Airbag and seat belt recall issues are the cause of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Audi’s media release boasts that the all-new 2022 Audi A3 is “more spacious, more powerful, and more dynamic than ever.” That’s great if you’re willing to risk driving a sedan that has serious safety issues Audi can’t resolve because of a lack of parts. Owners are complaining that the parts needed for recall repairs on airbags and seat belts are not available. The malfunction of both these vehicle safety devices increases the risk of injury if the A3 crashes,
Click on another model year to view more problems: 2019 2020
If complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) are anything to go by, there aren’t any problems with the 2022 Audi A3. That probably isn’t completely true since many people don’t bother to document issues and share them with authorities like the NHTSA.
The complaints that have been sent to the NHTSA by 2022 A3 owners all focus on recalls issued by Audi and the fact that they aren’t able to honor the recalls because of a lack of parts. This is a real concern because the recalls are a result of safety issues. This means that affected vehicles are not safe to drive. It doesn’t matter that they haven’t experienced the failure they’ve been warned about. As long as the fault isn’t fixed, the danger is real.
The recalls in question affect the front passenger airbag and the A3’s seat belt tensioners.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Seat Belts |
The 2022 Audi A3 has had a total of 6 recalls. Half of the recalls relate to the sedan’s rear view camera that either doesn’t display an image or a camera that doesn’t operate at all. In all instances, the fault reduces the driver’s rear view and increases the risk of a crash.
The other 3 recalls are all due to faults and malfunctions that increase the risk of injury in a crash.
“Incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage” can be an issue when child seats are installed. If this happens, the seat may not be properly installed or secured. Only 466 2022 Audi A3 and S3 sedans are affected.
As many as 2,584 2022 A3 and S3s are affected by a seat belt tensioner recall that states this safety device may not restrain properly. And an estimated 4,117 2022 A3, S3, and RS3 vehicles may be affected by an airbag recall. The notification states that the front passenger airbag may not deploy properly because it has been folded incorrectly and can tear as a result.
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The Audi A3 comes standard with ten airbags, including rear side airbags. According to Audi’s press release, this allows them to “maintain a full suite of standard and available ddriver assistance features, designed to help drivers confidently navigate the road and traffic.”
Again, this sounds wonderful. But at least one of these airbags isn’t up to standards because it hasn’t been folded and installed correctly.
NHTSA Campaign Number 22V652000, dated August 29, 2022, states that an incorrectly folded airbag can tear, which will stop it from deploying properly if the A3 crashes. Dealers were to replace the front passenger airbag module free of charge. Owners were notified in October and the remedy should have been available by December 2022.
All 3 of the complaints on file with the NHTSA state that owners received the airbag recall notification, but the part required for the recall repair wasn’t available. While the complaints were filed in September and November 2022, there is no indication of whether their airbag repair had been completed by January 2023.
This recall, dated March 22, 2021, warns that passenger airbags in 2020 Audi A3 and other Audis may deactivate because of a passenger occupant detection system (PODS) malfunction. The problem is that by at least September 2022, the issue had not been resolved because the parts were still not in stock.
Will it be any different with the 2022 airbag recall?
Again, the 2022 A3 is not the only Audi to have problems that affect the seat belts and the tensioners used to restrain passengers and drivers in these sedans. And, as what seems to have become the norm, when the recall was implemented in July 2022, Audi said that the remedy for this problem wasn’t available.
An owner from Washington complained that neither the airbag or the seat belt recall remedy was available after being notified that there were serious safety issues. Furthermore, this complaint states that both the front and rear seat belts had malfunctioned. “The seat belts would lock in position not enabling the passengers to release themselves from the seat belts. The seat belts sometimes fail to tighten and secure the passenger while seated.”
So, how do you know if you’ve bought a lemon car? Generally, the indication will be that the problems you experience affect the use and/or the value of your vehicle, often both.
If you believe your Audi A3 might be a lemon, you can contact a lemon law firm like Lemberg Law to help you. We have many years of experience handling lemon law cases, and will assess your case free of charge. If we believe you have a claim, we can negotiate a settlement on your behalf. The law says that Audi must pay your legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you anything. Call our Helpline now or fill out a contact form and we’ll get back to you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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