ncp

I do not know if this has already been reported in this forum, but I received in the mail from the Superior Court of NJ, a notice of pendency of a class action lawsuit filed (by an individual) against AoA, Inc., alleging that the "fuel level sending units" of the fuel tanks are susceptible to premature malfunction or failure.

I gather the court decided to permit this case as class action for purposes of settelement of this lawsuit only. The court has not determined that AoA has violated any law or is subject to any liability, or that this this action could properly be litigated on behalf of any class.

This notice was mailed to all Audi owners that were notified by AoA of the "LB" recall of 1998-99, and certain 2000 A6 Quattro vehicles, as well as all persons which own or lease, as of March 21, 2001, a 1998-2000, or 2001 A6 Quattro, bearing a VIN equal to or lower than WAUED64B71N068077.

I have a late 2000 production A6 2.7T, and therefore was not subject to the recall. So far (6400 mi), I have had no problems with the fuel gauge.

Richard Solomon

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/14109/gas.jpg"></center><p>Perhaps I need the BMW solution

(Please note: the caption is <b>*NOT*</b> mine!)

phred

if there were actual, provable damages. But that's the problem in this case. My sending units failed and it was a royal pain in the ***, but since I figured it out and used the reset-trip-odo-at-every-fillup routine (which I do anyway), I was able to get by until the units were replaced.

According to the mailing, "Audi will reimburse affected owners for any out-of-pocket expenses, such as emergency fuel service, towing, lodging, etc., connected with the failure of a fuel level sending unit." So that really just benefits people who had catastrophic experiences with the failure (running out of gas on a busy freeway on a dark, stormy night), which is probably as it should be. My main gripe is, this isn't really Audi's fault because VDO made, and continued to make, faulty sending units. I think VDO should pay and pay and pay for their continuous stupidity. The issue I have with Audi is that, after a while, they appeared to know what was happening and chose to partially ignore it; a recall was most certainly called for in this case.

myfirstimport

oct 2000 build and 4000 miles......no fuel sender problems

2.7tDallas

Audi may have a clause in the supply contract that covers this very thing. Who knows or cares. The idea is that at a certain point Audi knew and did nothing. If they had issued the recall early enough, they would have had no problem.

petrie

Plus, 1.5 times their "usual" fees for work done after the settlement relating to the suit. I agree that AoA should have recalled earlier, but the "danger" part of this suit is nonsense. We all have warranties that would have accomplished the same thing (yes, I think cars out of warranty should have been covered too).

Bollinger

absolutely, but this lawsuit isn't helping anybody but lawyers

2.7tDallas

We should thank the attorneys, as they are doing us a big favor by using finacial pain to make Audi do what it should have been doing all along, which is taking care of the customer, instead of trying to bury thier head in the sand.

Next time there is a problem they will think twice, bet Firestone wished it had!!

phred

Audi really blew smoke at us on this matter, and the only recourse in our legal system is to make them hurt somehow financially. It's the only way to make them pay attention and see how serious this matter is.

The lawyer's fees are unfortunate, but Audi could have easily avoided them and instead spent the money on making us happy and safe. It was their choice, and a poor one.

phred

There is no apparent rhyme or reason to which units fail when; build date and VIN aren't totally reliable.

Just keep in the back of your mind at all times that your fuel gauge may be lying to you, and mentally note whether it falls the appropriate amount as the miles pass. Always reset your trip odo!