- Vehicles
- 139,249
- Built between
- Jan 2011 – Apr 2018
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 29 November 2018
- Repaired
- 85%
- Unrepaired
- 21,376
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2011 and April 2018. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2012-2018 Audi A6Built April 2011 to April 2018
- 2012-2018 Audi A7Built January 2011 to April 2018
- 2014-2018 Audi RS 7Built July 2013 to April 2018
- 2013-2018 Audi S6Built June 2012 to April 2018
- 2013-2018 Audi S7Built June 2012 to March 2018
Repair progress
21,376 of 139,249 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2020.
85% repaired — 117,762 of 139,249 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 83
- Scrapped or exported
- 28
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.
What could happen
If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2011 to April 2018
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 June 2018
- Owners notified29 November 2018
- Latest repair reportQ1 2020 — 85% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 4 June 2018.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 74D5
- Recalling manufacturer
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.