimbursement will vary by model year. Only owners that bought or leased an affected vehicle before June 19, 2013 are covered under the settlement.
In order to receive a cash reimbursement, affected owners must fill out a claim form with supporting documents no later than November 18. In addition, Audi will be extending its new-vehicle limited warranty to cover repair or replacement of qualifying CVT parts by an authorized Audi dealer if the problem occurs within 100,000 miles or 10 years of the date of the original purchase or lease.
The settlement will also include a trade-in reimbursement for lost value on the vehicles affected but only from the 2002-2004 model years. It’s unclear as to why the 2005-2006 model year vehicles are not included.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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my AUDI Q7 was a lemon from the get go. engine problems, electrical issues, and fuel tank leakage. Audi also recalled all coil packs on the 4.2 v8 Q7 and replaced them for the same defective parts. Same part number so....same defective part duh. Audi then said the issue was resolved but like many owners. The coils failed again within on month. Q7 had less than 35K when the problems began. I am glad I totaled it, because I would have felt terrible selling it to some one.
Does anybody know if the 2007 A4 with the same CVT is covered under this settlement?