Audi Death Trap

Dear Richard, I wonder how many loyal British customers Audi is actively trying to lose? I attach an internal Audi bulletin that describes a warrantable manufacturing defect with the alternator. Audi should have honoured this and replaced the part on my car at no cost. I even had to pay for diagnostics. The damage to the steering arm on my car during recovery came as a direct result of the alternator failure. I had to pay for this part to be replaced as well. Other Audi customers have been provided with courtesy cars or even had hire cars paid for yet I had to go out and source myself another vehicle. I have no alternative but to approach Trading Standards and the press as Audi has failed to honour its commitments. David Fisher.

So it's a prevalent manufacturing defect that Audi Executive Office know nothing about. Luckily there are no risks involved in breaking down with this failure.

I was given an "extended" warranty after I'd already paid for the replacement myself. If it runs until the car is 7 years old it will run to exactly the same date as the 2 year guarantee on the replacement part. Therefore it was doubly pointless. Sorry I don't even have paperwork clarifying my own position. Welcome to the world of Audi. Prepare to get very angry. A lot.

Please feel free to use the reference number. Even if there's a chance your life might have been endangered by the sequence of events that unfolded for you it seems it's never going to be enough. If the replacement parts also keep failing then ultimately this isn't going to end well for someone. Luckily Audi and the DVSA know this can never happen. Until it does.

The DVSA have basically advised me that none of the things that happened to me actually did. My Audi A8 was a safe place to be and operating as it should. Maybe my failure to die was my big mistake.

Dear Mr Fisher Re: 43989; Audi, 48v alternator failed DVSA investigates safety defects within the terms of the Code of Practice on Vehicle Safety Defects (the Code), which has the support of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (as amended). The aim being to establish if the defect is a failure due to design and/or construction, which is likely to affect the safe operation of the product without warning to the user and may pose a significant risk to the driver, occupants, and others. This defect will also be common to a number of products that have been sold for use in the United Kingdom. I have now completed the review of your report and therefore can advise you of the outcome. The manufacturer advise they do not have record of identical outcomes as described in your report. They are not aware of any vehicle coming to “an immediate stop” and advise the vehicle has a warning strategy which triggers visual and acoustic warning messages. We are advised, the vehicle’s log confirms activation. Though the 48V supply may be interrupted a complete loss of 12V battery supply should not then occur and the manufacturer advise they are not aware of similar reports. Continued use may cause deactivation of systems depending on progressive 12V battery depletion. When 48V supply is lost the 12V supply should support secondary systems (including lighting and steering) allowing the vehicle to carry forward, slow down and be brought to a halt. Lights and hazard lights etc should be still active at time of incident and ‘emergency call’ available. I note your comment of “power steering and steering lock had seized.” This is not a recognised outcome. The 12V battery should support steering operation in the immediacy but should all power supply be lost then the steering must remain mechanically operational as a requirement of Type approval. However more effort may be required from the driver, but again this is within Type Approval requirements. Our understanding is the vehicle meets full Type Approval requirements. I further note you comment on the steering lock. This requires a direct input and is designed to operate only after the ‘ignition’ is cycled (switched) off. Once the ‘ignition’ is recycled it is possible the lock will not release depending on received input. Similar conditions apply to the mechanical transmission lock which secures the vehicle against unintended roll away. In respect of the doors, the manufacturer advises they do not automatically fully lock and mechanical operation via the internal door handles should be possible. DVSA acknowledges your experiences but considers the evidence at this time is insufficient to support further action under the Code and will not be taking further action on this occasion. DVSA will now close your case. However, the case remains on file, and we will continue to monitor for similar reports or other evidence and review outcomes. While I appreciate you may be disappointed with the conclusion from DVSA and understand you may have expected this component to be more reliable, the serviceable life of the component is something you should address with the manufacturer. Therefore, DVSA are unable to provide any further advice on this.

Thank you for contacting us regarding Audi's 48-volt mild hybrid alternator, which is featured in various vehicles. I am sorry to hear of this situation and this very serious matter you raise. As you say such a matter sounds like this could easily cause harm or death, and it sounds like Audi are not listening to your complaint. I will raise this feedback to our researchers for their awareness and consideration.

Just shaken up a bit. I don't know if I was lucky that it wasn't the Audi!

Dear David, Thank you for getting in touch, it’s great to hear from you. We’ve received your query and one of the team will be in touch shortly to help where we can. This is normally within a day or two but in busy periods this can take us a little longer but we will get back to you.

I have sent my email to Which following the instructions provided. I have also written to a journalist for one of the Sunday papers who successfully resolved a previous issue of mine. I'm still waiting for some kind of update from the DVSA and have no idea how long that is likely to take. In other news the car I bought as a runaround while my Audi was in for repair was written off on Friday by a Balfour Beatty van driver. I've only had it two months. The costs of my original breakdown are just spiralling out of control.

This is the letter I had published in my local regional paper. I've also contacted What Car and await a response. Also waiting on the DVSA as Audi's 28-day deadline has expired. Everything seems to be moving at a glacial pace despite the urgency.

Hi Ben, I had to go through the Audi UK Chief Executive just to get £500 goodwill and still had to buy a small runaround as my local dealership couldn't offer a courtesy car and I was told it could potentially take months to fix. £500 for breaking down in a lane of live docks traffic where I could have been wiped out. But apparently it's not a known issue!!!

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!