Audi Itron at the launch in Israel in 2019/Ronen Topelberg
The message released this morning to the media by Audi importers, Champion Motors, heralded what looks like another call to the garage for new vehicles, of the type we've gotten used to seeing in recent years.
According to the announcement, as part of a global campaign ordered by the manufacturer, 895 Audi Itron models, the electric crossover, from the 2019-2022 production years are called to the service centers.
In this framework, the high voltage battery will be tested and according to the results of the test, as necessary according to the manufacturer's instructions, modules in the battery will be replaced and/or another periodic test will be requested.
The announcement also announced that until another software update is planned for another six months, the manufacturer recommends limiting the maximum charging target of the car battery to 80%.
The estimated duration of the test is approximately one working day.
Replacing modules, as needed, takes about 4 working days.
Only the fault that caused the recall was not mentioned in the news for some reason: a failure in the modules made by the Korean LG, and a fear of creating an overload and a fire in the vehicle.
According to a request for a class action filed yesterday with the Central Lod District Court against Champion and Audi, there have already been two cases of Itron models being burned in Israel due to the problem.
Audi Itron burning in Israel in October 2022 / Kiryat Bialik fire services
The lawsuit, filed by lawyers Idan Aydan and David Tirosh from the Aydan-Tirosh office, claims that already in 2020, the car manufacturer began to receive complaints about Itron models that caught fire and burned, due to the failure of the battery modules and the battery controller that does not recognize the overloads and overheating.
In 2022, when the vehicle underwent a facelift and was renamed the Q8 Itron, Audi stopped using LG batteries, but the problem in vehicles already produced has not yet been resolved.
Itron is not the first model among the pioneers of the field to suffer from a battery fault that could cause a fire: the electric Chevrolet Bolt underwent a huge and expensive recall due to such a fault that included the replacement of the battery, also made by LG, at a cost of billions of dollars.
In the meantime, Audi avoids replacement and tries to solve the problem with service campaigns to update the battery controller software, which began in April 2022.
In the US, the problem is under investigation by the Safety Authority at the Ministry of Transportation in Washington. According to the lawsuit, Audi said that in the months of July-November it noticed an increase in the number of fire cases in the Itron models and in December announced a voluntary recall of them. Only three months later it announces this in Israel.
The claim is for at least NIS 2.5 million, and does not include compensation for a possible decrease in the price of the used luxury vehicles.
Now the court will have to discuss the request and decide whether there is a basis for submitting A class action lawsuit and only if he approves the request will discussions begin on the issue, unless, as has often happened, the parties reach an agreement on compensation financed by the manufacturer and submit it to the court for approval.
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