NHTSA Campaign Number

21V198000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Defect Description

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 Consequence

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.

What This Recall Page Shows

This page summarizes a single NHTSA recall campaign, including the defect description, safety consequence, and manufacturer's remedy. The affected vehicles listed below are the make/model/year combinations tracked in our database — this is not a VIN-specific result. To check whether your individual vehicle is covered by this recall, enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Click any vehicle below to view its full safety profile.

Affected Vehicles (16)

Year	Make	Model
2015	Audi	A3
2016	Audi	A3
2017	Audi	A3
2018	Audi	A3
2019	Audi	A3
2020	Audi	A3
2017	Audi	RS3
2018	Audi	RS3
2019	Audi	RS3
2020	Audi	RS3
2015	Audi	S3
2016	Audi	S3
2017	Audi	S3
2018	Audi	S3
2019	Audi	S3
2020	Audi	S3

Browse Affected Vehicles

Affected Models

Audi A3 Audi RS3 Audi S3

Affected Years

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

This recall information is from NHTSA campaign 21V198000. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA. Contact your dealer or call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.