Volkswagen’s luxury unit Audi is to recall over 13,000 Q5 crossovers in the US because the front glass panel on the panoramic sunroof may shatter in extremely cold temperatures.
The New York Times cited a report on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which VW said it was made aware of the problem last winter by dealers who reported that the front glass panel on some Q5s had broken.
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Subsequent laboratory testing of the sunroof panels at temperatures as low as -40F indicated the glass on some units might separate from the surrounding frame, potentially causing the glass to shatter. If the glass were to break with the vehicle in motion, the glass could injure passengers and cause a potentially hazardous distraction for the driver, the automaker said. VW decided on 20 June to conduct a recall.
Audi spokesman Andrew Lipman told the paper there were no known accidents or injuries attributable to the defect.
VW said, from early August, dealers would replace the front glass panel on the affected vehicles.
