2018 Audi Q7

IN MAY OF 2020 I SEVERELY HIT MY HEAD (LEFT SIDE OF FOREHEAD) ON THE C-PILLAR WHILE EXITING THE LEFT-REAR SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT THE TIME AT THE TIME OF MY HEAD INJURY. THE INJURY WAS CAUSED BECAUSE THE C-PILLAR IS VERY CLOSE TO THE REAR HEADREST, AND TO EXIT THE VEHICLE ONE GENERALLY HAS TO LOOK DOWN AT THE GROUND WHERE ONE IS ABOUT TO STEP. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY A SAFETY RECALL (70H8 NHTSA: 20V658) FOR THIS VEHICLE, A 2018 AUDI Q7. (THE C-PILLAR IS THE THIRD VERTICAL BEAM FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE.) THE RECALL STATES "AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IF AN UNBELTED PASSENGER'S HEAD CONTACTS THE C-PILLAR IN A CRASH." MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT THERE IS ALSO AN INCREASED RISK OF HEAD INJURY ON THE C-PILLAR AS PASSENGERS EXIT THE VEHICLE FROM THE REAR DOORS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED. I REPORTED MY PROBLEM TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY RESPONDED ON DEC. 22, 2020: "AUDI OF AMERICA HAS REVIEWED YOUR CONCERNS AND WE SEE THE EXPERIENCE AS BEING NO FAULT OF THE VEHICLE OR THE 70H8 CAMPAIGN."

I WENT TO PICK MY 3 YO TWINS AT SCHOOL. OPENED MY DOOR, GOT OFF THE CAR AND CLOSED IT, WITH KEYS INSIDE MY PURSE AT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT (MY USUAL ROUTINE). WAS ABLE TO OPEN PASSENGER'S BACK DOOR, BUCKLED MY SON TO CAR SEAT AND CLOSED HIS DOOR. WHEN TURNED TO OTHER SIDE TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR MY GIRL, NOTED CAR WAS LOCKED AND IGNITION TURNED OFF WITH MY 3YO SON INSIDE. ALL DOORS WERE LOCKED DESPITE KEYS BEING INSIDE CAR AND IGNITION OFF. REMOTE CONTROL WAS OPERABLE WITH BATTERIES FUNCTIONING WELL. SCHOOL DIRECTOR CALLED 911 AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WENT TO ASSIST. THEY WERE UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR AND AFTER ~20MINUTES OF MY SON BEING INSIDE, BUCKLED AND IN FLORIDA HEAT, EMT AND FIRE FIGHTERS HAD TO BREAK A WINDOW TO GET HIM OUT. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET HIM, HE WAS EXTREMELY HOT WITH ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND SOAKED IN SWEAT. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT WITH MY 3MONTH OLD BABY THAT DAY. SINCE MY BOY'S TEMPERATURE WAS COMING DOWN NICELY WITH SUPPORTIVE MEASURES I DID NOT TAKE HIM TO THE HOSPITAL AND DECIDED TO OBSERVE AT HOME. CAR HAD SERVICE 6 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS EVENT IN AUDI FORT MYERS NEXT DAY ON 10/08/10, TOOK CAR TO AUDI FORT MYERS AND REPORTED EVENT TO SERVICE DEPARTMENT, COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS CHECKED AND NO EVENT WAS REGISTERED. THEN I WAS TOLD BY EMPLOYEES AT AUDI, THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE EVENT BUT NOTHING THEY CAN DO AND NO NEED TO REPORT TO AUDI USA.

KEPT LIGHT APPEARS ON DASH THAT ADD 1 QT OF OIL FOR 6 TIMES. BEFORE THIS LIGHT APPEARS, CAR ALWAYS SUDDENLY STOPPED WHILE IM DRIVING OR PARKED. LAST SATURADAY 1/11, MY CAR WAS SUDDENLY STOPPED ON HIGHWAY AND ENGINE WAS RUNNING AND SO LOUD AFTER CAR STOPPED BUT CANNOT CHANGE ANY GEARS FOR FEW SECONDS. I'M SO FRUSTRATED AND SCARED TO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE. I WENT TO AUDI SERVICE BUT THEY DON'T FOUND ANY PROBLEMS AND REFILLED OIL AGAIN. IN MY 6 TIMES OF THIS EXPERIENCE, LIGHT WILL BE APPEARED AND CAR WILL BE STOPPED WHILE OPERATING AGAIN. MUST BE FIXED THIS MATTER BY AUDI

VEHICLE GETS LOCKED AND CAN'T UNLOCK IT EVEN WHEN KEYS ARE IN PANTS POCKET. NEED TO GO TO DRIVER SEAT AND UNLOCK IT. IT HAPPENED TO MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN I HAD THE KEY IN MY POCKET AND I CAME TO BACK SEAT TO GET SOMETHING AND CLOSED THE DOOR. CAR GOT LOCKE AND COULD NOT UNLOCK IT FROM REAR SEATS. I HAD TO CLIMB OVER TO DRIVER SEAT TO UNLOCK FROM THERE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME BECAUSE TODDLER CAN BE IN THE BACK SEAT AND GET LOCKED. TO ME IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE WHEN KEYS AND INSIDE THE CAR. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. THIS IS A $80K CAR AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. THESE COMPANIES ARE NOTHING BIT MONEY GRABBING ORGANIZATIONS!!!

THE CAR CAN BE LOCKED BY A TODDLER FROM REAR SEAT EVEN WHEN THE CHILD SAFETY IS ENABLED WHILE THE CAR IS IDLE. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER THE REMOTE/KEY IS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE CAR. WHEN THE CAR IS IDLE, YOU CANNOT UNLOCK THE CAR USING THE REMOTE AND THE TODDLER WILL BE LOCKED INSIDE THE CAR. THIS CASE IS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE CASE OF NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10626358, WHICH WAS REPORTED FOR 2014 AUDI Q7 IN 2014. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE REPORTING SIMILAR PROBLEM. BUT THIS CASE POTENTIALLY CAN BE DEADLY FOR THE TODDLER IF THE CAR IS PARKED IN A NON-OPEN SPACE. THE 2014 CASE REPORT MENTIONED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN THERE FOR AT LEAST 5 YEAR BEFORE 2014. SO, IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 10 YEAR SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED. FORTUNATELY, THE MOTHER WAS INSIDE THE CAR TOGETHER WITH THE TODDLE AND SHE UNLOCKED THE CAR FROM INSIDE. OTHERWISE, IT WILL BE A TRAGIC DAY FOR US WITH ALMOST 0 DEGREE AND THE SNOW STORM. AUDI NEED TO DISABLE THE 'LOCK ALL DOOR FROM REAR' FUNCTION. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND AUDI SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IN SUMMARY, THERE ARE TWO SITUATIONS THAT THE TODDLER CAN LOCK HIMSELF INSIDE THE CAR: 1. THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING. THE TODDLER CAN LOCK HIMSELF IN THE CAR IF THE PARENTS ACCIDENTLY LEFT THE REMOTE IN THE CAR. FOR THIS CASE, THE PARENTS CAN UNLOCK THE CAR WITH THE OTHER SET OF REMOTE. 2. THE CAR IS RUNNING. THE TODDLER CAN LOCK HIMSELF IN THE CAR NO MATTER WHERE THE REMOTE IS. BUT IN THIS CASE, THE DOOR CANNOT BE UNLOCKED WITH THE REMOTE. SO, IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE CAR (FOR EXAMPLE, JUST FINISHED BUCKLING UP THE TODDLER), YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE THE CAR IS OUT OF GAS. AND THIS SITUATION IS MORE DANGEROUS.

CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH 360 DEGREE CAMERAS AND SYSTEM DEFAULTS TO GRAPHIC MODE (VS CAMERA MODE) IN AN UNPREDICTABLE MANNER. THIS REQUIRES THE USER, WHILE IN REVERSE, TO CHANGE THE SETTINGS BACK TO CAMERA MODE IN ORDER TO SEE THE VEHICLE CLEARLY IN THE SYSTEM. THIS IS A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DUE TO THE DISTRACTING NATURE OF THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE STATE OF YOUR BACKUP CAMERA, THE COGNITIVELY COMPLEX AND DISTRACTING STEPS NEEDED TO CHANGE TO CAMERA VIEW WHILE YOU ARE BACKING UP, AND THE SAFETY ISSUE CAUSED BY NOT HAVING THE CAMERAS WORK PROPERLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS AFFECTS NEARLY EVERY AUDI WITH THIS OPTION SOLD IN THE 2018 MODEL YEAR. IT IS ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT 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.

REVERSE BIRDS EYE CAMERA OFTEN FLIPS TO A DIFFERENT MODE AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT CAMERA VIEW YOU WILL GET. HAPPENS ONCE OUT OF EVERY 2-5 REVERSES. THIS IS A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DUE TO THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE STATE OF YOUR BACKUP CAMERA. I MUST THEN GO THROUGH A MULTI STEP PROCESS TO REVERT IT BACK. THIS APPEARS TO AFFECT NEARLY EVERY AUDI WITH THIS OPTION SOLD IN THE 2018 MODEL YEAR.

THE 2018 AUDI Q7 HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE THREE TIMES SINCE I LEASED THE CAR ON 9/11/2017. MY INITIAL INQUIRY RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY ISSUES WAS BACK ON DECEMBER 22, 2017 THAT WAS SHORTLY FOLLOWED UP BY A SERVICE APPOINTMENT. AFTER YOUR TEAM ASSESSED THE ISSUE AND ALLEGEDLY RESET THE SYSTEM, I CHECKED OUT OF THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, ONLY TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME TECHNOLOGY ISSUE AS I WAS DRIVING OFF THE LOT. YOUR TEAM PROCEEDED TO CHECK THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. ASIDE FROM CONTINUED REBOOTS OF THE AUDI COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MMI SYSTEM, THE CAR WOULD FLAG AUDI PRE SENSE WARNINGS AND FORCE THE CAR TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS, MID TURN. ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS ESTIMATED AT 150 YARDS FROM THE INTERSECTION WHEN THE CAR JAMMED TO A STOP. THE SENSORS APPEAR TO STOP THE CAR AFTER IDENTIFYING A FALSE READ. THE CAR IS THEN STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION CAUSING SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK. AUDI REPLACED THE MMI SYSTEM AND THE FUEL TANK AFTER IDENTIFYING A FAULTY VALVE. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. AUDI WAS NOT ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE ISSUE AND CLAIMED THAT THE PRE SENSE SYSTEM SENSORS WERE SET TO A HIGH SENSITIVITY. THEY ALSO CLAIMED THAT A POTHOLE OR A BIRD COULD SET OFF THE SENSORS, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. THIS SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. BY THE WAY, I WAS DRIVING A LOANER CAR FOR OVER THREE MONTHS WHILE THEY ATTEMPTED TO FIX MY VEHICLE AND FALSE PRE SENSE WARNINGS ARE COMMON.