Audi very first disregards, then announces recall after Ontario woman’s car catches on fire
Observe ABOVE: An Audi driver whose vehicle burst into flames in her driveway two years ago says Audi didn’t do enough to ensure customer safety. Audi refused to admit a problem when Elizabeth Avery brought the issue to their attention, but shortly after released a recall for the same issue. Sean O’Shea reports.
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Elizabeth Avery had just heard about a Global News story about a man whose two thousand eleven Audi Q5 burst into flames on a Toronto highway.
The report displayed a ball of flame consuming Chris Sahadeo’s SUV, which had just left his auto dealer after scheduled repairs.
“I feel like I almost died,” Sahadeo told Global News in October 2015, moments after watching in disbelief as his pricey German-made car burned beyond recognition.
Avery, viewing the story, later said she could relate to the possessor’s frustration. Her own Audi Q5 caught fire while parked on her driveway in Kingston, Ont.
“I could see smoke billowing out the front of the vehicle,” said Avery. “There were flames shooting out everywhere.”
Fortunately, Avery and a family member were able to extinguish the flames, held to the engine compartment. A subsequent investigation by her insurance company concluded that the cause of the fire was related to the Audi’s coolant pump.
At the time, Avery reported the problem to Audi Canada, hoping the company would take the matter earnestly. She says she was overlooked.
Then, this January, Audi issued a recall for 576,000 vehicles for fire and airbag rupture risks. It acknowledged that the coolant pump posed a potential fire risk.
Veteran automobile technician Kirk Robinson, who possesses a repair facility in Mississauga, Ont., says safety is a key concern for car and truck owners.
“They want to know their vehicle is safe-they want to have confidence in their service provider and the manufacturer of their vehicle,” said Robinson, who has for years also hosted an automobile help program on a local cable television channel.
Robinson says some manufacturers are more semi-transparent that others when dealing with consumer complaints about safety, and he points to an example involving his shop.
“I’ve had a car come in here from a manufacturer-it had an explosion on the engine. I had to prove it was a manufacturer’s defect. And the manufacturer paid it out, very calmly,” he said.
Audi Canada eventually acknowledged Avery’s concerns about the overall safety of her repaired vehicle. The company agreed to substitute it after a Global News story and other pressure, she said.
Avery says the company asked her not to tell anyone, but did not tie her by a non-disclosure agreement.
Eighteen months after her vehicle burned and she attempted to get the company to pay attention, she’s worried Audi did too little, too late. She says consumers have to keep pressure on companies that don’t show up to take safety earnestly enough.
“Consumers have to make sure the problem is dealt with. Not only dealt with but that other people know it.”
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