NHTSA Complaint #11181528 — 2010 AUDI Q5

RECALL 20W9 - IN LATE JULY OF 2017 I NOTICED A VERY STRONG SMELL OF FUEL IN MY CAR. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL REPAIR SHOP ON 8/1/19 AS I COULD NO LONGER TOLERATE THE STRONG SMELL AND BECAME VERY WORRIED OF MY CAR EXPLODING. THEY FOUND THAT MY FUEL FLANGE WAS BROKEN. I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. IT WAS ONLY AFTER I RECEIVED A RECALL ON MY AIRBAG IN DECEMBER 2018, AND TOOK IT AS INSTRUCTED TO MY AUDI DEALER, THAT I WAS TOLD THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL. I CALLED AUDI AND ASKED WHAT I NEEDED TO DO AS I ALREADY HAD THE REPAIR MADE. I WAS TOLD AUDI WOULD REIMBURSE ME. I THEN RECEIVED A DENIAL LETTER FROM AUDI DATED 2/1/19. I CALLED AUDI AND WAS TOLD I WAS DENIED BECAUSE I DIDN'T TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP THAT WAS WITHIN 15 MILES FROM MY HOME. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT WHAT SHE SAID WAS THE DENIAL IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WAS STATED IN THE LETTER. THE DENIAL LETTER STATES "THE REIMBURSEMENT PERIOD FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL HAS ENDED." YOU WILL NOTE ON THE TOP OF THE INVOICE I SUBMITTED THAT I DID NOT TAKE IT TO HAVE THE FUEL FLANGE REPAIRED (WHICH WAS THE RECALL). IT CLEARLY STATES MY REASON FOR CONCERN - CK FOR GAS FUMES/REAR HATCH AREA . SHE THEN CALLED ME BACK ON 2/14/19 AND STATED SHE DID "INTERNAL RESEARCH" AND THE REIMBURSEMENT PERIOD FOR THIS RECALL HAD ENDED. THEY WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSING ME. SHE STATED I COULD APPEAL TO MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER THAT I HAD TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY REPAIR AND WHY I COULDN'T TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FIXED. I THEN STARTED RECEIVING EMAILS AND NOTICES IN THE MAIL TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FIXED AT MY LOCAL AUDI DEALER. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I HAD MY AIR BAG RECALL REPLACED THAT I STARTED RECEIVING THESE NOTICES. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I HAD NO CHOICE AT THE TIME TO HAVE THE REPAIR MADE AT MY NORMAL REPAIR SHOP AS IT CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD TO ME.