Volkswagen’s troubles would appear to be endless. Emissions scandals and huge fines aside, the car company is now facing a huge recall. As per a report from the AFP, the German automaker will be recalling more than half a million vehicles in the U.S. due to defects that could result in fires or airbag malfunctions. Almost 600,000 cars are affected by the recall, most of them Audis.
The recall was issued Saturday after a number of incidents were reported in China and Israel. Luckily, no deaths have yet been reported in the U.S. that are related to the defects, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on its website. And in order to ensure that this remains the case, dealerships will be making the necessary repairs and part replacements for free.
Car models affected include the 2011-2017 Audi A5s (which suffer from corrosion problems affecting airbag deployment), as well as A4s, A6s, and Q5s produced in or after 2012 (which suffer from faulty coolant pumps that can cause fires). The 2018 Q7 also has issues pertaining to faulty airbag deployment and seat belt problems. As for Volkswagen cars, the 2017 Golf, the 2016 e-Golf, and the 2017 Tiguan also have airbag and potential fire hazard issues.
It is unclear whether the faulty airbags at play were manufactured by Takata, the Japanese firm in the midst of the largest product recall ever conducted in the U.S. Tens of millions of the company’s airbags are under recall, and nearly a dozen people have died as a result of their problematic design in the U.S. alone.
You can check out the entirety of the NHTSA recall here, and if your vehicle is one of the models affected, head over to your nearest Audi or Volkswagen dealership immediately to have the problems addressed.
