"Audi Vehicles with Air Conditioning Defects Must Undergo Free Inspection and Replacement by Volkswagen"

Consumer Dispute Settlement Committee Issues Mediation Decision
2022 Q4 e-tron 40 and Derivative Models
Structural Defects Attributed to Refrigerant

The Consumer Dispute Settlement Committee of the Korea Consumer Agency announced on September 11 that it has decided to require free inspection and replacement of relevant parts for the 2022 Audi Q4 e-tron 40 (produced from March 1 to June 21, 2022) and its derivative models, the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron 40 (produced from March 3 to June 7, 2022), due to defects in the air conditioning system.

Korea Consumer Agency building. Provided by Consumer Agency

The committee determined that the air conditioning system could not withstand the high operating pressure of the R744 refrigerant used in these vehicles, resulting in refrigerant leaks at connection points of various components and subsequent deterioration of cooling performance. Accordingly, the committee ordered Volkswagen Group Korea, the importer, to conduct free inspections of the air conditioning system, including the air conditioner compressor, refrigerant lines, and related sealing components, for the affected vehicles.

On May 7, after the collective dispute mediation application was filed, Volkswagen Group Korea extended the warranty period by an additional two years or 50,000 km-beyond the original five years from the initial vehicle registration date or 150,000 km total mileage-for all 2,004 units of the 2022 Audi Q4 e-tron 40, including those owned by consumers involved in the collective dispute, in cases where defects in the compressor, refrigerant lines, or related sealing components of the air conditioning system were confirmed.

However, complainants expressed dissatisfaction that Volkswagen Group Korea was only replacing certain defective parts, despite the structural issues caused by the high-pressure R744 refrigerant. Additionally, although Volkswagen Group Korea stated to the committee that it was replacing parts with improved components, it did not submit any supporting evidence to verify the information or performance improvements of these parts.

Taking into account the following factors-the difficulty in confirming whether the air conditioning system components have improved pressure resistance and performance; the structural nature of the problem caused by the R744 refrigerant, which cannot be resolved by replacing only some parts; and the fact that many consumers experienced repeated failures even after multiple repairs-the committee decided that the defective components must be replaced with newly improved parts free of charge.

The committee explained that, although it had held discussions with Volkswagen Group Korea before the collective dispute mediation process began, the company showed a passive attitude after the process was initiated on May 19 by refusing to attend committee meetings, submit documents, or allow on-site inspections, making it difficult to reach a settlement.

The committee will notify the parties involved in the collective dispute mediation of its decision. Each party may inform the committee of their acceptance of the decision within 15 days of receiving the notice. If the decision is accepted or deemed accepted, it will have the same effect as a court settlement.

Han Yongho, Chairperson of the Consumer Dispute Settlement Committee, stated, "We will continue to actively utilize collective dispute mediation procedures to resolve disputes quickly and fairly whenever a large number of consumers experience similar damages."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.