NHTSA campaign 18V082000 · Manufacturer campaign 69R6
Audi Recall 18V-082: Driver's Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Rupture
- Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation
NHTSA recall 18V082000 (Manufacturer campaign 69R6) was reported by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. on January 30, 2018, with 162,782 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Audi A3, Audi Q5, Audi A4 Cabriolet and more for model years 2006–2013. Owners were notified on February 23, 2018, per NHTSA.
Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files
Is my vehicle included?
This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 18V082000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.
To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Audi VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Key facts
- NHTSA campaign
- 18V082000 (also written 18V-082 or 18V082)
- Filed by
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Manufacturer campaign number
- 69R6
- Report received
- Potentially affected
- 162,782 vehicles (per NHTSA)
- Component
- Air Bags — Frontal — Driver Side — Inflator Module
- Owners notified
Repair completion: 78.88% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)
NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.
Vehicles listed for this recall
NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 18V082000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.
Audi
Audi A3
Audi A4 Cabriolet
Audi A5 Cabriolet
Audi Q5
Audi RS 4
- 2008 · Vehicles built September 5, 2007 – February 5, 2008 (per NHTSA)
Audi S4 Cabriolet
- 2009 · Vehicles built June 26, 2006 – November 5, 2008 (per NHTSA)
Audi S5 Cabriolet
NHTSA's recall notice
As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 18V082000.
Defect description
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Safety consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Manufacturer remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Sources
Official NHTSA notice for recall 18V082000
Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.