Audi Q5 Seat Belt Pretensioner May Not Activate
high How serious is it? About this label
If the seat belt pretensioner does not function properly, vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury in a crash. The notice does not tell owners to stop driving.
Key facts
| NHTSA campaign number | 16V955000 |
|---|---|
| Reported to NHTSA | Dec 29, 2016 |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| Part affected | Seat Belts:pretensioner |
| Vehicles covered | 1 model/year combination, model years 2018 |
| Do-not-drive advisory | No |
| Park-outside advisory | No |
| Repair | Free at any franchised dealer |
What's wrong, in plain English
Some 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are part of a wider Volkswagen/Audi recall. For the Q5, the issue is with the seat belt pretensioner, the part that pulls the seat belt tight in a crash. In the affected vehicles, this pretensioner may not activate properly when needed.
What you should do
2. Contact an Audi dealer, or call Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
3. The repair is free.
Where do I find my VIN, and what do I tell the dealer?
Your VIN is the 17-character code on the lower left of the windshield, on your registration and usually on your insurance card. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether this recall is still open on your car. When you call the dealer, say you have an open safety recall and give them NHTSA campaign number 16V955000. More in how recalls work.
Affected vehicles (1)
Who to contact
Audi — official Audi recall lookup
Customer service: 1-800-253-2834
The bigger picture
- Audi Seat Belt Recalls Affect Occupant Restraint and Child Seats · all 6 Audi recalls in this area
Other Audi Q5 recalls
- Apr 24, 2026Audi Q5, SQ5 Seat Belts May Not Restrainhigh
- May 7, 2025Audi Q5 Cylinder Head Cover Screws Can Loosencritical
- Feb 12, 2025Audi Q5 High-Voltage Battery May Overheatcritical
- Nov 27, 2024Audi Q5 Hybrid Battery May Overheat And Catch Firecritical
- Apr 3, 2024Audi SUVs and A4 Allroad Risk Passenger Airbag Shutoffhigh
- Dec 13, 2023Audi portable charging cables can overheat and cause firecritical
Official notice
- Component
- SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER
- Summary
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
- Safety risk
- In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.