DETROIT — Volkswagen Group announced it is recalling more than 240,000 Audi vehicles in the U.S. and Canada because an electric seat heater cable problem can cause a computer to disable an air bag in the front passenger seat of several models.
Audi is recalling 208,332 cars in the U.S., according to Consumer Reports. They include the 2017-2020 A4 Allroad, A4 sedan, 2018-2019 RS5 Coupe, 2019 RS5 Sportback, and 2018-2020 A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe and Audi S5 Sportback vehicles, the magazine reported.
In documents filed with U.S. safety regulators, Volkswagen Group said the cable can be faulty, which causes the software to misdiagnose a malfunction and disable the passenger’s air bag, The Associated Press reported. The company said that increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Audi advised consumers that owners who experience this problem should immediately take their vehicle to a local dealership, according to Consumer Reports.
The recall is an expansion of recall 19V-547 (74D9) from 2019, Volkswagen Group said. Vehicles previously repaired under 19V-547 will have to be fixed again.
Owners will be notified by letter beginning Jan. 7, 2022, the AP reported. Dealers will replace the cable and either the heating map or the entire seat cover.