Volkswagen and Audi bulletin SM 45-2025
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 ↓
Volkswagen and Audi filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Aug 25, 2025, received Sep 4, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 62 model years across Volkswagen and Audi (2016–2026). 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 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 45-2025 | Other | Aug 25, 2025 | 11022719 |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1EA-010-505 | — | — | |
| 1EA-010-505-B | — | — |
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.
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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 themVolkswagen 19 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2026 Volkswagen ID. Buzz.
Audi 43 model years
and 18 more on this site: 2023 Audi Q4 e-tron, 2022 Audi Q4 e-tron, 2026 Audi Q6 e-tron, 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron, 2025 Audi Q8 e-tron, 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron, 2026 Audi RS, 2025 Audi RS, 2024 Audi RS, 2023 Audi RS, 2022 Audi RS, 2023 Audi e-tron, 2022 Audi e-tron, 2021 Audi e-tron, 2019 Audi e-tron, 2024 Audi e-tron GT, 2023 Audi e-tron GT, 2022 Audi e-tron GT.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2025 Audi E-Tron GT; 2026 Audi E-Tron GT; 2026 Audi Q8 E-Tron.
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 databaseOwners of the 58 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,782 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 917 of them name Electrical System — 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.
On the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, the 28 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 12,800 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
BSG/alternator faulty. Started displaying “electrical malfunction!” Had to stop immediately before immediate shut down on road. Problem had been known on hybrid models of Audi specially larger models. Recall/TSB have been opened for those vehicles. Vehicle was inspected by dealership. No prior warning other than that immediate red warning
2023 Audi A3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 21, 2026 · ODI 11765831
To start, have requested the vehicle paperwork many times and the dealership has failed to give me a copy. The real problem started when i took my EV to get checked as the battery was not lasting long, they said it was normal, took it again as it stopped charging on type 1 and 2 chargers, they now said it was the Onboard charging module.
2024 Volkswagen ID.4 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 6, 2025 · ODI 11691532
My 2019 Audi e-tron developed a sunroof leak. On , Audi Exchange in Highland Park, IL repaired it as a known issue partially covered by warranty; I paid $526.53. On it leaked heavily again from the same area, soaking the headliner, dashboard, carpet, foot wells and seats. The dealer said a different issue caused it; I paid $388.88 more.
2019 Audi e-tron · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 22, 2026 · ODI 11772949
In depth: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 electrical problems → · 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 electrical problems → · 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 electrical problems →
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group1,413 other manufacturer communications filed against these Volkswagen and Audi models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Volkswagen list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| V9324012073298_4 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | range reduction / battery cell replacement |
| TSB_2083444_1 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This TSB prvoides informaiton when there is a distance warning + ACC is not available/Audi pre sense fault; DTC U101400, B203200. |
| TSB_2082223_5 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides information regarding software update KD2* 03.11.00/C (28.14.01). |
| TSB_2081477_7 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides an overview of the combined software updates for cluster 3; PPE/PPC. |
| TSB_2080988_4 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when the rear lid only opens/clolses slightly and then stops. |
| TSB_2079976_3 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when there is occasionally audio output for entertainment when the vehicle is started. |
| TSB_2079975_3 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulletin provides informaiton when the sound output pauses automatically after starting the vehicle. |
| TSB_2079974_3 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | This bulleitn provides informaiton when there is a translucent rectangle covering the center display. |
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 45-2025 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 45-2025 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. Every Volkswagen warranty extension on file lists the ones Volkswagen has filed.
Which vehicles does SM 45-2025 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 62 model years across 2 brands (Volkswagen and Audi): 2026 Audi A3, 2025 Audi A3, 2024 Audi A3, 2023 Audi A3, 2022 Audi A3, 2020 Audi A3 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.