Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Air Bags › Sensor › Occupant Classification
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 4, 2018 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 139,249. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.
The risk
If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.
31 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Audi A6 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi A7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi RS 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi S6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi S7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi A6 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi A7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi RS 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi S6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi S7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi A6 | 51 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi A7 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 Audi RS 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi S6 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi S7 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 Audi A6 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 Audi A7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 Audi RS 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 Audi S6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 Audi S7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 Audi A6 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 Audi A7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 Audi RS 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 Audi S6 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 Audi S7 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 Audi A6 | 52 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 Audi A7 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2013 Audi S6 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 Audi S7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Audi A6 | 60 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Audi A7 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
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 18V370000.
Full record for the 2018 Audi A6 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →