The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi RS5 Sportback, 2018 S5 Cabriolet, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, S4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and 2017-2018 A4 Sedan and A4 Allroad vehicles. Oxidation on the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) connecting cable may cause the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger air bag.
The risk
A disabled passenger air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install cable ties to the harness, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 74D9.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Audi A4 allroad | 2017, 2018 |
| Audi A5 | 2018 |
| Audi A5 Cabriolet | 2018 |
| Audi Allroad | 2017, 2018 |
| Audi RS 5 | 2018, 2019 |
| Audi S4 | 2018 |
| Audi S5 | 2018 |
| Audi S5 Cabriolet | 2018 |
Components: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER 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 A4 allroad | 2017 | 31 | 5 |
| Audi A4 allroad | 2018 | 9 | 3 |
| Audi A5 | 2018 | 38 | 6 |
| Audi A5 Cabriolet | 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| Audi Allroad | 2017 | 2 | 1 |
| Audi Allroad | 2018 | 1 | 1 |
| Audi RS 5 | 2018 | 1 | 3 |
| Audi RS 5 | 2019 | 3 | 5 |
| Audi S4 | 2018 | 7 | 2 |
| Audi S5 | 2018 | 26 | 2 |
| Audi S5 Cabriolet | 2018 | 0 | 2 |
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