NHTSA Complaint #11487291 — 2018 AUDI Q5

Have been receiving an intermittent warning: Safety malfunction for the passenger airbag. The light comes on intermittently. Comes on most often when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. If I place a small bag (handbag, purse etc.) on the seat sometimes the light goes off sometimes it does not. If someone is sitting in the seat the malfunction light is not present. The dealer confirmed the malfunction stating: They found the safety malfunction light is being triggered by a faulty passenger front seat pod and needs to be replaced for $2,233. Doing a quick Audi forum search have found numerous individuals with similar complaints and many have even reached out to Audi. This appears to be a significant safety issue as it calls into question the reliability of airbag operation in the case of an accident.