Is Your Audi in the V6 Water Pump Lawsuit? Check the Models

If you’re shopping for a used Audi with the 2.9T or 3.0T V6, check the car against a lawsuit now pending in federal court in New Jersey. It alleges that the water pump on Audi’s EA839 V6 can leak coolant internally and damage the engine. The table below lists every model and year the complaint names.

These are allegations, not findings. The case is Larr et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al., No. 26-cv-05678 (D.N.J.), filed May 18, 2026. No class has been certified, nothing has been settled, and there is no official action for owners to take.

What the lawsuit alleges

Plaintiffs Doug Larr and Kaelin Crawford sued Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (doing business as Audi of America), Volkswagen AG and Audi AG. Their 47-page complaint alleges that the water pump and coolant module, which sit in the “hot V” between the cylinder banks, use seals, a composite housing and controls that degrade. According to the complaint, coolant can then leak internally into the vacuum system, which can lead to overheating and engine damage. The complaint also alleges that no recall or reimbursement has been offered.

The complaint says the defendants issued at least three technical service bulletins to dealers about the problem. The first, from March 18, 2020, describes “a possible malfunction of the mechanical coolant pump.” A May 17, 2023, bulletin says “the coolant pump is suspected to be the source of the leak,” and a December 1, 2025, bulletin warns that a “leak in the coolant pump could contaminate other components of the vacuum system with coolant.”

The two plaintiffs’ repair bills show what’s at stake. Larr bought a 2019 A6 certified pre-owned in 2021. At approximately 33,500 miles, the complaint says, the dealer declined to cover a leaking water pump, and Larr paid an independent mechanic approximately $5,984 to replace the water pump, PCV valve and vacuum hose system. Crawford’s 2021 SQ5 showed a low-coolant warning at approximately 62,000 miles in June 2024. The dealer quoted approximately $2,800, Audi declined because the car was outside the warranty, and an independent mechanic charged him $1,460.77 to replace the pump. The complaint says these cars came with a 4-year/50,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Find your car: models and years named in the complaint

The complaint names these models and years and describes them as equipped with the 2.9T or 3.0T EA839 V6. Find your model, then check that your model year is in the range.

The complaint lists the A4 and A5, but U.S.-market A4 and A5 models used a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and the class definition is limited to EA839 V6 cars. That apparent mismatch is for the court to sort out. The S4 has a V6 but isn’t named, and neither is the S5 Coupé. The EA839-powered RS 4 Avant was never sold in the U.S. Being on this list doesn’t mean a car has the problem the plaintiffs describe.

Plaintiffs filed a First Amended Class Action Complaint before August 6, 2026. Its text isn’t public, so the table uses the original complaint’s list. A footnote in the original complaint says the plaintiffs “reserve the right to amend the definition of the Class Vehicles after conducting discovery.”

Where the case stands

The case is before Judge Christine P. O’Hearn, with Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Skahill. Volkswagen Group of America has told the court it plans to move to dismiss, and on October 7, 2026, the judge approved a briefing schedule for that motion. As of October 12, no answer and no motion to dismiss had been filed.

Not the first Audi water pump case

An earlier case, Fiscina and Choe v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al., No. 2:22-cv-05875 (D.N.J.), ended in a 2024 settlement over the older EA837 3.0T engine in specific 2013-19 Audi models. It extended coverage to 75% of the cost of a dealer water pump repair for up to 7 years or 75,000 miles, only for vehicles listed by VIN, and the claim deadline was September 24, 2024. None of the cars in the Larr lawsuit were covered.

What we’d check before buying one

• Ask for the full service history and any cooling-system repair receipts.
• Ask whether the owner has been topping up coolant, and look for a low reservoir or a sweet coolant smell after a drive.
• Get a pre-purchase inspection that includes a cooling-system pressure test. Our Audi PPI checklist covers what to ask the shop for.
• Run the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
• Keep every receipt once you own it.

Who to contact

Sauder Schelkopf LLC is the only law firm on the complaint, with attorneys Matthew D. Schelkopf and Joseph B. Kenney representing the plaintiffs. The firm runs its own Audi 3.0T water pump investigation page, with a sign-up form and phone number, (888) 711-9975. The page doesn’t name this case, and its model list differs from the complaint’s. Linking to it isn’t an endorsement.

There is no official case page and no claim process in this lawsuit. The court docket is available through PACER, and CourtListener hosts a third-party copy of the docket.

For questions about your own car, Audi of America customer care is at audiusa.com/en/support/contact-us or (800) 822-2834 (800-822-AUDI), Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm ET.

For what else tends to wear on each generation, see our common Audi problems guide. We post case updates on Instagram at @audi_obsession.

This article reports on allegations in a pending lawsuit and isn’t legal advice.

Sources

• Larr et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al., No. 26-cv-05678 (D.N.J.), complaint filed May 18, 2026 (via ClassAction.org)
• CourtListener (third-party copy): Larr v. Volkswagen Group of America docket
• Fiscina and Choe v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al., No. 2:22-cv-05875 (D.N.J.), plaintiffs’ final-approval brief (via CourtListener)
• Fiscina and Choe v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al., amended final approval order (via CourtListener)
• NHTSA recall lookup

Featured photo: 2018 Audi SQ5 by Charles from Port Chester / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.