— Porsche brake noise has caused a lawsuit that alleges defects cause the brakes to squeal and squeak when the vehicles are coming to a stop.
The Porsche class action alleges the automaker has known since at least 2013 the brakes are defective and cause the vehicles to lose their values.
California plaintiff Eliza Minassian leased a 2018 Porsche Cayenne but complains about the amount of negative attention caused by loud brake noise while driving on crowded streets within city limits.
She also claims the brake squeal "draws the attention of officers of law enforcement agencies, who associate brake squeals with high-speed driving and racing."
The Porsche brake noise class action lawsuit includes any consumer in the U.S. who leased or purchased a Porsche vehicle "equipped with a defective braking system that generates an extremely loud squealing noise when using the brakes."
According to the brake noise lawsuit, Porsche and its dealerships engaged in a nationwide conspiracy to cover-up brake defects that cause loud squeals.
The plaintiff claims dealerships have refused to document visits by Porsche owners and lessees and allegedly refused to provide repair orders to customers. This has allegedly "systematically deprived" Porsche customers of their lemon law rights by "distorting" the repair histories.
Porsche has allegedly refused to provide free repairs for the brake noise and refused to reimburse customers who paid to have the brake systems repaired, except for some customers who repeatedly complained.
The brake noise lawsuit also alleges the squealing brakes have caused owners to use their vehicles less than they normally would if the brakes weren't defective. And the class action accuses Porsche of offering “secret warranties" to certain customers but not to all owners and lessees.
"A secret warranty is usually created when the automaker, such as Porsche, realizes that a large number of its customers are experiencing a defect not otherwise covered by a factory warranty, and decides to offer warranty coverage to individual customers only if the customer complains about the problem first. The warranty is therefore considered 'secret' because owners are not notified of it." - Porsche brake noise lawsuit
In January 2018, Porsche published a video online concerning brake squeal and what causes brake noise in its vehicles, explaining the high-performance braking systems can sometimes squeal.
However, the plaintiff says she leased her Cayenne on December 15, 2017, 43 days before Porsche released the video.
"Even if the allegations in the video are true, Plaintiff was unaware of such issue at the time she leased the vehicle. Even after the video was released, Plaintiff was informed by a Porsche authorized dealer that the brake noise she was experiencing was due to brake dust, an issue Porsche did not discuss in its video." - Porsche brake squeal lawsuit
And according to the class action, the express warranties that come with the Porsche vehicles are "substantively and procedurally unconscionable" because the warranties are limited.
The Porsche brake noise class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Minassian, vs. Porsche Cars North America, Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by the Margarian Law Firm.