Volkswagen has recalled over 600,000 Audi vehicles over issues in two different model years – potential fire risks and an airbag issue.
The first recall involved 342,000 turbocharged A5 coupes and convertibles as well as turbocharged Q5 SUVs 2013 to 2017 model years from, attributing to because the coolant pump that can catch fire if clogged with debris. The second recall involved 234,000 Q5 SUVs from 2011 to 2017 because of the water leak from the sunroof, soaking into the foam around the side airbag inflators potentially causing them explode.
According to Audi, the company became aware of the issues in 2015 and started investigation in early 2016 before issuing the two separate recall. It has received reports regarding engine overheating and the potential fire risks were discovered in December 2016.
As for the first recall, Audi will fix the issue via the application of a software update, cutting off the power supply the coolant pump upon the detection of overheating. The Audi owners will receive the notifications on their instrument panel through an indicator light.
On the second recall, the German automobile manufacturer will dismantle and inspect the water drainage system of the sunroof as well as the airbag canisters. They will replace or seal the inflator with wax if there is corrosion already.
The dealers will also receive notifications on Feb. 13 of the vehicles that are part of the recall order, while the affected vehicle owners will be notified on Feb. 20. Audi was the latest high-end automaker to recall vehicles with problems this week. Aside from Audi, Maserati and BMW issued recalls as well earlier this week for various problems. The recalled Audi vehicles have become part of the misfortunes of its parent company Volkswagen, which is still dealing with the Dieselgate scandal that happened in September 2015.