Audi Class Action Lawsuit Says Brakes Make Squealing Noise

An Audi driver claims that the automobile company knowingly repairs its vehicles with defective brakes that squeak, when drivers elect to have their brakes replaced by authorized Audi dealerships in New Jersey.

The Audi class action lawsuit was initially filed in a New Jersey Superior Court but was removed to federal court on Aug. 30.

Allegedly, the company knows of the problem and continues to sell the defective brakes to consumers, refusing to compensate car owners or remedy the problem.

Plaintiff Donald F. Browne Jr. says he bought a “certified pre-owned” 2013 Audi Q7 from an authorized Audi dealership in New Jersey in September 2014, and paid around $53,000 for the vehicle.

Browne alleges that the vehicle had around 14,825 miles on it at the time of purchase. He claims that when the car had been driven for 30,381 miles, on or around April 2016, the brakes began to squeak.

The Audi defective brakes class action lawsuit reports that these brakes were the original, factory-installed brakes.

Browne states that at this time, he had the brakes adjusted by an authorized Audi dealership, which fixed the squeaking temporarily, but over time, the brakes started squeaking again.

The Audi class action lawsuit goes on to say that on Oct. 12, 2017, when his Audi had 45,000 miles, Browne had the vehicle serviced again at an authorized Audi dealership, at which point he was advised to replace his front and rear brake pads and rotators, because they were reportedly worn down.

According to Audi brakes class action lawsuit, Browne took this recommendation and had the front and rear brakes replaced by the authorized dealer at a cost of almost $2,000.

The plaintiff reports that around April 2018, the new brakes began squealing when braking, when they had been used for less than 3,500 miles.

He says that he took the car to the same dealership that had replaced the brakes, and the technicians reportedly could not reproduce the squealing sound.

Browne claims that the technician told him their inspection of the brakes only revealed that the brakes were “slightly grooved” and that there was some discoloration on the rotators and found hot spots, but that replacing the brakes again might solve the problem.

The Audi brake squealing class action lawsuit says that the technician told Browne that Audi was aware that the brakes they used as replacement brakes for their vehicles had a tendency to squeal, and that the issue began when the company changed the composition of the Audi Q7 OEM brake pads and rotators to increase their performance.

During this conversation, the technician reportedly told Browne that the company hoped to find a solution to the problem in two weeks.

However, the Audi class action lawsuit claims Browne never received a solution to the problem and that the brake squealing problem worsened.

The plaintiff says he contacted the service manager at the dealership on May 22, 2018 about the problem, at which point the service manager said that “Audi, the manufacture[r], considers brake noise acceptable.”

Browne argues that since then, Audi has made no attempt to fix the problem and continues to sell the defective brakes to customers.

The Audi brakes class action says Browne was injured by Audi because he would not have paid nearly $2,000 for brakes had he known that they would squeak, when there are other brakes on the market that would work in his car that would not make unnecessary noise. 

Browne is represented by Stephen P. DeNittis of DeNittis Osefchen Prince PC.

The Audi Brake Squeaking Class Action Lawsuit is Donald F. Browne Jr. v. Audi AG, et al., Case No. 1:18-cv-13403-NLH-AMD, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.