Volkswagen recalls Audi sedans over defective passenger airbags

Volkswagen recalls Audi sedans over defective passenger airbags

October 21, 2022 Joseph Estabillo ,

Auburn Hills, MI – October 21, 2022 – Volkswagen (OTCMKTS:VWAGY), which owns the Audi brand, has issued a recall for 4,117 vehicles on account of incorrectly installed airbags on the front passenger side. The airbag may fail to deploy properly in the event of a collision, upping the risk of injury.

The recall covers the following models: 

  • 2022 Audi S3 sedan
  • 2022 Audi RS3 sedan
  • 2022 Audi A3 sedan 

Recall summary

When the vehicle experiences a frontal collision with sufficient force, the front passenger airbag is designed to inflate, preventing the passenger from hitting the windshield.  

In the affected vehicles, the airbag may not have been correctly folded before being placed into the airbag housing on the dashboard. Consequently, the airbag could tear when it deploys, preventing it from inflating properly.

Recall risks

If the airbag tears when it deploys, it may not inflate properly, augmenting the risk of injury to the passenger. 

Other Audi recalls

In April 2022, Volkswagen issued a recall for 26,053 Audi vehicles over an engine issue. The turbocharger on the affected vehicles could be clogged by contaminants and eventually break, causing the engine to lose power and increasing the risk of a crash.   

In December 2021, Audi and Volkswagen agreed to pay $42 million as a settlement to owners whose vehicles were outfitted with defective airbags from Takata. This resulted from a class action lawsuit filed in 2014 against the two automakers, and all vehicles involved were part of the massive Takata airbag recall spanning about 100 million airbags worldwide. 

Repair

Dealers will replace the front-passenger airbag module with one that contains a properly folded airbag. There will be no charge for this replacement. Affected owners will be notified on or around October 28, 2022. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

More than 4,000 vehicles are included in this Audi airbag recall. To see if your vehicle is affected, run an Audi recall check using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.  

Joseph EstabilloVolkswagen recalls Audi sedans over defective passenger airbags
Volkswagen recalls vehicles with exploding airbags

Volkswagen recalls vehicles with exploding airbags

July 17, 2022 Bojan Popic , ,

Auburn Hills, MI  – July 17, 2022 – Volkswagen (OTCMKTS:VWAGY), which owns the Audi brand, is recalling 28,624 sedans over an issue with airbags made by Takata. These airbags may either explode and propel metal fragments toward passengers or fail to inflate as intended. Both situations increase the risk of an injury during a crash.

This recall comes on the heels of an ongoing U.S government investigation, which has seen over 2.5 million vehicles being recalled so far. It is, however, different from the much larger Takata airbag recalls which are caused by a different type of inflator.

This latest recall covers the following models:

  • 1998 Audi A8
  • 1997 – 1998 Audi A4

Recall summary

Because of a manufacturing issue, the airbag inflator can absorb moisture. This can cause it to either deploy slowly during a crash or rupture and send metal shards flying toward vehicle occupants. 

The component behind this recall is the “the driver airbag inflator” with part numbers 4B0.951.403 and 4B0.951.403 A. 

Different Takata issues, same risks

Even though this recall is technically different from the “much larger and ongoing Takata airbag recall” – which has resulted in at least 28 deaths and 400 injuries – it presents the same risks.

The difference stems from the type of inflator which is used in these airbags. The inflator which is responsible for deploying this particular type of bag is called the Non-Azide Driver Airbag Inflator (NADI). Unlike the Phase Stabilized Ammonium Nitrate (PSAN) – which is considered a “highly combustible and unstable chemical”  – NADI inflators were deemed generally safe until 2019.

However, that year, Takata issued a recall for NADI inflators saying that they too had the potential to rupture and hurt car occupants with metal shrapnel. 

So far, the issue has resulted in at least two deaths and several serious injuries and has caused nine recalls across five different manufactures, including this one. 

It is also subject to an ongoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation. 

Recall risks

Improperly inflating airbags can provide insufficient cushioning during a crash, and exploding airbags may send shrapnel into the cabin. Either problem could result in injury or death.

Background of this recall

The Audi A8 and Audi A4 recalled cars should have been included in a larger 2020 recall, but were omitted due to a “clerical error.”

Other Volkswagen and Audi recalls

This recall is similar to previous Volkswagen Takata airbag recalls. Some newer Audi models have also suffered from airbag failures, although this issue has a different cause.

The repair

Dealers will replace suspected airbag inflators with updated ones. This repair will be free of charge. Audi has already notified affected owners of the recall. 

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

This Audi airbag recall affects more than 20,000 vehicles. To do a Volkswagen recall check and see if yours is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Bojan PopicVolkswagen recalls vehicles with exploding airbags
Volkswagen recalls vehicles with faulty airbags

Volkswagen recalls vehicles with faulty airbags

December 4, 2021 Bojan Popic ,

Auburn Hills, MI   – December 4, 2021 – Volkswagen (OTCMKTS: VWAGY), which owns the Audi brand, is recalling 208,332 vehicles over faulty airbags. The airbags may become inoperable and fail to deploy during a crash, which increases the risk of injury.  

The affected vehicles are:  

  • 2017 – 2020 Audi A4 Allroad
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi S5 Sportback
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi A5 Sportback
  • 2019  Audi RS5 Sportback
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi A5 Coupe
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi S5 Coupe
  • 2018 – 2019 Audi RS5 Coupe
  • 2017 – 2020 Audi A4 Sedan
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi S4 Sedan
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi A5 Cabriolet
  • 2018 – 2020 Audi S5 Cabriolet

Recall summary  

Vehicles affected by the recall have a Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) with integrated seat heating.  The wire that connects the two is faulty, which may cause PODS to not detect the passenger in the front seat and switch off the airbag.

The PODS involved in this recall has multiple part numbers, including 8W0963556 to 8W7881406.

Warning signs

If the passenger bag is disabled,  the “passenger airbag off” message will appear in the instrument cluster.

Recall risks

In a collision,  the airbags may not deploy as intended, which reduces the level of their protection.

Other Volkswagen recalls 

In May, some of the cars involved in this recall were recalled because of the risk of suspension failure. In September, A4, A5 and  A6 vehicles were recalled because of a faulty child restraint system.

The repair

Audi authorized dealers will fix the issue by replacing the seat heating mats, including the connecting cable or the entire seat cover, depending on the model, at no cost to the customer.

Notifications about the repair will be sent to vehicle owners on January 7, 2022.  

Is your vehicle a part of this recall?

This Audi airbag recall includes more than 200,000 vehicles. To do an Audi recall Check, use  MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Bojan PopicVolkswagen recalls vehicles with faulty airbags
Volkswagen recalls Audi cars with faulty Takata inflators

Volkswagen recalls Audi cars with faulty Takata inflators

September 3, 2021 Vishal Venugopal , ,

Auburn Hills, MI – September 3, 2021 – The Volkswagen Group (OTCMKTS:VWAGY) has recalled 62,812 vehicles over a concern that the airbags may not properly deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of a serious injury or death. The affected vehicles include:

  • 2000 – 2001 Audi TT, including Roadster and Coupe cars
  • 2000 – 2002 Audi S4
  • 2000 – 2002 Audi A4

The affected part is a Takata Non-Azide Driver Airbag Inflators (NADI) with part numbers 4B0.951.403 and 4B0.951.403 A. This recall is different from the ongoing Takata airbag recall and serves as an expansion of a previous recall for some of the same models issued in February 2020.

Recall summary

The recall stems from a faulty airbag inflator that may slow down the deployment of the driver airbag in the event of a crash. Alternatively, the inflator may cause excessive pressure when inflating the airbag.

The exact cause of the defect is unclear but is thought to stem from a variety of factors, including “manufacturing variations [and] climatic conditions.” There have been no reported cases of delayed inflation of the airbag in the affected models. 

As reported, the NADI airbags have a defect that is similar to – but separate from – the larger Takata airbag recall, which involves a different type of inflator.  That larger recall has affected millions of vehicles across the country and stems from faulty airbags inflators that can rupture during deployment, hurling metal shrapnel at the car occupants. 

Risks

The driver’s airbag plays a vital role in mitigating a serious upper-body injury in the event of a crash. In the event that it does not deploy, there is a higher risk of an injury for the driver.

On the flip side – although Audi does not state this explicitly – if the airbag deploys too forcefully, the inflator may burst and maim or kill the car occupants with its fragments, as reported.

Similar Audi airbag recalls

Over the last couple of years, Volkswagen has issued multiple recalls to replace Takata airbag inflators, including one in January of this year for over 100,000 of Beetle compact and convertible cars.

Some of the Audi models in this recall, including the Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, and A4, were also recalled in February 2020, for the same issue.  

The repair

The driver’s side airbag will be replaced with an alternative, newly designed inflator that uses a different propellant, which is a substance that is used to inflate the airbag. Owners were set to be notified on August 20, 2021, and are slated to receive a second notification once the parts become available in mid-October.

Is your vehicle part of the recall?

An airbag that fails to deploy correctly is a serious hazard. To find out if your car is affected by this Audi recall, use MotorSafety’s free lookup tool.

Vishal VenugopalVolkswagen recalls Audi cars with faulty Takata inflators
Volkswagen recalls over 153,000 Audis due to airbag malfunction

Volkswagen recalls over 153,000 Audis due to airbag malfunction

April 2, 2021 Rebecca Rand ,

Auburn Hills, MI – April 2, 2021 – Volkswagen (OTCMKTS:VWAGY), which owns the Audi brand, has recalled 153,152 Audi A3-generation cars whose passenger-side airbags may deactivate while someone is sitting in that seat, increasing that passenger’s risk of injury in a crash. The recall includes the following convertibles, sedans and crossover SUVs:

  • 2015 – 2020 Audi A3 
  • 2016 – 2018 Audi A3 e-tron
  • 2017 – 2020 Audi RS3 
  • 2015 – 2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet
  • 2015 – 2020 Audi S3 

The component in question is the “repair kit for passenger seat occupant detection,” part number 8V0898522.

Recall summary  

This recall addresses an ongoing problem with the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS), which senses when there is a passenger sitting in the front seat. The PODS is supposed to deactivate the passenger airbag when the seat is empty, but in the case of recalled cars, the airbag “turns off” even when the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of an injury to the passenger in a crash.

The deactivation may occur sporadically and “for a limited amount of time.”

Previous recall

A previous recall for this issue was conducted in 2019 but failed to fix the issue as the manufacturer kept receiving reports that some repaired PODS have continued to malfunction. 

Recent customer complaints about this issue highlighted that this was a “known problem” for “many Audi models, not just A3 and S3” and that, in addition to the airbag issue, some of these models also experienced a seat belt malfunction. The seat belt warning kept going off even though there was no one in the seat.

Risks

Data shows that airbags reduce crash fatalities by 11%, but they can only protect people if they actually deploy. Deactivated airbags cannot protect passengers in a crash. 

Safety tips

Vehicle occupants need to pay attention to the airbag indicator light, which will illuminate if the airbag system has been deactivated. Along with the light, the occupants should also hear a chime and see an error message in the instrument panel. If the warnings come on:

  • Have the front passenger sit elsewhere in the car.
  • Do NOT use the front passenger seat going forward.
  • Take the car to the nearest dealership as soon as possible.

The repair

Audi is still investigating the problem and has not determined what the repair will be.  Owners will receive letters in the mail with more information about the recall on May 21.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 153,000 vehicles are included in this Audi recall. To see if your Audi is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandVolkswagen recalls over 153,000 Audis due to airbag malfunction
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