2017 Audi A3 Airbags Problems

Passenger airbags, and emergency braking have been failing, i would have to be aware in advance if my vehicle needs to be checked, my safety and my passengers safety is in danger because incase i need to brake quickly but dont have the reaction time to do so i will crash since emergency brake doesnt work, and my passengers would be at high risk because of failing airbags, im unsure if the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, the problem has not yet been inspected there were other symptoms like my sensors going off or the car telling me some assists were malfunctioning in heavy rain or when the car is dirty

NHTSA ID

11631547

Incident

Dec 12, 2024

Recall on this vehicle several years ago. Taken to the Audi dealership for repairs of the recall. No change after recall repairs completed. The airbag and seatbelt warning lights have continued to light up.

NHTSA ID

11589770

Incident

May 1, 2022

“Transmission Malfunction/no reverse gear. Okay to continue driving” comes on constantly the past 2 years now. I’ve only had this vehicle 3 years. Yes , it is available for inspection. This puts my safety and the safety of my other passengers at risk because my vehicle will abruptly slow down in fast flowing traffic and it will uncontrollably accelerate when it’s time to come to complete stops. A local mechanic used a sensor to check for faulty defects and confirmed that my transmission is having sensor issues. There has never been any warning lamps , regarding this problem. There have been no prior warning messages regarding this issue. I purchased this vehicle from Audi Dealership in Van Nuys, CA in November 2020. I have had this vehicle less than 3 years & as of now , it has less than 35,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11538951

Incident

May 11, 2021

Passenger air bag light intermittently comes on after starts. Car has been showing exact symptoms from the PODS recall since I bought it in May, and I’ve tried to have this fixed by 3 separate Audi dealerships, and none of them have been able to fix it. At this point, this recall has now been active for over a year and a half, and I think it is absolutely ridiculous to have a non-functioning passenger seat in a “practical” hatchback. Thus, at this point, I would like to escalate this further and potentially fight for a buyback, as this is a recall that both devalues the car AND puts my passenger (and potentially myself, as this one fault has most likely disabled the entire SRS; granted I don’t want to find out for myself) at risk. The “no-passenger” fix would have worked for 30-ish days while Audi worked for a fix, but 1.5 years is ABSOLUTELY UNREASONABLE and totally ridiculous for a $50,000+-MSRP luxury vehicle from the Volkswagen Audi Group.

NHTSA ID

11487560

Incident

May 18, 2022

Sensor in seat, has illuminated airbag light on dash and says airbag is off for passenger, sest belt light is illuminated even though no one is sitting in the seat, have to have sent belt clipped in to have warning light stop chiming Have contacted dealership and they say there is nothing they can do about it, also called audi USA and had the issue escalated and haven't heard from anyone at all amd its been over a week.

NHTSA ID

11469068

Incident

Jun 3, 2022

The front-passenger airbag deactivated while my father was riding in the car and the corresponding warning light came on. The error first occurred prior to the Mar 2021 Recall. I notified Audi multiple times that my vehicle had this problem, but Audi has not repaired it or offered me an alternative option.

NHTSA ID

11440855

Incident

Oct 21, 2021

Hello, My vehicle has a non working passenger seat airbag due to a malfunctioning PODS (Passenger Occupant Detection Sensor). Audi states that such cannot be fixed as a fix has not yet been approved. It has been seven months since this recall has been issued and I am afraid to carry passengers in my vehicle due to the non-functioning airbag. How can I have my vehicle repaired on an expeditious fashion? Thank you, Dealership says the recall has been placed on hold due to no parts being available.

NHTSA ID

11439184

Incident

Nov 3, 2021

There has been an open recall on my car since March 2021 (NHTSA recall number 21V198) which prevents the passenger airbag from functioning properly. Because the airbag isn't working it also disables my forward collision assistance. It took Audi 2 months to mail notice of the recall and 6 months later there is still no remedy or timeframe for a remedy. A recall affecting an airbag should not linger for 6 months. I can't, in good conscience, have someone ride in the passenger seat of my car, and having this recall unfixed has tanked the re-sell value of my car. Having a recall outstanding for half a year with no communication from the manufacturer on a timeframe is completely unacceptable. Doesn't the manufacturer have a burden to fix a serious passenger safety issue within a reasonable amount of time? What happens if Audi never develops a fix?

NHTSA ID

11433203

Incident

Mar 27, 2021

Passenger airbag sporadically turns off, and constantly shows the seat belt unfastened (unclear if something is wrong with its functionality also). This also turned off the Audi presense/ auto stop feature at the same time. When I told Audi this at the dealership, they said they had no solution other than 'don't sit in the passenger seat', and had no idea when it might end

NHTSA ID

11432222

Incident

Aug 1, 2021

Tied to recall 69BY Dealership continues to say parts are not available.

NHTSA ID

11418885

Incident

May 28, 2021

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V198000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED AUDI OAKLAND (7201 OAKPORT ST, OAKLAND, CA 94621, (510) 984-7906) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11412927

Incident

Apr 19, 2021

THE CAR AIRBAG WARNING SIGN COMES OFF THAT PASSENGER AIR BAG MIGHT NOT BE DEPLOY BECAUSE OF FAULT SENSOR. IT HAS BEEN RECALLED. I TRIED TO REACH OUT TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT SINCE MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY, THIS WILL NOT BE FIXED.

NHTSA ID

11406845

Incident

Mar 12, 2021

THE VEHICLE WAS AFFECTED PREVIOUSLY AND CONFIRMED FIXED BY AUDI UNDER RECALL 69Z4 FOR THE OCCUPANT SENSOR. THE AIRBAG, SEATBELT, AUDI PRESENSE ERROR LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE AT TIMES REGARDLESS OF WHETHER AN OCCUPANT IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT GOING ON AND OFF SPORADICALLY WHILE DRIVING OR STATIONARY. THE VEHICLE IS ELIGIBLE TO BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, HOWEVER IT APPEARS THEIR ORIGINAL FIX UNDER THE RECALL WAS NOT ADEQUATE IN RESOLVING THE OCCUPANT AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT AND POSES A SAFETY HAZARD TO PASSENGERS IF THE AIRBAG WERE TO TURN OFF WHILE AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. AFTER A RECENT DIAGNOSTIC THE CODES THAT APPEARED ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT WOULD OCCUR PRIOR TO AUDI'S "FIX" TO THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11389918

Incident

Jan 25, 2021

Mileage

25,668 mi

REGARDLESS OF FRONT SEAT PASSENGER PRESENCE: 'PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF', 'SEATBELT OFF', AND 'PRE SENSE OFF' WARNING MESSAGES ILLUMINATE AT CAR START, RESTART, DRIVE, PARK, RESTART, REPEAT. UNABLE TO CLEAR WARNINGS. ALSO APPEARS IN VEHICLE DASH WARNING SYSTEM. STARTED NOTICING INTERMITTENTLY AFTER AIRBAG RECALL ADDRESSED, NOT SURE IF EXACT DATE. NOW, THE MALFUNCTION IS CONSTANT.

NHTSA ID

11365758

Incident

Jul 31, 2020

Mileage

50,000 mi

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE WHILE PASSENGER IS SEATED. NUMEROUS ERROR CODES WILL FLASH ON DASH. CAR ON HIGHWAY, IN MOTION.AFTER A FEW MINUTES, LIGHT WILL TURN OFF AND ERROR CODES DISAPPEAR.

NHTSA ID

11354557

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

Mileage

45,000 mi

THE SEAT SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS FAULTY, CAUSING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO STATY ON WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE - THE "PRE-SENSE" LIGHT TO STAY ON - AND THE UN-BUCKLED SEAT BELT ALARM TO STAY GOING OFF. ALL WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. THE BRAND DEALERSHIP SAID AIRBAG MAYNOT DEPLOY WHILE SEAT SENSOR IS MALFUCTIONING. $1200 REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

11342416

Incident

Jul 25, 2020

Mileage

54,000 mi