Audi Recalls More Than 150,000 Vehicles Due To Airbag Defect

Volkswagen Group of America has recalled more than 153,000 Audi vehicles. Models included in the recall are the Audi S3 Sedan and A3 Sedan, model years 2015 to 2020, the A3 E-Tron, model years 2016 to 2018, the RS3 Sedan, model years 2017 to 2020, and the A3 Cabriolet, model years 2015 to 2019. The current recall is an expansion of the existing recall conducted by Volkswagen under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s campaign number 19V474. That previous recall was also the result of failures suffered by Audi’s “PODS” system in the Audi A3, models years 2015 to 2020.

These vehicles feature what the automaker calls its “passenger occupant detection system” (or “PODS”), which is designed to detect the presence of a seated passenger. According to Volkswagen, the system has been prone to shutting off, despite the presence of a seated passenger. When such a malfunction occurs, the airbag may not properly deploy in a collision. Volkswagen has further stated that they have not yet developed a solution for this problem. They advise that, if the vehicle is subject to this issue, and a passenger is seated in the front, a warning light indicating that the passenger air bag is off should be activated.

If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of an accident involving an Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, A3 E-Tron, RS3 Sedan, or A3 Cabriolet, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll free at 1‑800-870-9584.