Air bags: sensor: occupant classification (Audi)
Vehicle recall 17V-196. NHTSA received Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.’s report on Mar 22, 2017.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. NHTSA’s own record is on nhtsa.gov.
The short answer
NHTSA received Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.’s report on Mar 22, 2017. Copied from NHTSA on Oct 19, 2026.
Every line below is in NHTSA’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
If the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
(Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi A3 and S3 Sedan vehicles.
In a lower-speed crash situation, the air bag control unit software may deploy the passenger frontal air bag improperly if the front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined.
As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.”
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- NHTSA’s part: Air bags: sensor: occupant classification.
What should you do?
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 69Q3.
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: 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 a vehicle by its VIN at NHTSA: the recalls still open on it are listed there.
Which ones are recalled?
NHTSA counts 11,618 vehicles potentially involved, across everything this recall names.
Each model year opens its own page: every recall naming it, its owner complaints and its crash ratings.
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who is recalling it?
- Made by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc..
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- NHTSA’s recall file doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt. Owners’ complaints are counted on each vehicle’s page.
- Whether one vehicle or seat has been fixed: only its maker, or NHTSA’s lookup with a VIN, can say.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
-
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010).
Released Oct 19, 2026 and checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
Vehicle, car seat, tire and vehicle equipment recalls, owner complaints and crash ratings are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Copied on Oct 19, 2026.