Manufacturer communication · Other · 2 brands

Volkswagen and Audi bulletin SM 39-2026

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 manufacturer communication dated Sep 9, 2026, received Oct 6, 2026. It names 126 model years across Volkswagen and Audi (2016–2027). 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.

One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Volkswagen · Audi.

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What the bulletin says

Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communication

This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.

Kind Other Manufacturer date Sep 9, 2026 Received by NHTSA Oct 6, 2026 Components —

Document filed under this number

Document	Kind	Dated	NHTSA id	At NHTSA
SM 39-2026	Other	Sep 9, 2026	11038143	PDF

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.

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Model years it names

Source: as the manufacturer filed them

Volkswagen 77 model years

Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2027 Volkswagen GTI.

A 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 database

Owners of the 125 model years this bulletin names have filed 8,941 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.

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.

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Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is Volkswagen and Audi SM 39-2026 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 39-2026 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 39-2026 cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 126 model years across 2 brands (Volkswagen and Audi): 2027 Audi A3, 2026 Audi A3, 2025 Audi A3, 2024 Audi A3, 2023 Audi A3, 2022 Audi A3 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.

From here

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