AUDI air bags recall — 21V198000

What does this record mean?

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. reported recall 21V198000 to NHTSA on March 22, 2021. The record falls under air bags and covers 12 make-model-year combinations across AUDI, model years 2016–2020.

A recall is the manufacturer identifying a safety-related defect or a non-compliance with a standard in a group of vehicles, and reporting it officially. It does not mean the whole vehicle is faulty: it covers a specific condition found in a specific part, within a specific build range.

This record concerns occupant restraint systems: air bags, seat belts or child seat anchorages. These systems only act in a crash, so a defect can be present with no symptom at all in everyday driving.

What should I do?

Waiting for a symptom does not work with this family. If an air bag or seat belt warning light is on, do not leave it. If the record concerns child seat anchorages, secure the seat using the alternative method the manufacturer specifies until the remedy is applied.

Work carried out under a recall is done at no cost to the owner. This does not depend on the vehicle still being in warranty: a recall is not a warranty claim, it is a separate obligation. The dealer should not charge you for labour or parts.

Whether a record covers your vehicle is determined by make, model and model year — but not every vehicle of that model year is necessarily included. The manufacturer usually covers a specific build date range. Only a VIN-based lookup gives a definite answer.

Where is the VIN?

The VIN has 17 characters and appears in four places: on a plate at the lower left corner of the windscreen, on the label inside the driver's door jamb, on the registration document, and on most vehicles on a label in the engine bay. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q; the similar-looking characters are the digits 1, 0 and 9.

Before you go to the dealer

The work is done at the manufacturer's authorised dealer. Quoting the campaign number when you book shortens the process, because the dealer can order the part in advance. If you are not sure whether your vehicle is covered, verify it on the manufacturer's own VIN lookup page; that link is provided on this page.

Before you go to the dealer, have three things ready: the VIN, the registration document and the campaign number. If you have seen a symptom related to the defect, note when and under what conditions; that speeds up diagnosis. Keep the paperwork showing the work that was done: it is useful when you sell the vehicle or if a second record appears.

Source and currency

The official text on this page is reproduced exactly as NHTSA published it. It has not been summarised, rewritten or interpreted. The rest of the page is written in this language.

NHTSA records cover vehicles sold in the US market. A model with the same name sold in Europe or elsewhere may have been built with different equipment and different suppliers, so whether a record covers your vehicle is settled only by the manufacturer's own lookup.

When a record stops appearing in the source, this page is taken down the same day and the address returns a 410 response; no text is left behind. If you have an objection about a record, you can send it from the correction page.