Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Air Bags › Sensor › Occupant Classification
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 19, 2019 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 138,896. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
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.
13 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Audi RS 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Audi RS 3 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi A3 Cabriolet | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 Audi RS 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 Audi S3 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet | 87 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 Audi S3 | 53 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
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 19V474000.
Full record for the 2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →