Volkswagen and Audi bulletin SM 38-2023
What it saysThis special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Volkswagen and Audi filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 1, 2023, received Sep 1, 2023, about the equipment. It names 3 model years across Volkswagen and Audi (2022–2024). A service bulletin 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.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Volkswagen · Audi.
Get the next Volkswagen and Audi bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM 38-2023 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2023 | 10241194 | PDF, 145 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5WA-907-556-G | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (1 page), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Volkswagen and Audi’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the owners/service/other manual for the 2024 Atlas →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themVolkswagen 1 model year
Audi 2 model years
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new Volkswagen and Audi bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Volkswagen and Audi files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 293 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
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 equipment
Source: same model, same component group69 other manufacturer communications filed against these Volkswagen and Audi models under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Volkswagen list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SM 01-2024 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2024 | This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward. |
| A9124022062466_5 | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2024 | This bulletin provides information when Apple CarPlay cannot be started using the Wi-Fi connection (Wireless Carplay). |
| VIN4APIN20240408 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2024 | Customer states rattle from below the vehicle Customer states MIL-on, P0442 stored in ECM memory Customer states Mill-on, P0462 and/or P04… |
| A9124992073629_1 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2024 | This bulletin provides information when the Apple CarPlay connection is dropped repeatedly in short intervals. |
| Circular 06H6 | Service bulletin | Mar 22, 2024 | Volkswagen is providing an owner's manual supplement that describes a revision in the Tire load and vehicle load, determining the correct lo… |
| SM 21-2024 | Service bulletin | Mar 22, 2024 | This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward. |
| Dealer 06H6 | Service bulletin | Mar 21, 2024 | Volkswagen is providing an owner's manual supplement that describes a revision in the Tire load and vehicle load, determining the correct lo… |
| V9123032070941_2 | Service bulletin | Mar 19, 2024 | Infotainment system freezes and/or reboots, will not turn on/boot up, loses sound and/or volume controls malfunctions, Navigation malfunctio… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Volkswagen and Audi, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Volkswagen and Audi SM 38-2023 a recall?
No. A service bulletin 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 38-2023 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. Every Volkswagen warranty extension on file lists the ones Volkswagen has filed.
Which vehicles does SM 38-2023 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years across 2 brands (Volkswagen and Audi): 2023 Audi A3, 2022 Audi A3, 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.