Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
Safety risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Manufacturer remedy
Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
153,152
Reported to NHTSA
2021-03-22
Owners notified
2021-12-23
Defect description
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.
Safety risk
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags
45
48,500 mi
Electrical system
17
62,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
13
90,605 mi
Seat belts
10
58,000 mi
Seats
10
44,339 mi
Engine
9
55,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
9
83,000 mi
Unknown or other
8
—
Power train
5
7,000 mi
Steering
2
—
Structure: body
2
—
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
1
—
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
—
Engine and engine cooling
1
122,000 mi
Exterior lighting
1
700 mi
Tires: sidewall
1
39,000 mi
Visibility/wiper
1
60,000 mi
The 2016 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.
