The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·18V082000·Announced 2018-01-30

Audi Recalls Vehicles Due to Driver Air Bag Inflator Explosion Risk

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling specific Audi models because the driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, potentially causing 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 could result in 'serious injury or death' due to metal fragments striking occupants, which aligns with the rubric criteria for a Severe (4) rating involving significant injury reports or potential for serious harm.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. The recall involves 162,782 vehicles.

The defect involves the driver's frontal air bag inflator. Upon deployment, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

The recalled product

Product
AUDI S5 CABRIOLET, S4 CABRIOLET, A3, A4 CABRIOLET
Brand
AUDI
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
162,782

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 (7)

  • S5 CABRIOLET
  • S4 CABRIOLET
  • A3
  • A4 CABRIOLET
  • A5 CABRIOLET
  • RS 4
  • Q5

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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