The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·18V004000·Announced 2018-01-04

Audi Recalls Vehicles Due to Passenger Air Bag Inflator Explosion Risk

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling specific Audi models because passenger air bag inflators may explode during deployment, posing a risk of serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. 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 criterion for a score of 4 (Severe) involving significant injury or death reports/risks.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2009-2011 Audi A6, S6, A4 Cabriolet, and S4 Cabriolet vehicles. The recall applies to vehicles registered in specific states or designated as "Zone B" and "Zone C" as defined in the notice. These vehicles are equipped with certain passenger frontal air bag inflators that may have been assembled as original or replacement equipment.

The defect involves propellant degradation in the air bag inflators caused by long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. In the event of a crash that necessitates the deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, the inflators may explode. This explosion can result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, which may cause serious injury or death.

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator free of charge. An interim owner notification was mailed on March 02, 2018, and the recall repair was expected to begin in June 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Note that this recall has been superseded by 18V427.

The recalled product

Product
AUDI S6, S4 CABRIOLET, A4 CABRIOLET, A6
Brand
AUDI
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
10,166

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 (4)

  • S6
  • S4 CABRIOLET
  • A4 CABRIOLET
  • A6

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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