Audi Hit with Class Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Defective Water Pumps

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that certain model year Audi A5, RS, SQ, Sportback, Allroad and Cabriolet vehicles are equipped with a defective water pump prone to prematurely fail, which can cause internal coolant leaks that can lead to catastrophic engine damage.

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The 47-page lawsuit claims that the defective water pumps in the Audi models at issue can cause coolant to leak internally, which differs from an external coolant leak in that the problem is not immediately visible to drivers or mechanics, meaning the severity of the condition is often concealed until substantial engine damage has already occurred.

Per the case, the integrated coolant module in affected Audi models is “defectively designed,” such that its seals, composite housing and internal controls degrade prematurely under normal operating conditions, allowing coolant to escape internally into the vehicle’s vacuum system.

The filing alleges that defendant Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. has known of the Audi water pump problem since at least 2018 yet failed to disclose the issue and “actively conceal[ed]” it from consumers. Further, the suit claims that the automaker defendants have refused to take action to correct the water pump issue when it manifests outside a vehicle’s warranty period.

The vehicles at issue in the class action lawsuit include the following Audi models equipped with 2.9T and 3.0T EA839 engines:

• -2018-2024 Audi A4, A5, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, RS 5 and SQ5 vehicles;
• -2019-2024 A6, A7, A8, and Q8 vehicles;
• -2019 and 2021-2024 RS 5 Sportback vehicles;
• -2020-2024 A6 Allroad, S6, S7 and Q7 vehicles;
• -2020-2021 A8 e quattro vehicles; and
• -2021-2024 SQ5 Sportback.

The automotive lawsuit explains that an Audi vehicle’s integrated cooling module, comprised of a water pump, thermostat housing and coolant control valve, is meant to regulate coolant flow throughout the engine. After the engine warms up and reaches optimal temperature, the system modulates the flow of coolant through the engine to prevent overheating, the filing says.

However, when the Audi water pump defect manifests, coolant within the water pump assembly and related components leaks internally, including around internal seals and control mechanisms. The defect can cause vital seals, composite housing, and internal controls to prematurely degrade under normal engine operating temperatures and heating/cooling cycles, allowing the coolant to leach into the engine, the lawsuit states.

Rather than leak out of the engine, the coolant instead spreads into critical engine components where it shouldn’t be present, causing not only a loss of coolant but also contamination of the vacuum system, drivability issues, turbo underboost conditions, overheating, and potentially even catastrophic engine failure.

The case says Audi has “long been aware” of the water pump defect in the affected vehicles through consumer complaints, information received from authorized dealerships, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints, and its own internal records, including pre-sale vehicle testing. Additionally, Audi has issued at least three Technical Service Bulletins concerning the water pump defect between March 2020 and December 2025, the complaint relays.

Indeed, the case says the plaintiffs’ experiences with the defective water pumps are “by no means isolated or outlying occurrences.”

Despite Audi’s extensive knowledge of the defect, to date the automaker has not issued a recall or reimbursements for out-of-pocket repair expenses, or provided adequate repairs for affected vehicles, the lawsuit says. The suit adds that the vehicles are sold with a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty, but Audi has “refused” to take corrective action for vehicles that manifested the defect after the end of the warranty period.

The complaint relays that one plaintiff had to pay approximately $5,984 to repair the defective water pump, while another shelled out nearly $1,500 to fix the same issue. The filing says that the warranties, which are presented to consumers on a “take-it-or-leave-it” basis, give Audi of America the “sole power” to determine which repairs and services are covered by the warranty, and its refusal to provide the necessary repairs and services inflicts economic harm on consumers.  

The Audi of America class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals in the United States who bought or leased an Audi model listed on this page.

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