Audi bulletin SM 16-2025
What it saysThis special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Audi filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Feb 25, 2025, received Apr 4, 2025, about the power train. It names 3 model years (2021–2023). A manufacturer communication is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM 16-2025 | Other | Feb 25, 2025 | 11016501 |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 92 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 18 of them name Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
2021 Audi e-tron, 44,749 miles. Right after a scheduled service at Audi on XXX, I noticed a loud droning/humming noise from the drivetrain while driving. The noise tracks with vehicle speed - it gets louder and higher-pitched as the car goes faster. I called the dealership to report it as soon as I got the car back in late XXX.
2021 Audi e-tron · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 14, 2026 · ODI 11764024
The contact owns a 2023 Audi E-Tron. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and then stopping at a stoplight, the contact attempted to accelerate the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred on several occasions.
2023 Audi e-tron · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 7, 2024 · ODI 11570585
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group14 other manufacturer communications filed against the Audi e-tron under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Audi list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_2074808_4 | Service bulletin | May 6, 2026 | The high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles are subject to various ageing effects which could lead to the energy content… |
| TSB_2074808_3 | Service bulletin | Dec 11, 2025 | This bulletin provides additoinal information to assist in determining the energy content of lithium-ion high-voltage batteries. |
| TSB_2060560_4 | Service bulletin | Jul 30, 2025 | This bulletin providesi nformation when various DTCs are stored; high maximum temperature recorded for clutch K1. |
| TSB_2073034_8 | Service bulletin | Mar 12, 2025 | This bulletin provides informaion when there is an air suspension system fault, DTC C118D01, Compressor for level control electicalerror. |
| TSB-2073034_7 | Service bulletin | Feb 21, 2025 | This bulletin provides informaion when there is an air suspension system fault, DTC C118D01, Compressor for level control electicalerror. |
| A4025862061464_9 | Service bulletin | Jan 9, 2025 | This bulletin provides information when a cracking noise can be heard from the vehicle front or rear end while changing direction. |
| A3724222074826_1 | Service bulletin | Aug 8, 2024 | This bulletin offers information about the basic information needed for technical requests for gaerbox complaints. |
| A3724142074751_1 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2024 | This bulletin provides information about replacing the clutch end cover. |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Audi, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Audi SM 16-2025 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the SM 16-2025 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does SM 16-2025 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2023 Audi e-tron, 2022 Audi e-tron, 2021 Audi e-tron. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.