NHTSA Complaint #10735829 — 2015 AUDI Q7

AFTER BUYING MY NEW 2015 AUDI Q7 ON 9/27/14, I STARTED EXPERIENCING HESITATIONS WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC FROM DEAD STOPS. THE VERY FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS IN THE MEDIAN OF A 4-LANE HIGHWAY WAITING TO TURN LEFT INTO TRAFFIC. I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR IT STARTED INTO THE LANE OF TRAFFIC THEN STOPPED. I SAT THERE FOR ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS BEFORE IT TOOK OFF. I EXPECTED TO GET HIT. IT WASN'T THE GAS NOR ME. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 38 YEARS AND DRIVEN OVER 20 VEHICLES AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE. IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY AND ALWAYS UNEXPECTEDLY SOMETIMES 1 TIME A WEEK SOMETIMES 3 TIMES A WEEK. THE HESITATION IS AS MUCH AS 3-4 SECONDS. ON 4/18/15 I BROUGHT IT IN TO AUDI OF NEW ORLEANS. THEY CALLED STATING THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND TO COME PICK IT UP. I PICKED IT UP RIGHT AT CLOSING. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, I STOPPED TO WAIT FOR TRAFFIC, PROCEEDED TO MAKE MY RIGHT TURN, AND IT HAPPENED. ON 5/25/15 I BROUGHT IT TO AUDI OF BATON ROUGE, WHICH IS WHERE I BOUGHT IT. THEY CALLED ME ON 5/29/15 AND TOLD ME: THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING; THAT THE TECHNICIAN KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT THAT IS JUST THE WAY THE Q7S ARE; AND THAT THE TECHNICIAN WANTED TO RIDE AROUND WITH ME WHEN I COME TO PICK IT UP. THAT AFTERNOON AND I DROVE AROUND WITH THE TECHNICIAN FIRST IN ANOTHER Q7 THEN IN MY Q7. I COULD NOT REPRODUCE IT WITH EITHER CAR. HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN DID TELL ME THAT HE KNEW WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING AND THAT THAT IS JUST HOW THE Q7S ARE AND THAT THE REASON IS BECAUSE WHEN I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR THE COMPUTER TAKES CONTROL AND DECIDES IF IT WILL GIVE ME THE POWER I NEED TO PROCEED. I BELIEVE THAT NO CAR SHOULD HESITATE AND PUT PEOPLE IN JEOPARDY BY NOT GIVING THE ENGINE THE GAS IT NEEDS TO PERFORM AS IT SHOULD. I ALSO FEEL THAT AUDI SHOULD MAKE ALL DRIVERS AND FUTURE DRIVERS OF Q7S AWARE OF ITS BEHAVIOR. ...UPDATED 10/01/15*BF UPDATED 12/05/2017*CN