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VW Audi Timing Chains Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Matthew Opheim filed a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen.
- Why: A judge denied VW’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit that alleged the carmaker knowingly sold Audi vehicles with a defective timing chain.
- Where: The lawsuit is pending in New Jersey federal court.
A class action lawsuit accusing Volkswagen (VW) and its subsidiary Audi of manufacturing vehicles with an allegedly defective yet concealed engine part—a timing chain—will move forward, according to an order filed by US District Judge Kevin McNulty.
The judge said that while the actual relationship between Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (VW AG) and Audi Aktiengesellschaft (Audi AG) is, at this point, somewhat murky, the plaintiffs have properly alleged that VW AG was involved in marketing the cars at issue and that it knew about the timing chain issues and worked to remedy them in newer models but did not disclose them to consumers.
“It is possible that in discovery, facts will emerge that demonstrate that VW AG should not be held liable for the alleged defects in Audi vehicles, but, at this stage, the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that VW AG was involved and, thus, I will not dismiss the claims against it at this stage,” Judge McNulty said.
Audi Timing Chain Defect Acknowledged, Notes Class Action Order
The most significant factual allegation in the class action is that VW AG produced repair materials for the entire corporate family, including Audi AG, that acknowledged the issue, the order states.
This service training manual shows that VW AG was aware of the problem with the timing chain and developed a method to determine if it had become elongated. VW AG communicated this information to dealers but did not inform consumers about the problem
Similarly, the chain tensioner was redesigned in 2012, a change that affected both VW and Audi cars but did not fix the underlying issue, and it is plausibly alleged that VW AG was involved in that decision, noted the judge.
“The surviving fraud claims in this case are based on omissions, and it is plausibly alleged that VW AG was involved in the decision not to disclose information to consumers about the timing chain,” the order states. “At this stage, these claims are sufficient to demonstrate that plaintiffs who purchased Audi vehicles have standing to sue VW AG.”
Audi problems are plaguing the carmaker, with VW recently recalling most 2022 Audi vehicles for an apparent problem with the backup camera and certain 2021 Audi e-tron Quattro and e-tron Quattro Sport Backs on account of an issue that could cause the vehicle to lose its power brake assist in September.
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The plaintiff is represented by Carella Byrne Cecchi Olstein Brody & Agnello PC, Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP and Kantrowitz Goldhamer & Graifman PC.
The VW Audi Timing Chain Class Action Lawsuit is Matthew Opheim et al. v. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-02483, in the U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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13 thoughts onAudi Timing Chain Defect Class Action Proceeds as VW Loses Bid To Dismiss
My Audi Q5 engine blew up because time chain tensioners came loose. Audi will do nothing to fix it and my car only has 79,000 miles. We just purchased new tires did oil change and replaced a wheel bearing spending $4k and now the car is worthless 😡😡😡 hate Audi!!!!
Timing chain issue with my Audi Q5 2017 with only 80,000 miles.
Hi I have a 2013 Audi A4. The engine stopped completely and the car is non working. The Audi dealer in Nashville confirmed it was the timing chain that ruined the engine and said it would be over $6000. I called Audi who “researched” it with their team and concluded amongst themselves that they were not liable and it would 100 % be the customer responsibily. We also have two Q7 and have loved Audis but we are being scammed here
I’m having the same problem with my 2010 audi Q7 tdi timing chain
I have a 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan and have experienced the same issue with the tensioner and it’s destroyed the engine. Quote to repair is more than the car is worth and VW Australia will not accept any liability
Please contact me. I have a 2012 Q5 and out of nowhere had damage. Got it checked at the shop and they said it was the tensioner belt and it ruined years ahead of when it should. I have less than 100,000 miles on the vehicle. The mechanic then said it was a faulty tensioner and the valves were ruined due to it and it ruined the engine. The car is financed and I had it for only 1 year! Now I am stuck with this lemon. They said it’s not worth it to fix because a new engine would cost thousands and more than the car is worth. So now I am stuck. I still have to pay on the loan. The car has a damaged engine due to this faulty tensioner belt! Please help. My email is alohadisney711@gmail.com
Tengo un audi Q7 3.0 TDI de 2016 con 72.000Km que presenta una falla en la cadena de distribucion. El vehiculo esta en Panama y quisiera saber si aplica para la demanda colectiva en curso.
2014 jetta sel experiencing timing chain issues at 67k miles
Previous owner has fair record of on time oil changes and regular maintenance
Vw claims the vin is not listed despite the issues experienced as well as it falling in the same batch of cars that were approved for the warranty
Car has suffered near catastrophic damage
I have a 2014 Audi A4. Car is in for the Timing Chain Issue and Turbo ( which I also understand is an issue here).. Hoping to recoup some of the cash!!
I have a 2013 Golf R that just had a severe water leak completely soaking the front and rear driver side floors. The amount of water inside was substantial. VW inspected it and the leak was found to be the driver front sunroof drain through the A pillar. The “flood” in my car also caused damage to other electronic components including radio amp, driver side heated seat, plus electrical diagram and carpets require drying out. The total repair was over $4000. My car has about 79,000 miles and I take it in for the recommended milage services but apparently checking these defective sunroof drains is not part of their service checks despite this clearly being a recurring issue. I think it appears to be a design defect based on the amount of incidents reported, & even saw another class action lawsuit settled for same problems on older models..