Sedan does not identify every A3
21V-198 revised February 16, 2022 lists A3 Sedan MY2015–2020 separately from e-tron MY2016–2018 and Cabriolet MY2015–2019. Here only sedan; neither e-tron HV documentation nor convertible body requirements transfer by name.
Record actual passenger seat and replacement history. Vehicle year cannot identify a replacement seat. Upholstery photographs leave sensors/connections untested.
What the reported fault does
PODS can deactivate the passenger airbag despite an occupied seat, with dash/audible warnings and passenger airbag off. The intermittent fault may cease without user action. This establishes neither inflator rupture nor deployment.
Retain exact message and occurrence conditions, beyond a picture after it disappeared. No warning at another time cannot reconstruct earlier state. Explaining the individual message needs diagnostics.
Cause was still being investigated in this revision
The report states ongoing cause investigation, while remedy replaces the PODS mat and updates the module. Those actions do not supply a final material cause absent from the document, nor today’s investigation status.
After a crash, separate confirmed cabin traces and fault-origin hypotheses. Open seat, damaged harness and moisture each need records; none alone establishes why deactivation occurred.
Seat work requires its own check record
Identify removed/fitted components, diagnosis and adjustments under the appropriate procedure. The article does not replace installed-equipment documentation. Upholstery repair alone does not verify occupant detection.
A replacement without prior inspection leaves the removed part’s condition unknown. Do not join airbag did not deploy, PODS error and airbag replaced into a proved sequence without event evidence.
Body testing asks another question
IIHS identifies US redesign MY2015; CEN1413 used a MY2015 A3 1.8T Premium, rating MY2015–2020. The frontal test establishes neither replacement-seat condition nor another intermittent fault’s cause.
Seat configuration, hidden components and current VIN completion remain unknown without data. A test rating or generic cabin-work list cannot fill them.
Applicability to the individual vehicle
- A3 sedan MY2015–2020 only; Cabriolet/e-tron not merged.
- Cause ongoing as of February 16, 2022; no invented final/current finding.
- Intermittent PODS deactivation is not rupture, deployment reconstruction or individual fitment.
Primary sources
Sources checked on . Model or recall information does not establish the condition of an individual VIN.
Volkswagen Group of America / NHTSA repository: Part 573 Safety Recall Report 21V-198 / Audi69BY, February2022revision
Applicability and source location
US sedan MY2015–2020; separate e-tron MY2016–2018/Cabriolet MY2015–2019. Cause ongoing in that revision.
Page 2: sedan; page 3: intermittent PODS, disable/warnings, cause ongoing; page 4: mat/update.
Document date: 2022-02-16. Checked: .
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: IIHS: 2015 Audi A3
Applicability and source location
US sedan MY2015, CEN1413 MY2015–2020, not Cabriolet, e-tron battery or later sedan.
Driver CEN1413; passenger VTP1813 uses Audi-tested 2016 A3; protocol-specific ranges.
Document date: not specified in the source. Checked: .