A car that suddenly slows or stops without input from the driver can create a dangerous situation. The complaint for this class action alleges that certain vehicles made by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. or Volkswagen, AG have a defect in their Front Assist systems that “results imn sudden and unexpected slowing, sudden stopping and stalling events while the vehicle is being operated, as well as other dangerous situations…”
The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons or entities in the US who are current or former owners or lessees of a class vehicle. The class vehicles are 2015-2019 Volkswagens that are equipped with the Front Assist feature. State subclasses have been proposed for Missouri, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Kansas.
The Front Assist feature includes something called the Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, which the company says “can help monitor traffic and can alert you acoustically to a potential rear-end collision with the vehicle moving ahead. If it senses that a frontal collision is imminent, Autonomous Emergency Braking … can support the driver with increased brake pressure or, if the driver does not react at all, it can apply the brakes automatically.”
The system also includes a Pedestrian Monitoring feature that “can warn of pedestrians crossing in front of the vehicle and, under certain circumstances, can brake automatically to help mitigate the outcome of a collision with a pedestrian if the driver doesn’t respond to the warnings.”
Clearly, the Front Assist system is intended to make the vehicles safer to operate, but the complaint alleges it has the opposite effect when the brakes are suddenly applied without reason or warning.
The complaint alleges that Volkswagen has long known about this defect, from testing, dealerships, online postings, and its own internal records, but it has not recalled the vehicles.
Volkswagen also has not revealed the defect to customers, which the complaint argues it should have, because it makes the vehicles more dangerous to operate and also lowers their resale value. Also, the complaint alleges, “Volkswagen has been unable or unwilling to adequately repair the [vehicles] when the Front Assist Defect manifests.” In fact, the complaint accuses, when owners or lessees do complain, the company often tells them that the vehicles are “operating as intended and therefore cannot be repaired under warranty or otherwise.”
The counts include breaches of warranties and violations of state laws, among other things.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile
Most Recent Case Event
Volkswagen Front Assist System Sudden Braking Complaint
August 4, 2020
A car that suddenly slows or stops without input from the driver can create a dangerous situation. The complaint for this class action alleges that certain vehicles made by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. or Volkswagen, AG have a defect in their Front Assist systems that “results imn sudden and unexpected slowing, sudden stopping and stalling events while the vehicle is being operated, as well as other dangerous situations…”
Volkswagen Front Assist System Sudden Braking ComplaintCase Event History
Volkswagen Front Assist System Sudden Braking Complaint
August 4, 2020
A car that suddenly slows or stops without input from the driver can create a dangerous situation. The complaint for this class action alleges that certain vehicles made by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. or Volkswagen, AG have a defect in their Front Assist systems that “results imn sudden and unexpected slowing, sudden stopping and stalling events while the vehicle is being operated, as well as other dangerous situations…”
Volkswagen Front Assist System Sudden Braking Complaint