Quebec Audi e-Tron class-action coincides with charging recall
Update – 16th of March 2025: Since the initial filing of the authorization application on February 12, 2025, this class action now includes the VW ID.4, “based on the numerous complaints being put forth and the media coverage on the issue,” reports the Plaintiff.
Two Montreal lawyers are joining forces in a class-action lawsuit against luxury carmaker Audi, a legal action that encompasses its parent corporation, Volkswagen Group, and could even extend to all other Canadian provinces. The application for authorization, filed with the Quebec Superior Court on February 12 by Joey Zukran (LPC Avocats) and Michael Vathilakis (Renno & Vathilakis), alleges Audi e-Tron electric vehicles have “serious safety and manufacturing problems”.
The legal document alleges “Audi’s conduct can only be qualified as ‘intentional,’ as it has been aware of the safety issue in its e-Tron vehicles for several years, and has concealed it from its customers in order to continue profiting from the sales of its defective vehicles.”
The lawyers didn’t hesitate to call Audi e-Trons “lemons,” listing battery, recharging, and geolocalization defects. These problems affect many consumers, the plaintiff maintains, citing several newspaper stories and reports, as well as Audi dealership representatives.
In a telephone interview with Driving.ca, Zukran cited Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act as part of the basis of the suit, arguing Audi marketed vehicles that “were not adequately tested before being sold and were clearly not ready to be put on the market.”
When the electrical system fails
Valérie O., the plaintiff who agreed to represent the members of this Quebec class-action against Audi, leased a Q4 e-Tron in September 2023, an electric SUV that starts at $60,000. She has been frustrated by the fact her car’s battery apparently only charges a handful of kilometers of range after being plugged overnight. This forces her to drive short distances around town, even though she chose – and paid for – a model with a longer range.
Ms. O. also reports starting problems, and says she has had to have her car towed to the dealership on multiple occasions. Each time, the technicians were unable to find a solution.
Volkswagen’s electric ID.4 may suffer from a similar issue, per other owner complaints. Radio-Canada’s La Facture recently reported on the case of Mélanie Fecteau, a real estate agent who bought a VW ID.4 last August. The electric SUV spent over 90 days in the repair shop—and still didn’t come back repaired. Just before the report aired, the dealer finally bought back the defective car.
For the time being, the class-action lawsuit filed for authorization by Zukran and Vathilakis only targets Audi’s electric models, but it would not be surprising to see Volkswagen’s electric models included. Zukran also told Driving.ca that “at this stage, we’re aiming for the broadest possible class, but it will be up to the judge to decide whether the action can be brought across all of Canada.”
Click here if you want to be kept informed of developments in this class-action.
When Transport Canada gets involved
The class-action lawsuit was filed two weeks ahead of the launch of a safety recall via Transport Canada and its American counterpart, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Canadian recall, #2025-100, announced on February 28, affects 12,891 Audi Q4 e-Tron (2024 and 2025) and Volkswagen ID.4 (2024) models in Canada. At this time, the recall does not affect other Audi e-Tron vehicles, nor model-year-2023 VW ID.4s.
The vehicles affected by the recall are said to have a faulty on-board charger that could prevent the 12-volt battery from being recharged. This can cause the EV non-start-conditions, and if the vehicle is driven until the 12V battery is depleted, the vehicle may lose motive power and other electronically controlled or assisted functions, increasing the risk of a crash. (This marks the 14th recall for the Volkswagen EV in less than three years.)
The recall has finally pushed Volkswagen to order a stop-sale on the Audi Q4 e-Tron and VW ID.4; and an Audi spokesperson told Driving.ca “Audi Canada will contact customers directly with the estimated repair expected to begin in later April.”