All versions of the Audi A4 including sedan, wagon and Allroad models have been recalled globally due to a software glitch that could prevent the front airbags from deploying. The airbag issue has no relevance with the Takata global recall.
Audi AG has issued a worldwide recall comprising of 8,50,000 units of the A4 sedan, wagon and Allroad models that were manufactured from 2012 to October, 2014 over a possible defect with the front airbags. The German automaker stated that the fault was detected during internal investigations and a recall has been issued in order to fix a software glitch that prevented the front airbags from deploying in case of an accident. The Volkswagen Group company also clarified that the airbags were not manufactured by Takata Corp that has been currently in scrutiny for manufacturing defective airbags.
Audi says that the recall will take only a matter of 3 minutes to rectify the issue as a simple software update on the A4 will correct the problem. The automaker stated of having no knowledge of any deaths or injuries caused due to the airbag issue, but is looking into a number of accidents to see if the airbag was involved. Giving a country wise breakdown, Audi said that 2,50,000 units of the A4 were built for the Chinese market, while 1,50,000 units were sold in Germany. We’d request Audi A4 owners in India as well to confirm with their respective dealers for the software update.
In recent times, the issue of airbag recalls came to light after Takata Corp issued a series of global recalls involving 1.6 million cars from BMW, Toyota and Honda. The airbag defect was caused due to faulty parts and poor safety standards and have been linked to 4 deaths in Honda cars. In other cases of global recall, Audi’s parent company Volkswagen too issued a global recall of 1.1 million vehicles over problems with the rear-end suspension of certain models last week, while American giant General Motors has recalled over 3 million vehicles this year for the ignition-switch defect that resulted into deaths of several owners.
