Audi, Ferrari and Maserati are recalling more than 140,000 vehicles from 2015 to 2019 model years because the airbags are unsafe with either sudden deployment or no deployment during operation.
The Audi defect (19V415) is caused a loose contact. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may detect an error and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied.
Ferrari (19V411) and Maserati (19V461) airbag defects result from a bad solder joint in an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) possibly causing the non-deployment or improper deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners. ZF Friedrichshafen is the German supplier responsible for this potentially deadly problem.
If your vehicle is included in these recalls, it is important it is fixed as soon as possible given the potential danger to a driver and passengers if it is not addressed. Owners of record should receive a separate letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer on the recall and explaining when the remedy will be available, whom to contact to repair a vehicle, and to state that the repair will be done at no charge.
If you believe your vehicle is included in the recall, but you do not receive a letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or contact your vehicle manufacturer or dealership. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Audi, Ferrari, Maserati Recalling Defective Airbags
Audi, Ferrari and Maserati are recalling more than 140,000 vehicles from 2015 to 2019 model years because the airbags are unsafe with either sudden deployment or no deployment during operation.
The Audi defect (19V415) is caused a loose contact. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may detect an error and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied.
Ferrari (19V411) and Maserati (19V461) airbag defects result from a bad solder joint in an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) possibly causing the non-deployment or improper deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners. ZF Friedrichshafen is the German supplier responsible for this potentially deadly problem.
If your vehicle is included in these recalls, it is important it is fixed as soon as possible given the potential danger to a driver and passengers if it is not addressed. Owners of record should receive a separate letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer on the recall and explaining when the remedy will be available, whom to contact to repair a vehicle, and to state that the repair will be done at no charge.
If you believe your vehicle is included in the recall, but you do not receive a letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or contact your vehicle manufacturer or dealership. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.