— An Audi Q7 brake squeal lawsuit has been preliminarily approved by a federal judge, with a final fairness hearing scheduled for March 2022.
Judge John W. Holcomb granted preliminary approval of the class action lawsuit settlement which includes 2017-2018 Audi Q7 SUVs that allegedly were equipped with squeaking and squealing brakes.
According to the Audi brake squeal lawsuit, the high-pitched noise occurs during normal driving when a driver presses the brake pedal, allegedly creating a safety hazard.
The judge allowed the plaintiffs to change and refile the brake squeal lawsuit five times as the automaker argued the Audi Q7 vehicles were not defective and squeaking brakes were not a safety hazard.
Audi also argued the Q7 owner's manual warns an owner that brake noise may occur, and the automaker said the class action doesn't allege there are defective components.
Audi Q7 Brake Squeal Lawsuit Settlement Terms
The Audi Q7 class action settlement includes a warranty extension for current owners and lessees, but based on the terms the warranty "extension" may have already expired for some owners and lessees.
In addition, the one allowed repair involving replacement of the front brake pads and installation of one new lower spring in each caliper of the front brakes is the same repair already provided in previous technical service bulletins 2050735 and 2050737.
The Audi Q7 brake squeal lawsuit settlement also has a reimbursement program for customers who paid to repair squeaking front brakes.
The settlement says the front brake repairs must have been performed within four years or 48,000 miles of when the vehicle first went into service. And reimbursement is only possible for one repair even if an Audi Q7 customer paid for numerous front brake repairs related to squeaking noise.
Work performed by a non-Audi dealership will be eligible for 50% reimbursement.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs are expected to receive $1.9 million.
The Audi Q7 brake squeal class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Mercado, et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. d/b/a Audi of America, Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Ahdoot & Wolfson, P.C., Greg Coleman Law, and Whitfield, Bryson & Mason.
