2010 Audi A8

Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Audi A8 vehicles manufactured May 15, 2010, to May 14, 2012. The affected vehicles have a coolant valve that may leak, allowing coolant to enter the engine control module causing a loss of power or the engine to stall.

Risk. A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the coolant valve and inspect for coolant that has leaked through the electrical connector, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 19, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY COMPLAINT COVERS ALL RADAR BASED BLIND SPOT MONITORING DEVICES. THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO HAS PERSONALLY OCCURRED TO ME TWICE WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. I WAS ONE IN A LINE OF VEHICLES DRIVING ON A CLEAR HIGHWAY WHEN AN AUDI WITH BLIND SPOT MONITORING ENTERED THE HIGHWAY DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE LINE OF VEHICLES. BECAUSE OF THE LOW POWER OF ITS BLIND SPOT MONITORING SYSTEM'S RADAR COUPLED WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE INVERSE SQUARE LAW OF PHYSICS, THE RADAR DETECTOR EQUIPPED DRIVER CLOSEST TO THE AUDI THOUGHT THEY WERE BEING MONITORED BY INSTANT ON POLICE RADAR AND JAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES, CAUSING PANIC STOPPING BY ALL OF THE VEHICLES BEHIND THEM. MYSELF AND SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES WERE REQUIRED TO USE THE ROAD'S SHOULDER TO AVOID BEING REAR-ENDED. I FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT WITHIN THE US THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THESE DEVICES, YET THE ACCIDENT WILL NEVER BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE BECAUSE THE DRIVER WITH THE BLIND SPOT MONITORING DEVICE WILL BE OBLIVIOUS TO THE CHAOS THEY CAUSED BEHIND THEM, AND THEY'LL IGNORANTLY CONTINUE DRIVING. THESE DEVICES SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE DISABLED, AND ANYONE THAT THINKS THESE ARE A GOOD IDEA SHOULD BE REMINDED THAT THEY SHOULD TURN THEIR HEAD AND LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER BEFORE MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY, OR CHANGING LANES. LET'S PROMOTE SMARTER, MORE AWARE DRIVERS, AND NOT SMARTER CARS. [XXX] *TR