The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·21V606000·Announced 2021-08-05

2021 Audi RS Q8 rear seat belt retractors may deactivate prematurely

Certain 2021 Audi RS Q8 vehicles have rear seat belt retractors that may deactivate prematurely, preventing child restraint systems from securing properly. Dealers will repair affected components free of charge.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: This is a child restraint safety issue where seat belt retractors may fail to properly secure child restraints during a crash, but no injuries have been reported. Per the rubric, high-risk products where injury has not yet been reported score 3.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS Q8 vehicles due to defective rear seat belt automatic locking retractors. These components may deactivate early, which prevents child restraint systems from securing properly. This defect violates federal safety standard FMVSS 208 for occupant crash protection.

An unsecured child restraint system increases the risk of injury to occupants during a vehicle crash. The recall affects 2021 model year vehicles.

Owners should contact their local Audi dealer or call Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834 to schedule a free repair. Dealers will inspect and replace the affected middle-rear seat belt assemblies at no cost. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 27, 2021.

For additional information, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or visit www.nhtsa.gov.

The recalled product

Product
AUDI, VOLKSWAGEN Q7, S6, S4, RS 5
Brand
AUDI
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Safety Restraint System
Hazard
Affected units
45,496

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 (27)

  • Q7
  • S6
  • S4
  • RS 5
  • ID.4
  • S7
  • A7
  • SQ7
  • Q5
  • S3
  • SQ8
  • SQ5
  • E-TRON
  • A8
  • A6 ALLROAD
  • A5 CABRIOLET
  • RS Q8
  • RS 6 AVANT
  • RS 7
  • S5
  • S5 CABRIOLET
  • S8
  • A6
  • Q8
  • A4
  • A5
  • Q3

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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