IN AUGUST OF 2006 I SIGNED A THREE YEAR LEASE FOR THE NEW AUDI Q7, 4.2. RIGHT FROM THE START, I ENCOUNTERED A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND THEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. ONLY BY REMOVING MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR AND THEN APPLYING FULL PRESSURE WILL I START MOVING AGAIN. THIS WAS NOT A LAG NOR A HESITATION, SINCE WITHOUT REMOVING MY FOOT FROM THE PEDAL THE CAR SIMPLY WILL NOT MOVE. DEPENDING ON THE BRAKE TO ACCELERATOR OR ACCELERATOR TO BRAKE SEQUENCE, THE CAR WILL EITHER COME A FULLY UNRESPONSIVE STOP OR FAIL TO SHIFT FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP INITIALLY DENIED THE EXISTENCE OF THE PROBLEM. NOW, AFTER HAVING HAD THE CAR TEST DRIVEN SEVERAL TIMES AND AFTER HAVING BEEN IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF AUDI AND I AM BEING TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CAR FOR YOU. SHOULD HAVE NOT BOUGHT THIS CAR IF YOU DRIVE WITH BOTH FEET. I HAVE NOT FOUND THIS WARNING IN ANY PUBLICATION. AUDI OF AMERICA'S EXPLANATION WAS THAT THE DRIVE BY WIRE SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN THE FUEL SUPPLY WHEN THE BRAKE AND THE GAS PEDAL SENSE JUST THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE AT THE SAME TIME, CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. AUDI HAS NOT ISSUED A SOFTWARE CORRECTION TO THE PROBLEM. I TEST DROVE THE SAME MODEL Q7 RECENTLY AND IT BEHAVED THE SAME WAY. BY DRIVING THIS CAR, I AM EXPOSING MYSELF AND MY PASSENGERS TO VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS ON AN HOURLY BASIS.COMING TO A STAND STILL IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS A DEATH SENTENCE. EVEN THOUGH AUDI ADMITTEDTO THE PROBLEM AND OFFERED THEIR SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION TO THE SUDDEN FUEL SUPPLY SHUT DOWN, THE REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE PERFORMED TO MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS. *AK
2008
TIRES
I WAS DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON INTERSTATE WHEN BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON MICHELIN PILOT SPORT PS2 TIRE WITH ONLY 11,000 MILES ON TIRES. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW. THE TIRES HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED BY ROTATING AND BALANCING EVERY 3,500 MILES AND TIRE INFLATION PROPERLY MAINTAINED. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND DRY. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 2.5 HOURS WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND CALL FOR ASSISTANCE TO CHANGE TIRE TO SPARE. UPON EXAMINATION, THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE TIRE THE STEEL BELT CAME THROUGH THE TIRE AND CAUSED BLOWOUT. THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF TIRE DID NOT SHOW THE WEAR THAT THE INSIDE EDGE SHOWED AND HAD NOT BEEN READILY NOTICEABLE UPON VISUAL INSPECTION EARLIER IN THE DAY. THE TIRES HAD JUST BEEN ROTATED, BALANCED AND ALIGNED 1 MONTH PRIOR AND THERE WAS A NOTATION TO MONITOR THE TREAD BAR AS THE FRONT TIRES WERE WEARING FASTER THAN THE BACK TIRES (THE CAR IS ALL WHEEL DRIVE). I HAD BEEN DOING A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIRES EACH TIME I GOT IN THE CAR AND HAD NOT NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WAS WEARING UNEVENLY FROM THE OUTSIDE EDGE. THE AAA EMPLOYEE WHO REMOVED THE TIRE STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT AIR LEAKED OUT THROUGH THE STEEL AND CAUSED THE BLOWOUT. THE CAR HAS TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM HOWEVER NEVER SHOWED TIRE PRESSURE LOSS UNTIL THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED. *TR
