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Audi A3 and S3 passenger airbag may deactivate

NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · Reported 2021-03-22 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

high How serious is it? About this label

Serious for anyone riding in the front passenger seat — Audi does not say to stop driving, but until the repair is done consider seating passengers in the back.

What's wrong, in plain English

Your car has a sensor mat in the front passenger seat that detects whether someone is sitting there and turns the passenger airbag on or off. On these cars that sensor can fail and switch the passenger airbag off even when an adult is sitting in the seat. If you are in a crash with the airbag switched off, the person in that seat is much more likely to be hurt. The dealer replaces the seat sensor mat and updates its control unit, free of charge.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your Audi is included. 2. Book the repair with an Audi dealer, or call Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834 (recall 69BY). 3. The sensor mat and software update are free.

Affected vehicles (8)

2018 Audi A3
2018 Audi RS3
2018 Audi S3
2019 Audi A3
2019 Audi RS3
2019 Audi S3
2020 Audi A3
2020 Audi S3

Who to contact

Audi — official Audi recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-253-2834

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Why do Audi passenger airbags switch off or fail to deploy? · all 14 Audi recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Safety risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.