The Volkswagen Group of America has just issued two new recalls through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but only one of them is an issue that actually presents a safety concern.
The first recall involves 2022-2023 Audi A8 and Audi S8 models that were produced with the occupant protection flag of the passenger airbag module not folded as it should have been. The fault means that cars may not fully comply with the requirements of an out-of-position airbag test according to Federal Motor Vehicle Standards.
Beyond not complying with standards, Audi’s recall notice reveals that if a child or “small person” was seated and unbelted on the front passenger seat and close to the instrument panel, it’s possible that the force of the inflating airbag in a crash could be higher than permitted, posing an injury threat.
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A total of 692 Audi A8 models are involved in the recall, all of which were produced from May 3, 2022 to December 7, 2022. In addition, some 355 Audi S8 models are involved in the recall which were manufactured from May 3, 2022 to November 18, 2022. Audi notes that all models produced after December 7 have been built with airbags that do comply with safety standards.
The car manufacturer will notify dealers and owners of the recall before April 14, 2023. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer where the front-passenger airbag module will be replaced.
The second recall relates to 2009-2015 Audi Q7 models. It’s been revealed that subject vehicles, totaling 12,100 units, have a safety certification label that contains an inaccurate rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). Dealers will resolve this simple issue by installing an overlay label with the correct rear GAWR over the existing label.
