VW recalls 44,387 Audi vehicles
So you’re driving your Audi down the road when boom—your instrument screen goes blank. No radio or backup camera. But also, no speedometer, warning lights, or any way to tell what gear you’re in. Are you speeding? You have no clue. You pull over. Is your car in park? Not sure. Audi is hoping to prevent this dangerous situation with its latest recall.
According to the NHTSA, 2,285 drivers have reported this exact issue to Volkswagen Group. All of them were in 2021 Audi vehicles. So the automaker is recalling 44,387 cars to inspect and—hopefully—to repair.
What’s causing the Audi screen failure?
Honestly, Volkswagen Group is being a bit vague about the cause of this dangerous problem. It’s telling Audi owners to bring their vehicles in for a free instrument panel module software update to prevent the problem. But it also says the software error is caused by a “flex-foil cable” failing. That actually sounds like a hardware problem to me.
I’ve seen other automakers with an expensive hardware issue try to roll out a software patch to make their cars safe to drive again. Perhaps the Audi cable that’s failing is redundant, and thus a software solution could keep your instrument panel operational even if it fails.
Let’s hope that’s the case, because if this “band-aid” fix fails, Audi owners may experience a repeat recall when VW finally commits to replacing all of these failing cables.
Is my Audi part of the instrument panel recall?
VW is recalling 44,387 Audi vehicles—that’s almost all of them built in 2021. That includes:
- 2021 Audi A6
- 2021 Audi A6 Allroad
- 2021 Audi A7
- 2021 Audi A8
- 2021 Audi Q7
- 2021 Audi Q8
- 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant
- 2021 Audi RS 7
- 2021 Audi RS Q8
- 2021 Audi S6
- 2021 Audi S7
- 2021 Audi S8
- 2021 Audi SQ7
- 2021 Audi SQ8
We’ll just have to wait and see if the recall expands to other model years. Honestly, if it’s a piece of hardware, it was probably used across multiple model years. But if this is truly just a software issue, it might be limited to a single model year.
Curious if your Audi is part of recall 90VC? You can call your local Volkswagen dealership, or call NHTSA toll-free at 888-327-4236 with your VIN ready. You can also plug your VIN in at NHTSA.gov.
