The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.
The risk
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Audi Q5 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
Components: VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
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 Q5 | 2011 | 143 | 5 |
| Audi Q5 | 2012 | 168 | 6 |
| Audi Q5 | 2013 | 89 | 5 |
| Audi Q5 | 2014 | 105 | 5 |
| Audi Q5 | 2015 | 100 | 6 |
| Audi Q5 | 2016 | 78 | 5 |
| Audi Q5 | 2017 | 42 | 5 |
Other air bags recalls in 2017
90 of the 810 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2017 concerned the air bags; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 17V822000 20 Dec 2017 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 17V837000 20 Dec 2017 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| 17V803000 18 Dec 2017 | Ford Motor Company |
| 17V818000 18 Dec 2017 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 17V813000 18 Dec 2017 | Bluecar SAS |
| 17V806000 14 Dec 2017 | Mazda North American Operations |
| 17V807000 14 Dec 2017 | Mazda North American Operations |
| 17V801000 13 Dec 2017 | Hyundai Motor America |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2017