The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
The risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Audi A3 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Audi A4 Cabriolet | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2006 |
Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audi A3 | 2005 | 0 | 1 |
| Audi A3 | 2006 | 123 | 4 |
| Audi A3 | 2007 | 52 | 3 |
| Audi A3 | 2008 | 43 | 3 |
| Audi A3 | 2009 | 47 | 5 |
| Audi A3 | 2010 | 50 | 5 |
| Audi A3 | 2011 | 43 | 4 |
| Audi A3 | 2012 | 43 | 4 |
| Audi A3 | 2013 | 20 | 3 |
| Audi A4 Cabriolet | 2006 | 3 | 1 |
| Audi A4 Cabriolet | 2007 | 23 | 3 |
| Audi A4 Cabriolet | 2008 | 16 | 3 |
| Audi A4 Cabriolet | 2009 | 22 | 4 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2006 | 576 | 7 |
Other air bags recalls in 2016
92 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the air bags; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 16V946000 30 Dec 2016 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 16V956000 30 Dec 2016 | Hyundai Motor America |
| 16V943000 29 Dec 2016 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 16V941000 29 Dec 2016 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 16V939000 28 Dec 2016 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 16V953000 28 Dec 2016 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 16V935000 27 Dec 2016 | Daimler Vans USA, LLC |
| 16V947000 22 Dec 2016 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016