The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.
The risk
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Audi A3 Cabriolet | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron | 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Audi RS 3 | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Audi S3 | 2015, 2016 |
Components: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
Other air bags recalls in 2019
76 of the 880 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2019 concerned the air bags; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 19V910000 19 Dec 2019 | Subaru of America, Inc. |
| 19V892000 16 Dec 2019 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 19V885000 12 Dec 2019 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 19V868000 6 Dec 2019 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 19V862000 4 Dec 2019 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 19V852000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V853000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V851000 26 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2019