Audi is recalling 850,000 A4 models worldwide due to airbag problems. About half of the affected vehicles are in the luxury carmaker's two biggest markets of China and Germany.

Faulty software found in A4 models delivered after 2012 could prevent front airbags from deploying, a spokesman at Audi's Ingolstadt-based headquarters confirmed on Thursday to Reuters.

Audi said the airbags were not made by Japan's Takata Corp, which is in the middle of a number of recalls over air bags that could spray shrapnel at occupants.

"We are looking into a number of accidents to see if the air bag was involved," an Audi spokesman said, adding that the Ingolstadt, Germany-based company knows of no injuries or deaths related to the air bag problem, according to The Wall-Street Journal.

Safety regulators in the U.S. on Wednesday expanded the number of Takata-equipped vehicles in the United States that may be affected by recalls to 7.8 million vehicles from 10 different automaker around the world.

The Volkswagen-owned automaker is recalling approximately China, its biggest market, and 150,000 in Germany. Audi has not given a regional breakdown for the remaining 450,000 cars as of press time.

The airbag issue is caused by a software problem, affecting A4 saloons, station wagons and so-called all road models, according to Reuters.

The world's No. 2 luxury-car maker adjusted production of A4 models last week at its German plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, adding brand new software.

The Audi spokesman said the automaker only needs to perform a simple software update to correct the problem.

"It's a matter of three minutes," the spokesman said.

The recall was first reported by German trade magazine Auto Motor & Sport.

Audi will "immediately' notify customers to take their vehicles to dealers who can update the software. 

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