Passenger side airbag glitch promts Audi to recall over 153,000 vehicles
Audi is adding more vehicles to an earlier recall, which now encompasses just over 153,000 vehicles, including some vehicles that may have been previously serviced for the same problem.

Passenger side airbags may fail to activate in some vehicles, like this 2017 Audi A3 Cabriolet.
Photo source: Audi Morton Grove
Many vehicles these days, including models from Audi, have sensors to tell the airbag system which seats have passengers sitting in them, so that if the vehicle is in a collision, only the necessary airbags are deployed.
A light on the console indicates PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF when no one is sitting in that seat. Due to this glitch, the passenger side airbag may not be operational, and this indicator light may come on, even when someone is seated there.
If the airbag did not deploy during a collision, a passenger's injuries could be much greater.
The vehicles affected by this recall are: the 2015 - 2019 A3 Cabriolet; the 2015 - 2020 S3 & A3 Sedan; the 2016 - 2018 A3 E-Tron; the 2017 - 2020 RS3 Sedan.
Audi is still trying to determine what is causing this problem. An earlier solution for some Audi models didn't remedy the situation, so it's possible there may be more than one component involved in causing this issue.
Audi's parent company, Volkswagen Group of America, will contact affected vehicle owners by May 21st to let them know about the problem, and then again once a premanent solution is devised, so they can have their vehicle repaired, free of charge.
For more information, vehicle owners can call Audi customer service at 800-253-2834 and reference recall number 69BY.
Read more at Consumer Reports: Audi A3 Recalled Because Passenger Airbag Could Be Deactivated
Also at Car and Driver: Audi Recalls A3, S3 over Passenger Airbag System Shutoffs
See if your vehicle is affected: safercar.gov/vin