— An Audi A3 and Audi S3 recall involves more than 2,500 cars because of problems with the seat belt pretensioners.
Audi says the 2022 Audi A3 and S3 seat belt retention forces for front seat occupants may fail to properly restrain occupants in crash impacts.
The seat belt pretensioner helps to hold occupants in the seated position during a crash, but the retention force in the Audi cars may not reach intended levels.
"As a result, the position of the body can be further to the front of the seat, which leads to a negative influence on the whole restraint system, increasing the risk of injury." — Audi
Audi blames a "variation and wear of the tools in production of the seat belt assembly, the retention force of the seat belt may not reach the intended level."
The automaker found the problem in January while performing crash testing for South Korean vehicles, learning the retention force of the seat belt was too low. The supplier already knew of the problem and fixed it during production, but Audi decided to issue the recall to replace any parts possibly affected.
Audi says it isn't aware of any warranty claims related to the seat belts.
Audi A3 and Audi S3 recall letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022, and dealers will replace both front seat belt assemblies.
Audi A3 and S3 customers with questions should call 800-253-2834 and refer to recall number 68i2.
