I just purchased this vehicle from a private owner. I am already aware of the driver side airbag recall. Went to turn key to auxiliary to close sun roof and the steering wheel airbag deployed in my face. The vehicle had been parked and not driven for over 12 hours. Vehicle is available for inspection any time.
2001 Audi A4 airbags problems
11 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Frontal2
- Frontal: driver side: inflator module1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Audi A4 airbags problems in other years
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2000-2001 Audi TT Coupe, TT Roadster, 2000-2002 A4, and S4 vehicles equipped with Non-Azide Driver Air Bag Inflators (NADI) that do not contain phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. Due to a manufacturing issue, the NADI inflators may absorb moisture, possibly causing the air bag to deploy improperly in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, the air bag may not properly protect the occupant, increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69CJ.
Recall number 21V470000 · Recall details
What 2001 Audi A4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2001 Audi A4. The contact stated that upon closing the driver's side door, her husband heard a loud gun-like sound and he noticed that the passenger-side curtain air bags had deployed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's husband cut the curtain air bags and drove the vehicle to his residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving the vehicle on a highway going straight at ~65mph the passenger side curtain and seat airbags deployed for no reason. Vehicle manufacturer cited a "crash" signal from side impact sensor was the cause of the false deployment. No physical cause could be found, no damage was found on vehicle and all airbag system wiring was found to be intact and original. Manufacturer would not own failure and cited the vehicle being lowered as the cause. Manufacturer was unable to provide any evidence for this conclusion and vehicle is well within local laws/regulations for lowered vehicles.
All airbags failed to deploy in a driver's side "t-bone" collision. A-4 is equipped with side airbags. A-4 was stationary and occupied, minivan crashed into driver's door and part of front quarter panel. Van's rate of travel was 20 to 30 MPH in reverse! My wife suffered neck and shoulder injuries. Local audi dealer replaced the side airbag # 8d0 880 241 aa and the airbag controller module # 8d0 959 655 g. Only at my insistence, was this work performed when I continued to question why no airbags deployed. My direct questions were met with, "you know, more injuries occur when an airbag goes off, so, your wife is probably luckier that they didn't work". Wtf?! Hey buddy, let's put you in the driver's seat and ram minivan into it with the same speed and mass! Also, rest your arm on the open window and see if you don't lose an arm like my wife almost did. What are these guy's trying to cover up for audi?! Has there been a corporate decree of total liability avoidance with deceit being pushed down to the dealer level, or are they just idiots? I'm also in the class action regarding the oil sludge lawsuit. Now they are denying 1/2 of my claim because they say I'm missing proof of a single oil change that should be in the records of the dealership that performed the work, which for some reason all the records pertaining to that critical timeline have been wiped off audi's corporate comupter system. When will it all end? I'm about to drive this [xxx] carover a cliff! Any audi execs want to go for a ride? I feel I have been taken for a long enough ride after some $15,000 to $20,000 in repairs over the last 6 years. Let's hope our airbags will be free from failure in the event of a future accident. Someone else's experience has been that switching out the module with the same model module has not eliminated the problem completely and it has re-occurred, I.e., red light in dash coming on again and failure to deploy airbags in crash. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6
2001 audi a4 air bag light on dash. Dealer checked and stated air bag module bad. Order one and was installed april 27, 2010. Part # 8d0-959-655-g module. This is a major safety item. Can cause air bags to not deploy. Should last longer than it did.
Airbag controller fails with no apparent reason. Unit generates an unclear fault code (65535) when temperature drops below 32 degrees. This will not allow the airbags to deploy in case of an accident. Module has been replaced, and the same failure occurred again less than a year later.
Was going about 40 MPH and hit into a car that was making a left turn. The whole front end of the car is smashed in and still not one single air bag got deployed. It is an 2001 audi a4 1.8t. There is over 6 airbags in the vehicle and not one got deployed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 audi a4. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop and they stated that the driver side air bag deployed and needed to be replaced. The cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was never involved in a crash. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 41,800. Updated 11/26/07.
Air bag light remains illuminating while driving. Consumer states, " that the dealer had reset the air bag module ten times'. And the problem keeps recurring.
02 v 131 001/fmvss 201 air bag deployment & 04 v 357 000/camshaft position sensor/mil: the consumer received both of these recall notices and was unable to locate a authorized service center within her area.
Questions about the 2001 Audi A4 airbags
Does the 2001 Audi A4 have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the airbags of the 2001 Audi A4, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2001 Audi A4 airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Audi A4 airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 21V470000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Audi A4 have bad airbags?
The Audi A4 model years with the most airbags complaints are 2007 (119 complaints), 2008 (116 complaints) and 2006 (73 complaints).
Other 2001 Audi A4 problems
Electrical 35Brakes 33Engine 33Transmission 5Fuel system 3Lights 3Steering 3Suspension 3Visibility 3Seats 2Tires 2Acceleration 1Body 1Locks 1
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