WASHINGTON -- Audi is recalling nearly 102,000 A4 sedans in the United States to fix a software glitch that may prevent front airbags from deploying in a crash.
The 101,900 A4s from model years 2013-2015 being recalled stateside are part of a global recall of about 850,000 A4s built from Nov. 2011 to earlier this month. While some 7.8 million U.S. vehicles have been recalled since 2013 for defective Takata airbags that may explode shrapnel at vehicle occupants, Audi’s issue is different and Takata is not a supplier to the automaker, according to an Audi spokesman.
The spokesman said that routine quality assurance tests of A4s found a glitch in the software code that, in rare cases, may prevent airbags from deploying properly in a crash. Audi will “immediately” notify customers to take their vehicles to dealers who can update the software in about 20 minutes.
Audi says it has no reports of accidents or injuries related to the glitch in the United States.
About half of the vehicles affected globally are in Volkswagen brand's two biggest markets of China and Germany.
Audi is recalling about 250,000 A4 models in China, its biggest market, and 150,000 in Germany.
The airbag problem is caused by a software fault, affecting A4 sedans, station wagons and allroad models.
The world's No. 2 premium carmaker last week adjusted production of A4 models at its German plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, adding new software.
News of the recall was published earlier today by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport magazine.
Reuters contributed to this report.
