2015 Audi S3 Air Bags & Restraints Problems

When driving, without AND more importantly, WITH, a passenger in the front passenger seat, the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) light goes on and indicates that the passenger air bag has been deactivated. I looked on line and saw that Audi has already recalled certain 2015-2019 Audi A3 Sedans but apparently my car is not part of the initial recall. I think the recall is BIGGER than Audi estimated and that my car should also be part of the recall. I plan to take to Audi to repair.

I got into an accident and my air bags didn’t deploy

A recall for my car's PODS system has been in place since March of 2021 but Audi continues to inform me that the part is not available to fix the recall. It has been a year and a half since the recall and the passenger airbag in my car continues to turn on and off randomly. I feel that it's completely unacceptable to have to wait this long for a fix. I just spoke with my dealership today (Audi of Westwood, Massachusetts) and they again informed me that there are no parts available to complete the repair. I find this unacceptable and am filing this complaint.

I had scheduled with the dealership to have the PODS recall fix completed. While waiting for the scheduled date my vehicle began showing symptoms described in the recall and they were sporadic just as described in the recall and only lasted a few seconds. The dealer called and cancelled my appointment as there are no parts available and they do not know when the recall parts will become available again. Then in early August things got worse than described in the recall campaign. Now I get the same Audi pre sense error on the dash when starting the vehicle and the airbag is disabled. The front passenger airbag has been disabled since early August and is never enabled if there is a passenger or not. I called dealer and was still told that they do not know when parts will be available. Called Audi and was told the same information as in the recall to read the owner manual and avoid the front passenger seat. There is no way to use the front passenger seat safely as the airbags are disabled and no one can tell me when I may be able to get it fixed. For my family we need to use every seat in the car so there is no way to not have someone in the front passenger seat. I would like Audi to fix the issue or at the least give a date of when it would be able to fix the vehicle. I need Audi to respond so that I know if I need to make decision to sell the vehicle for my families safety.

Audi issued a recall in March 2020. Seven months later, they still say that they have no solution. This is a major passenger safety issue and could result in serious injury or death. Seven months with no solution should not be accepted by NHTSA and we request that you take further enforcement action with Audi to achieve a fix quickly. They do not appear to feel pressure to act and issuing a recall without then rapidly achieving and implementing a fix makes a mockery of the NHTSA recall process.

Passenger Air bag light that indicates it is OFF and pre sense safety system failure . This has been occurring for years on my 2015 A3 . How long does the manufacture have to repair said problem ?

Passenger side air bag light came on and off even with not passenger on the vehicle PODS

The contact owns a 2015 Audi S3. The contact stated while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the airbag warning light and the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provide no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

I have had a passenger airbag recall since 2021, and I have tried to schedule the maintenance for that recall several times, but each of the 5 times that I’ve tried, the Audi dealership (in Glenwood Springs, CO) says they don’t have the parts in stock. Each time that happens, I’m told I’ve been put on the list for the next parts shipment. I am so tired of waiting, while in the meantime, my passengers are considered unsafe in this vehicle. I need to have this repaired soon, please. Thank you.

The contact's husband owns a 2015 Audi S3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal beeping sound would emit from the passenger’s side occupant detection system while the passenger’s side seat was vacant. The passenger’s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated at start-up. The contact stated that she would either buckle the seat belt or place a heavy object in the passenger’s seat to stop the beeping. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part was not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I GOT A PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF PROBLEM ON THE SECOND YEAR, AND KEEP GOING BACK TO DEALERSHIP TO CHECK THE PROBLEM UNTIL I GOT A RECALL NOTICE. AFTER HAVING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR REPAIRED RECALL, THE CAR STILL COMES UP THE SAME PROBLEM PLUS THE PASSENGER SEATBELT OFF LIGHT UP. THE AUDI DEALERSHIP NOW TELL ME THAT THE PODS SENSOR IS FAULTY AND LET ME PAY FOR ITS SAFETY PROBLEMS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAVE IT DONE WITH MY CAR AFTER RECALL, AND I FEEL REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH AUDI RIGHT NOW.

REGARDING: NHTSA CAMPAIGN# 19V474000 RECALL# 69Z4 VEHICLE WAS TAKING INTO AUDI DEALERSHIP IN CUYAHOGA FALLS OH AND COMPLETED THE SAFETY RECALL FIX. 11 MONTHS LATER, THE PODS SYSTEM INDICATED ANOTHER CIRCUIT FAILURE. TAKE BACK INTO SAME DEALERSHIP AND CONFIRMED SAME SAFETY RECALL FAILURE. WOULD NOT HONOR THE 12MTH/12K WARRANTY AS I WAS ABOUT 5K MILES PAST. THEY WANT ABOUT $700 TO FIX. I AM DECIDING NOT TO HAVE THEM FIX IT. I HAVE HEARD THIS PROBLEM KEEPS HAPPENING. SO RIGHT NOW I HAVE NO PASSENGER AIR BAGS AND LOOKING FOR A WAY TO BYPASS THE PODS CIRCUIT TO STAY ON ALWAYS I GUESS.

THE PASSENGER BAG SAFETY LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY, AND HAS DONE FOR SOME TIME. THE PROBLEM OCCURS SOMETIMES WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT, BUT MOSTLY IT WILL OCCUR WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS UNOCCUPIED. THE YELLOW DASH LIGHT COMES ON NEAR THE PASSENGER AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATES. THE INFORMATION PANEL ON THE DASH WILL SIMULTANEOUSLY REPORT "SAFETY SYSTEM: SYSTEM FAULT! SEE OWNER'S MANUAL" AND "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" AND "AUDI PRE SENSE: SYSTEM FAULT!" THIS STARTED TO HAPPEN RIGHT AFTER THE RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WIRING . I WAS ONLY 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE AUDI DEALERSHIP WHEN IT STARTED. DEALER SAID IT WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL AND $980 TO FIX IT.

I HAD THE PODS RECALL 19V47400 DONE AND NOTICED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON SAYING AUDI PRE SENSE SYSTEM FAULT, AND SAFETY SYSTEM: SYSTEM FAULT, WHERE THE PASSENGER SEAT WILL THINK SOMEONE IS IN IT AND THEN WHEN SOMEONE IS IN IT, THE AIRBAG WILL STAY OFF AND OCCASIONALLY COME ON BUT TURN BACK OFF QUICKLY AFTER, ALL WHILE THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND ERRORS STAY ON THE DASH

THE PODS SENSOR IN THE ACTUAL PASSENGER SEAT IS FAULTY ON ALL AUDI A3/S3/RS3 MODELS AND WILL SHUT OFF THE AIRBAG WHILE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS ISSUE IS NOT DUE TO THE CURRENT RECALL ON THE HARNESS BUT THE ACTUAL SEAT SENSOR. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD HAVE A RECALL FOR.

Audi has had a safety recall on this vehicle since I purchased the car in June 2019. In 2019 and early 2020, there were no issues. About two years into owning the vehicle, I started experiencing faults, error codes, and safety lights on my dash due to issues with the passenger seat air bag. I brought the vehicle to Audi Burlington in MA and they said that the issues I was having was due to the recall but there was no fix. In January of 2022, I received a letter saying that there was fix for the recall. I called to schedule an appointment and they were booked 6 months out due to part availability. I made my appointment for June 6th, first available. A few weeks before my appointment, I received a letter saying Audi of America was stopping the fix due to part availability and not to bring my car in to my appointment. This recall is preventing me from passing state inspection and is a safety issue for any passengers in the car.

MY VEHICLE HAD A PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL PERFORMED REGARDING A FAULTY AIRBAG SENSOR THAT WOULD INADVERTENTLY DISABLE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WHILE THERE WAS A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED, HOWEVER THE ISSUE HAS RETURNED WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT. THE MANUFACTURER HAS STATED THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT COVER THE ENTIRE PODS UNIT AND ONLY COVERS A PORTION OF IT, AND THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR. *TR

THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SEATBELT SENSOR GOING OFF IF THERE WAS NO PASSENGER ON SEAT AND PASSENGER AIRBAG BEING OFF DESPITE A PASSENGER SITTING ON THE SEAT. (CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V474000) I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE RECALL WHERE THEY REPLACED THE FAULTY WIRE/CONNECTOR AND EXCHANGED IT FOR A MORE STURDY CONNECTOR. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW MONTHS AFTER TAKING IT IN AND THEN THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN RANDOMLY GOING TO WORK, AND SINCE THEN HAS NOT GONE AWAY! THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON AND THE SEATBELT ALARM GOES OFF EVEN IF THERE IS NO PASSENGER, IF THERE IS A PASSENGER, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS STILL OFF. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT'S NOT THE WIRE/CONNECTOR AND THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE SENSOR SYSTEM ON THE SEAT WHICH THE WARRANTY IS NOT GOING TO COVER SINCE THEY DON'T COVER SAFETY THINGS WHICH NOW THEY WILL CHARGE AROUND 1000 DOLLARS. I WENT AHEAD WITH THE REPAIR BECAUSE THIS IS A LIABILITY ISSUE, AND I CANNOT HAVE PASSENGERS IN MY VEHICLE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS SAYING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF EVEN IF A PERSON IS SITTING THERE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AS THE FAULTY WIRE/CONNECTOR REPLACEMENT IS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX AND THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE SENSOR SYSTEM IN THE SEAT TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED! THANK YOU.

AUDI RELEASED A SAFETY RECALL FOR THE AIRBAGS ON MY VEHICLE, I HAVE HAD THE SAFETY RECALL PERFORMED TWICE AND I AM STILL GETTING THE SAME AIRBAG ERRORS. AUDI HAS NOT ADMITTED THAT THEY ARE NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THE ISSUE AGAIN DESPITE REPLACING PARTS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO FIX THE ISSUE. NOW I HAVE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH NO AIRBAGS WHEN THE ERROR COMES ON, WHICH IS EVERY TIME I START THE CAR.