The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. The air bag control module may deploy the second stage of the front passenger air bag too quickly after the first stage when the seat is occupied by an unbelted child. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
During a crash necessitating the deployment of the passenger air bag, the second stage may deploy too quickly when a child is in the front passenger seat, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began March 5, 2021. Owners can contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BV.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Audi Q7 | 2020, 2021 |
Components: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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 Q7 | 2020 | 28 | 5 |
| Audi Q7 | 2021 | 75 | 9 |
Other air bags recalls in 2021
65 of the 988 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2021 concerned the air bags; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 21V980000 16 Dec 2021 | Ford Motor Company |
| 21V925000 24 Nov 2021 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 21V923000 24 Nov 2021 | Ford Motor Company |
| 21V892000 17 Nov 2021 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 21V874000 10 Nov 2021 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 21V873000 10 Nov 2021 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 21V868000 9 Nov 2021 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 21V860000 5 Nov 2021 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2021