The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·21V874000·Announced 2021-11-10

Audi Recalls A4, A5, S4, S5, RS 5 Models Due to Air Bag Defect

Audi is recalling specific 2017-2020 models because a cable fault may disable the passenger air bag, increasing injury risk in a crash.

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: The recall involves a safety-critical component (passenger air bag) that may be disabled, increasing injury risk in a crash, but no specific injuries or fatalities are reported in the source text.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles. The recall involves a potential contact fault in the cable connecting the seat heater to the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS). This fault may cause the vehicle's software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.

A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash. This recall is an expansion of Recall 19V-547 (74D9). Vehicles previously repaired under the earlier recall will need to return for the new remedy.

Dealers will replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or entire seat cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 7, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 74E3. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

The recalled product

Product
AUDI A4, A5, RS 5, S5
Brand
AUDI
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Passenger Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
208,332

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 (5)

  • A4
  • A5
  • RS 5
  • S5
  • S4

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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