Volkswagen Group of America has identified an issue affecting 91 vehicles from the premium-oriented Audi brand. As it happens, the passenger seat occupant detection system control module pins were not soldered properly to the circuit board.
The supplier hails from Luxembourg, which is the only sovereign grand duchy in the world as of 2024. Turning out attention back to the incorrectly soldered pins, VWoA couldn't rule out a potential interruption in communication between the passenger seat occupant detection system control module and the airbag control module. In other words, the front passenger airbag could deactivate, increasing the risk of injury in case of a crash.
Thankfully for Volkswagen Group of America and affected customers, an interruption in communication would automatically trigger the yellow airbag warning light. In this event, owners are urged to contact a dealer for diagnosis. The automaker became aware of a deviation in the soldering process back on November 24, 2023.
The German manufacturer started investigating in December 2023. As part of the investigation, Audi became aware of two warranty claims related to the recall condition. On February 27 this year, the supplier improved the automated optical inspection process on the production line to ensure that all pins inside the control module are properly soldered.
The supplier in question is IEE S.A., and the part number of the subject control unit is 4M0959339. Obviously enough, VWoA has instructed Audi dealers to replace all suspect passenger seat occupant detection system control modules. Owner notifications will be sent on or before May 31.
Photo: Audi
Regarding the affected vehicles, the list kicks off with the Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8, SQ7, RS Q8, e-tron, and e-tron Sportback. As for the cars, make that A3, A4 allroad, A8, TT, S5, and RS 5. Of the aforementioned 91 vehicles, the Q5 comprises 36 units produced for model years 2023 and 2024 from January 27, 2023 through November 29, 2023.
Audi reported 228,550 deliveries in the United States last year, a year-over-year increase of 22 percent compared to 2022. It should come as no surprise that Q5 is the brand's most popular vehicle in this part of the world, with the premium-oriented crossover moving 74,145 examples of the breed.
The second best-selling Audi in the United States is the Q7 (28,931 deliveries in 2023), followed by the A5 (23,777 units) and Q3 (22,189 units). Given that spy photographers have recently captured the all-new Q5 with production-spec everything under the camo, the next generation is likely due to be launched in late 2024 for the 2025 model year.
Similar to the outgoing second generation, the newcomer will retain its four- and six-cylinder engines. The US-market Q5 starts at $45,300 for model year 2024, whereas the Q5 Sportback is $52,200 from the outset. Prospective customers who can't do without a sixer can step up to the SQ5, which is $57,700 and $61,100, respectively, before destination.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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