Skip to main content

Audi recalls 31,000 A4, A5 models to fix issue with sharp speaker surrounds

Audi had recalled about 31,000 2017-18 A4 sedan and allroads and 2018 A5 Sportbacks to replace bright speaker surrounds that can come loose and cause injuries in crashes.
2017 Audi A4 allroad

Sometimes, it seems, even the best plans of car designers can go off the rails. For example, let’s say a designer thinks that having a chrome speaker surround (the trim bit the encircles a car’s speakers) looks great and the factory agrees. So, the surrounds are ordered and inserted during the build process, and everything seems right, only to find things aren’t as good as they first appeared.

Benign-loolking piece can be dangerous

So, what was the problem? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the surrounds, believe it or not, may be dangerous and the automaker must take care of the issue to make cars safer. It seems that the surrounds may have sharp edges that can cause injuries during a crash.

It might seem as if this is overkill, but it isn’t. Audi has just recalled 31,323 2017-18 A4 sedan and allroad models, as well as 2018 A5 Sportbacks for this problem. According to a notice from the federal agency, the bright speaker trim surrounds on the front, and rear doors of these models can work loose, exposing the passengers to sharp edges and potential injuries.

This might seem like a minor reason for a recall, but it isn’t. Metal radio surrounds if they are jarred loose can have an edge that is quite sharp. It is usually the outer edge of the surround because that is the deepest side; the side that is inserted into the door panel. If one of the surrounds does become loose and flies across the passenger compartment in a crash it can create some nasty injuries.

Audi will begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles this month. At that time, drivers can contact their dealers and set up appointments to have the surrounds replaced free of charge.

Customers can contact Audi, NHTSA

For further information, owners can contact Audi customer service at 800-253-2834 and inquire about recall campaign 70G6.

Owners can also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. Or, they can go to www.safercar.gov – the agency’s website – for information about recall 17V675000.

Source: NHTSA

Automotive News
Audi