TORONTO — It’s not what you expect to happen minutes after your car leaves the service department of an auto dealership.
A check engine light comes on, black smoke pours from behind the vehicle and motorists plead with you to pull over.
“I almost died,” an emotional 26-year-old Chris Sahadeo told Global News on Tuesday, as he watched his 2011 Audi Q5 go up in flames on the side of Highway 404 near Newmarket.
READ MORE: Audi SUV goes up in flames on Toronto highway minutes after being serviced
After stopping to see what was wrong with his late model luxury SUV, the German-made automobile was swallowed up in a ball of fire.
Sahadeo’s vehicle had just come from servicing at Pfaff Auto, where the dealership had replaced pistons under warranty.
Within the last few weeks, Sahadeo said the Q5 had a turbocharger replaced.
A Pfaff executive, Hans Bigler, told Global News he can’t explain why the vehicle caught fire, adding, “there’s no reason a piston replacement could lead to a fire.”
But Elizabeth Avery of Kingston, Ont. knows what’s it’s like to own a Q5 that catches fire. It happened to her in August, on the driveway of the family’s home.
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“I was standing outside with my daughter and could smell burning plastic,” she said, having just driven to her home with her daughter.
Within minutes, she says the engine compartment was on fire.
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A contractor working nearby put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher.
Avery and her husband say Audi Canada was unresponsive when they contacted the manufacturer to complain.
The repairs to the vehicle, at a cost of about $10,000, were paid by the Averys’ insurance company.
“There was no recognition from anyone at Audi to say there was a problem,” said Mike Avery.
The Averys also said they are not comfortable driving their vehicle any longer, concerned that there may be underlying safety issues with the Q5.
The Averys reported their fire to Transport Canada, the federal agency that investigates incidents like these.
“It is too early to comment on that specific incident as Transport Canada is still in the process of collecting more information,” said Roxane Marchand, senior media relations advisor.
“To date Transport Canada has not received any other reports or complaints relating to fires with Q5 Audi vehicles.”
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