Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 10, 2016 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 151,767. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
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.
14 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Audi A3 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Audi A3 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 Audi A3 | 43 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 Audi A3 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 Audi A3 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Audi A3 | 43 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 Audi A4 Cabriolet | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Audi A3 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Audi A4 Cabriolet | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Audi A3 | 123 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 2006 Audi A4 Cabriolet | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 Volkswagen Passat | 576 | 7 | 6 | 21 |
| 2005 Audi A3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 16V079000.
Full record for the 2013 Audi A3 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →