NHTSA complaint #11761511

Owner complaint summary

Severe consequential safety defect involving total anti-lock braking system (ABS) failure stemming from a manufacturer recall defect and volatile CAN-bus network conditions during repair. This vehicle has less than 7,500 miles and has been grounded at an authorized dealership, Audi Brooklyn- Lic# [XXX], 700 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231, for exactly 20 days since being flatbed-towed on [XXX], due to total power failure caused by the known manufacturing defect of clogged sunroof drains flooding the critical interior electrical network. The dealership replaced the comfort control module under the VIN recall warranty. However, during the dealer's active programming phase of this recall component, a fatal communication fault was introduced to the J104 ABS safety module. My original Service Advisor documented explicitly in writing via text that the technician observed the ABS faults materialize specifically during the recall programming process. No prior warning signs other than the vehicle's sudden loss of power. The manufacturer's design defect allowed moisture ingress to destabilize the vehicle's localized CAN-bus communication network, leading directly to the catastrophic failure of a critical braking system (ABS). Dealership management is now attempting to evade safety liability and force an out-of-pocket repair payment by manipulating records. They have actively backdated internal "Ready for Pickup" dates for the vehicle from August 24 to September 1 to hide an 8-day window where they concealed a New York State safety inspection failure from me and attempted to release an illegal, uninspected vehicle with compromised brakes back to a vulnerable consumer. The owners of the vehicle are [XXX]. Furthermore, despite claiming the ABS module was a severe safety hazard, the facility logged 50 unauthorized miles (odometer jumped from 7,437 to 7,487) on public roads while it has been in their custody. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)