Safety is a top priority when it comes to cars and not compromising on it even for a moment is the name of the game. However, sometimes due to uncategorized circumstances, some problems sometimes affect the vehicles. And the latest of the cases to come out is from German luxury car maker Audi. Audi recently announced a recall of 4,117 of its small cars due to a defect that could cause the front passenger airbag to inflate. According to the company, the 2022 A3, S3 and performance-oriented RS3 are the models found to have this problem.
According to Audi, the problem was first observed on March 4, when in the process of completing serial monitoring and compliance testing of the dashboard, it was revealed that the test car’s front passenger airbag had failed after deployment. Audi chose to test eight more vehicles in April specifically to look for the problem, but no tears were found. Expanding the test to include 120 airbags that had previously been produced, the manufacturer found irregularities in the way the airbags were deployed.
Audi then met with the airbag manufacturer, Autoliv Airbags Poland, to repeat the compliance test eight times to identify the root problem. However, none ended up with an airbag malfunction. Although production data for the component in question showed no indication of a deviation, Audi and Autoliv found “deviations inside the airbag fold” after testing 120 airbags for problems.
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This issue, which affects 3,681 A3 sedans built between July 26, 2021 and April 26, 2022, 420 S3 sedans built between July 8, 2021 and March 22, 2022, and 16 RS3 sedans built between March 23 and April 28, 2022 , fortunately not subject to warranty claims or customer complaints.
According to documentation provided to the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the exact replacement for the replacement module is the front passenger airbag module carrier bearing part number 8Y1880204 D. The additional monitoring step designed to remove any error in the airbag folding process is the only difference between suspect and correct airbag modules. After April 28, an airbag module is installed in every vehicle produced. Therefore, they must be secure. Audi intends to contact owners of vehicles built before that date starting October 28. They will be instructed to visit a local dealership to have the front passenger airbag module replaced.
Airbags are one of the most effective safety features available in any car and are of great importance in the event of an accident. That is why our country’s Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Ministry Nitin Gadkari is forcing car manufacturers to introduce 6 airbags in their cars. Recently, while speaking at the IAA Global Summit, he said: “The same manufacturers put in 6 airbags when they export these cars. Then why put only 4 airbags in Indian cars? Does our life have no values? An airbag costs only ₹900 and as the number increases, the price will only decrease,” He also stated, “I told the industry – people are dying. I had an accident myself. There are international standards in terms of road safety – we will not compromise on them. Our highest priority is to save lives,”
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