Audi Q4 E-Tron models in the United States need to head back to dealers after it has been revealed that one of the airbags could tear.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall noting that in the event of a crash where the head curtain airbag is deployed, the airbag may deform the door seal and expose the metal inlay within the seal. As such, there is a possibility that pieces of exposed metal could tear the airbag, meaning it would not be able to protect occupants as designed, increasing the risk of injury.
Audi says the issue could be triggered because the door sealing does not lie flat due to the slight overlapping of metal parts of the body shell in the area around the B-pillar.
Driven: The New Audi Q4 E-Tron Provides Plenty Of Value, But Not Much Fun
The car manufacturer became aware of a potential issue on November 15, 2022 when it conducted a head-airbag test and discovered that the airbag material had been damaged. A second test led to the same result. Audi immediately blocked all vehicles currently in production and introduced a countermeasure that fastens the door seal in the B-pillar area to production.
A total of 5,224 vehicles are involved in the recall. This consists of 4,324 examples of the 2022-2023 Q4 E-Tron manufactured between September 20, 2021 and January 9, 2023, in addition to 900 examples of the 2022-2023 Audi Q4 E-Tron Sportback built from September 27, 2021 to January 9, 2023.
Audi will inform owners of the recall on or before May 19, 2023 and instruct them to take their EV to a dealer where cloth tape will be installed in the driver and front passenger B-pillar area to secure the door seal in place.
