The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·16V382000·Announced 2016-06-01

Audi Recalls A4 and A6 Vehicles Due to Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling specific Audi A4 and A6 models because passenger air bag inflators may rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect may result in 'serious injury or death,' which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or structural vehicle defects.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4 and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles. The recall applies to vehicles originally sold or registered in specific U.S. states and territories, categorized into Zone A, Zone B, and a third group of states. The affected vehicles are equipped with certain passenger frontal air bag inflators that were used as original or replacement equipment.

The defect involves the potential for these inflators to rupture due to propellant degradation after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front air bags, this rupture may result in metal fragments striking vehicle occupants, which could lead to serious injury or death.

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
AUDI A4, A6
Brand
AUDI
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
194,453

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (2)

  • A4
  • A6

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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