Audi's U.S. sales took a hit in the early 1980s after several recalls of Audi 5000 models. The recalls were prompted by reports of sudden unintended acceleration linked to six deaths and 700 accidents. At the time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was investigating 50 car models from 20 manufacturers for sudden surges of power.

For most of the public, this crazy story has faded from memory, to be replaced with images of snarling RS6' and the slinky RS E-Tron GT. But it's lesson is still, if not more valid today.

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In the early 1980s, Audi was on the top of its game. The company's sales were soaring, and its cars were some of the most popular on the market. However, all that came to a screeching halt in 1983 when reports of sudden unintended acceleration began to surface.

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The problem was particularly prevalent in Audi's 5000 models, and it soon became clear that the issue was more than just a few isolated incidents. As investigations into the matter began, it became evident that there was a serious design flaw in the cars that was causing them to accelerate suddenly and without warning.

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On November 23, 1986, the CBS television broadcast network 60 Minutes aired a report titled Out of Control. It featured interviews with six people who had sued Audi after reporting unintended acceleration, including footage of an Audi 5000 ostensibly displaying a surge of acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed.

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The report was highly critical of Audi's response to the reports, and helped to spark a series of investigations and lawsuits that ultimately led to the recall of more than 1 million Audi vehicles in the United States. In the wake of the 60 Minutes report, Audi's sales in the United States plummeted, and it took the company years to recover from the negative publicity.

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However, a subsequent investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found no evidence of defects in the Audi 5000 that could explain the reports of unintended acceleration. According to the NHTSA, the majority of such cases are actually caused by drivers who mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.

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But as part of that investigation, it also became clear that the problem was not just user error - it was also a result of poor design. In particular, the shape and location of the gas and brake pedals could easily lead to confusion, especially in high-stress situations.  

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Audi's grand solution? Make a secret recall of the models, and slap a vertical sticker on the right of the shifter to tell people to apply the brake when shifting into drive or reverse.

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As part of this absurd rollercoaster of corporate emotions, panic and pending lawsuits, it became clear that Audi may have been a bit hasty in its initial response to reports of unintended acceleration in its cars. But through it all, Audi maintained that its cars were safe and that the reports of unintended acceleration were false.

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To wipe the slate clean, Audi embarked on a series of recall campaigns in the early 2000s that were nothing if not ambitious. The German automaker set out to fix several defects in its cars, including an issue with the distance between the brake and accelerator pedal on automatic-transmission models. Then, they had to recall 250,000 cars dating back to 1978 because of a defect in the idle-stabilization system.

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So, basically, if you're driving an Audi from 1978, you might want to be extra careful.

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Later, Audi added a device that required drivers to press the brake pedal before shifting out of park. It's unclear what was done to address the defects in the idle-stabilization system, but subsequent to the recall campaigns, Audi vehicles would then include gear shift patterns and brake interlock mechanisms to prevent drivers from deliberately selecting the wrong gear.

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Nicely done folks, nicely done. So did that stop the looming cloud of settlement money? Surprisingly, not yet!

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It took well into the second decade of the 21st century to settle the class-action lawsuit filed in 1987 by about 7,500 Audi 5000 owners. The NHTSA's findings had been "small solace for Audi in defense of product liability actions, as more and more successful cases used Audi's human factor design errors and failure to warn or recall as a basis for liability. In one such case, a Florida jury awarded $78 million to the parents of Sean Kendall, who was killed when his Audi 5000S suddenly accelerated into a tree."

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Lots of money for a seemingly mindless mistake of owners...

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Audi has long since put that debacle behind them optically, though the episode was a blunt reminder of the importance of user-friendly design in even the simplest, yet critically important pieces of a car's design. And to this day the automaker struggles with serious safety-related recalls, as does VW.

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In the end, the 'Out of Control' story proved to be little more than hot air. Though don't tell that to the people who mistook one pedal for the other.

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