Audi News and Notes

For the love of everything, is there an airbag out there that's not trying to kill us these days?

We all know about Takata, the airbag supplier which made moisture-sensitive, death traps that are responsible for worldwide panic. Well, not to be outdone we're now looking at recalls for Autoliv airbags, another supplier that's not doing a good job. From CarComplaints.com:

"In December 2016, Autoliv told VW about problems with the airbags, specifically about airbag igniters in the front passenger airbag modules. The airbag module igniters have a generant mix ratio that may not be up to standards and specifications, causing the igniters to fail and causing failure of the airbags to deploy."…

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Audi is recalling 234,000 of the 2011-2017 Q5 SUVs because their side airbags can explode into pieces, potentially doing more harm than good.

While this sounds a whole lot like the Takata fiasco, this problem isn't related.

I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. From CarComplaints.com:

"If the water drainage system of the panoramic sunroof becomes damaged, water could enter the side head airbag canister and be absorbed by the foam around the inflator. The moisture can cause corrosion of the airbag inflator and fracture the metal canister even without the airbag deploying."…

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Finally! Some news about Audi that doesn't involve diesel emissions or Takata airbags.

I mean this does involve your engine potentially catching on fire, but we have to start somewhere. From CarComplaints.com:

"In 2015 and 2016, Audi learned of incidents involving overheating in the engine compartments, so an investigation was opened in 2016 to track down the problem. Engineers determined foreign materials and debris could block the coolant pumps, leading to overheating, smoldering and a severe risk of fire."…

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Takata. Recall.

Two words I'm tired of typing and you're tired of hearing about. Well, let's hold hands and work on our breathing exercises, because Audi has recalled yet another 33,400 vehicles with Takata airbags. This recall focuses on the front passenger-side airbag inflators.

There's a full list of which Audi vehicles are involved on CarComplaints.com.…

Now might not be the best time to travel if you're a VW executive.

While traveling in Florida, VW executive Oliver Schmidt was arrested and charged for his alleged role in the diesel emissions scandal. From CarComplaints.com:

"Schmidt has already appeared before a U.S. District Court in Miami but didn't enter a plea. He was ordered held for a hearing scheduled for Thursday, January 12, in front of Judge William C. Turnoff."

Mr. Schmidt was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act.…

Volkswagen has received the stamp of approval for a fix of about 475,000 2-liter "clean diesel" vehicles.

These are the so-called "generation 3" diesels and are all from the 2015 model year. The list includes the 2015 Audi A3.

"Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) say the approved emissions modifications will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 to 90 percent."…

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Volkswagen says the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) in some of its cars are having a fight.

When the ABS is activated it can disable the ESC. That's a fight where no-one wins.

"Volkswagen engineers found a fault inside the anti-lock brake system control module that can cause the module to fail whenever the electronic stability control or ABS system activates. A driver will notice warning lights for the brakes, the anti-lock braking system and the electronic stability control system.…

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