2018 Audi A5

WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT, FLAT SECTION OF I-95 IN FLORIDA AT 70MPH, MY 2 YEAR OLD 2018 AUDI A5 CABRIO'S DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR SUDDENLY BROKE OFF AT ITS BASE AND LANDED WITH FORCE ON MY STEERING WHEEL. I'D MOVED THE VISOR INTO THE UP POSITION, FLUSH WITH THE FRAME, AND IN DOING SO, THE VISOR BROKE OFF AT THE BASE. I HAD NOT, NOR HAD I EVER, MOVED THE VISOR WITH A LOT OF FORCE. EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW, THE VISOR HAD ALWAYS BEEN TOO TIGHT, TOO SHORT, AND DIFFICULT TO MOVE. THE RESULTANT DISTRACTION OF A HEAVY VISOR DROPPING ONTO MY STEERING WHEEL CAUSED ME TO SWERVE AT 70MPH. FORTUNATELY TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT THAT DAY AND NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW, THE VISOR CAN'T SWING ON ITS SUPPORT BAR AS IT SHOULD. AFTER IT BROKE OFF, I HAD TO USE VISE GRIPS TO MAKE IT SWING AT ALL. I THEN TRIED LUBRICATING THE SUPPORT BAR INSIDE THE VISOR WITH WD-40, WHICH DID NOT HELP. HAD I TRIED TO REATTACH THE VISOR WITH GLUE, THE TORQUE ON THE SUPPORT BAR CAUSED BY THE VISOR'S INABILITY TO SWING FREELY ON ITS AXIS SUGGESTS THAT IT WOULD INSTANTLY BREAK OFF AT THE BASE AGAIN. THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR HAS NOT FALLEN OFF YET, BUT THE SAME DESIGN WILL CAUSE THAT TO HAPPEN EVENTUALLY. THIS VEHICLE HAD A 4 YEAR/50K MILE WARRANTY, BUT I HAD JUST EXCEEDED THE MILEAGE LIMIT SO IT WAS NO LONGER WARRANTED. I NOTIFIED BOTH MY AUDI DEALER AND AUDI USA ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE. AUDI USA SAYS THAT THEY WILL NOT ISSUE A SERVICE ADVISORY OR RECALL, AND WILL NOT COVER THE PRESENT AND FUTURE DAMAGE TO BOTH VISORS. DESPITE THE SUN VISORS BEING NECESSARY SAFETY EQUIPMENT - ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA - AUDI DENIES ANY CULPABILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE MANY ANECDOTES ONLINE OF THIS SAME PROBLEM FROM OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS SAME YEAR/MAKE/MODEL/INTERIOR COLOR, AND IT IS NOT UNIQUE TO MY VEHICLE. MORE SPECIFICALLY ALL THE OTHER INCIDENTS ARE HAPPENING TO AUDIS WITH DARK GRAY VISORS LIKE MINE.

AUDI PRE SENSE, IS THE TECHNOLOGY AUDI USES FOR PREDICTIVE SAFETY. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL AUDI PRE SENSE BRAKING MALFUNCTIONS. THE AUDI PRE SENSE IN MY VEHICLE WILL ABRUPTLY & VIOLENTLY COME TO A FULL STOP, WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS OR HAZARDS ANYWHERE NEAR THE VICINITY OF THE CAR. FIRST OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ON 405 HIGHWAY HEADING NORTH ON SECOND OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ON 24TH ST IN REDMOND, HEADING NORTH ON NOVEMBER 27TH AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 PM, DRIVING APPROXIMATELY AT 33 MPH..THE ROADS WERE CLEAR NO DRIVERS ANYWHERE IN MY VICINITY. THE ROAD WAS DRY. THE CAR COMES TO A VIOLENT SUDDEN STOP, RED HAZARD TRIANGLE APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD, THESE TWO THINGS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE SEATBELT ENGAGES & I'M SLAMMED FORWARD. THE BRAKES EMIT A LOUD GRINDING & CRUNCHING SOUND. IT TAKES SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE I CAN BEGIN TO DRIVE AGAIN AS THE CAR IS LOCKED UP. THERE WERE NO OBSERVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROAD FOR IT TO MAKE THE CAR EMERGENCY BRAKE. WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT FELT LIKE I HAD HIT SOMEONE/SOMETHING, THAT WAS HOW VIOLENT THE STOP WAS. IT IS TERRIFYING AND DANGEROUS. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AGAIN, MY CAR DID NOT GO OVER ANY HAZARDS OR OBSTRUCTIONS AS THE VEHICLE THINKS THERE WAS, THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PERSONS IN MY VICINITY, THE ROAD WAS SMOOTH AND CLEAR. THE PRE SENSE HAS A MALFUNCTION RESULTING IN A BRAKING RESPONSE FAILURE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO AUDI SERVICES AND THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 1 WEEK, THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS & SAID THEY COULD NOTHING WRONG. THIS OCCURRENCE HAS HAPPENED 4X BEFORE, 1ST CLAIM NHTSA #11288922 AUDI INSISTS PRE SENSE IS WORKING AS IT WAS DESIGNED & THERE IS NO FLAW. THEY WILL NOT WORK ON THE CAR ANY FURTHER. IF THIS OCCURRED DURING A TIME WHEN TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GRAVE DANGER TO ME & OTHER PASSENGERS. AUDI IS KNOWINGLY & WILLINGLY SENDING UNSAFE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.

AUDI PRE SENSE, THE NEW TECHNOLOGY AUDI USES FOR PREDICTIVE SAFETY. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL AUDI PRE SENSE BRAKING MALFUNCTIONS. THE AUDI PRE SENSE IN MY VEHICLE WILL ABRUPTLY & VIOLENTLY COME TO A FULL STOP, WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS OR HAZARDS ANYWHERE NEAR THE VICINITY OF THE CAR. FIRST OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ON 405 HIGHWAY HEADING NORTH ON OCTOBER 27, 2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:30 PM, DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. THE ROADS WERE CLEAR NO DRIVERS ANYWHERE IN MY VICINITY. THE ROAD WERE WET FROM HEAVY RAINFALL EARLIER IN THE EVENING. THE CAR COMES TO A VIOLENT SUDDEN STOP, RED HAZARD TRIANGLE APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD, THESE TWO THINGS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE SEATBELT ENGAGES & I'M SLAMMED FORWARD. THE BRAKES EMIT A LOUD GRINDING & CRUNCHING SOUND. IT TAKES SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE I CAN BEGIN TO DRIVE AGAIN AS THE CAR IS LOCKED UP. THERE WERE NO OBSERVABLE OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROAD FOR IT TO MAKE THE CAR EMERGENCY BRAKE. WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT FELT LIKE I HAD HIT SOMEONE/SOMETHING, THAT WAS HOW VIOLENT THE STOP WAS. IT IS TERRIFYING AND DANGEROUS. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AGAIN, MY CAR DID NOT GO OVER ANY HAZARDS OR OBSTRUCTIONS AS THE VEHICLE THINKS THERE WAS, THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PERSONS IN MY VICINITY, THE ROAD WAS SMOOTH AND CLEAR. THE PRE SENSE HAS A MALFUNCTION RESULTING IN A BRAKING RESPONSE FAILURE. I TOOK THE CAR TO AUDI SERVICES AND THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 2 WEEKS, RECALIBRATE & RESET THINGS. I DROVE THE CAR FOR 8 MONTHS WITHOUT INCIDENT ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME THING REPEAT. THIS SAME ISSUE HAS HAPPENED 3 OTHER OCCASIONS WHILE REVERSING. AUDI MAINTAINS THAT PRE SENSE IS WORKING AS IT WAS DESIGNED & THERE IS NO FLAW. THEY WILL NOT WORK ON THE CAR ANY FURTHER. IF THIS HAPPENED DURING A TIME WHERE OTHER VEHICLES WERE AROUND, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GRAVE DANGER TO ME & OTHER PASSENGERS. AUDI IS KNOWINGLY & WILLINGLY SENDING UNSAFE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.

TOP VIEW CAMERA CHANGING TO GRAPHIC MODE ON ITS OWN. (1) THIS IS A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DUE TO THE DISTRACTING NATURE OF THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE STATE OF THE BACKUP CAMERA, THE COGNITIVELY COMPLEX AND DISTRACTING STEPS NEEDED TO CHANGE TO CAMERA VIEW WHILE BACKING UP, AND THE SAFETY ISSUE CAUSED BY NOT HAVING THE CAMERAS WORK PROPERLY; (2) THIS AFFECTS NEARLY EVERY AUDI WITH THIS OPTION SOLD IN THE 2018 MODEL YEAR; AND (3) AUDI HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS SAFETY ISSUE BUT HAS REFUSED TO OFFER ANY SOLUTION FOR OVER A YEAR -- AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HAS CONTINUED TO KNOWINGLY SELL THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES WITH THIS DEFECT, AND HAS MISREPRESENTED THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THESE CARS.

I WAS DRIVING MY NEW 2018 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET (APPROX. 4500 MILES) ON A LOCAL ROAD. THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WAS IN THE 'DOWN' POSITION WHEN DRIVING THIS MORNING HEADED INTO THE RISING SUN. AS THE SUN SHIFTED FROM IN FRONT OF ME TO MY LEFT SIDE, I RELEASED THE SUN VISOR FROM THE CLIP AND MOVED IT TO THE LEFT SIDE TO BLOCK THE SUN. THE ARM OF THE SUN VISOR, ATTACHED TO THE CAR JUST ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD, BROKE AWAY FROM THAT ATTACHMENT AND FELL INTO MY LAP (SEE ATTACHED PHOTO P3110021). THIS LEFT ME WITH NO PROTECTION FROM THE INTENSE SUNLIGHT, BLINDING ME AS THE CAR TURNED TO THE LEFT WITH THE SUN NOW IN MY EYES. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, THE FIRST TIME AT ABOUT 1500 MILES ON A NEW VEHICLE (WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY REPAIRED BY THE DEALER, UNDER WARRANTY ' SEE ATTACHED 'SCAN_001'). BOTH TIMES, THE SUN VISOR BROKE AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE (SEE ATTACHED PHOTO P3110020) WHILE TURNING IT TO PROTECT FROM SUNLIGHT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR ALSO BROKE IN THE SAME MANNER (WHILE MOVING IT TO PROTECT FROM SUN LIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE) AT ABOUT 2000 MILES, AND WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY AT THE SAME TIME AS THE FIRST DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR (SAME ATTACHMENT REFERRED TO ABOVE). I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE A) IF HEADED INTO THE SUN, THIS IMMEDIATELY REMOVES THE SUN BLOCKING PROTECTION AND COULD RESULT IN SUDDEN BLINDNESS ON THE ROAD AHEAD, AND B) NOT HAVING USE OF THE SUN VISOR COULD ALSO IMPAIR VISION WHILE DRIVING IN A SUNNY ENVIRONMENT, EVEN IF USING SUNGLASSES.