Volkswagen and Audi bulletin SM 50-2024
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 Aug 26, 2024, received Sep 6, 2024, about the electrical system. It names 16 model years across Volkswagen and Audi (2022–2025). 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 if it meets the criteria provided.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM 50-2024 | Other | Aug 26, 2024 | 11007389 |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5WA-980-556-B | — | — | |
| 5WA-980-556-C | — | — |
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 4 model years
Audi 12 model years
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 16 model years this bulletin names have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 52 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.
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
1) Electronic emergency brake goes on repeatedly when attempting to put vehicle in gear. 2) Speed control has coasted to a very low speed while on the highway several times, on its own with no vehicles in front of me. 3) Numerous other “glitchy” electrical issues exist. Dealer says they are collaborating with engineers in Germany.
2025 Audi A3 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 10, 2025 · ODI 11686190
My 2025 Audi RS3 unexpectedly shifts into park and engages the electronic parking brake while the vehicle is in motion at low speeds. This issue has occurred multiple times, has been documented on at least nine occasions, and has undergone four (4) separate service attempts within the first 900 miles. The issue remains unresolved.
2025 Audi RS · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 1, 2026 · ODI 11728422
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 group579 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_2081723_3 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | This bulleti provides informaitpon wheh the electric drive system warning lamp lights up; DTCs under 008C. |
| TSB_2083385_1 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when there is a warning message in the instrument cluster about external sound. |
| TSB_2076396_3 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2026 | This bulletin provides information regarding driver assist systems; Audi adaptive light, Audi pre sense system fault, adaptive cruise assis… |
| TSB_2063336_5 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when DTC C12BFF0 is stored in the lane change modeul or the radar sensor; intersection assist/lane change… |
| TSB_2068573_6 | Service bulletin | Sep 18, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when the rear parking sensor sometimes does not work, rear parking sensor loose, rear parking sensor faul… |
| TSB_2081074_2 | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when the front assist intervenes. |
| TSB_2074059_4 | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | This bulletin provides general information about SOS Emergency Assist. |
| TSB_2058077_11 | Service bulletin | Sep 15, 2026 | This bulletin provides information when there is an Audi pressense warning, warning jolt, and/or brake engagement. |
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 50-2024 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 50-2024 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 50-2024 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 16 model years across 2 brands (Volkswagen and Audi): 2025 Audi A3, 2024 Audi A3, 2023 Audi A3, 2022 Audi A3, 2025 Audi RS, 2024 Audi RS and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.