German carmaker Volkswagen will recall nearly 600,000 vehicles in the United States, most of them its premium Audi brand, over defects that could lead to fires or airbag malfunctions. However no fatalities related to the problems have yet occurred in the country, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on its website Saturday. The US recall comes after a series of incidents in China and Israel in 2016. Dealerships will carry out the necessary repairs and replace parts free of charge, the carmaker said. A corrosion problem that could prevent airbags from deploying affects more than 234,000 Audi 2011-2017 A5 models, it said.