Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Suspension › Rear › Axle › Non-powered Axle Assembly
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 26, 2021 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 40,993. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
The risk
A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
36 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Audi A4 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 Audi A5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi A6 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi A7 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi A8 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi Q5 | 74 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 2021 Audi Q7 | 75 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 Audi Q8 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi RS 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi RS 7 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi RS Q8 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S5 Cabriolet | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi S8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 Audi SQ5 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi A4 | 128 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 Audi A5 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 Audi A6 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi A7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi A8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi Q5 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 2020 Audi RS 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S4 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S5 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S5 Cabriolet | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S6 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi S8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Audi SQ5 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Audi A5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 Audi RS 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Audi S5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 21V295000.
Full record for the 2021 Audi A4 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →