Audi VIN decoder

Audi WMI codes

The first three characters of a VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. NHTSA lists 5 of them for Audi. They were issued across 2 countries: Germany and Hungary. They span 2 vehicle types, listed separately below.

The country shown is where the identifier was issued, which usually but not always matches where a given vehicle was assembled. The eleventh character identifies the specific plant. A single WMI can cover more than one vehicle type, so some codes appear in more than one table.

Passenger Car 3 codes

Audi WMI codes — passenger car

WMI	Registered entity	Country
TRU	AUDI AG	Hungary
WAU	AUDI AG	Germany
WUA	AUDI SPORT GMBH	Germany

Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) 2 codes

Audi WMI codes — multipurpose passenger vehicle (mpv)

WMI	Registered entity	Country
WA1	AUDI AG	Germany
WU1	AUDI SPORT GMBH	Germany

Source: NHTSA vPIC, GetWMIsForManufacturer. Retrieved 2026-10-21.

Common Audi models

Some of the Audi models you are most likely to be decoding, as NHTSA spells them. Recall searches by year, make and model need that exact spelling.

• Q5 — NHTSA recall records list Q5 Sportback and SQ5 as separate models.
• A4
• Q7
• Q3
• A6
• A5
• Q8
• e-tron

Model names checked against NHTSA vPIC.

Notable Audi recalls since 2018

A few of the largest or most serious recent safety recalls covering Audi vehicles. They are examples, not a complete list: a single model year can have a dozen campaigns. A recall on the model does not mean it is still open on a particular car, so check the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup, or see every campaign for a year and model with our recall lookup.

Back over prevention: rearview camera software

Vehicles: Certain 2019-2026 Audi vehicles, including A6, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, e-tron and e-tron GT models and their S and RS versions (years vary by model).

A software error can keep the rearview camera image from showing as intended, so the vehicles do not meet federal rear-visibility standard FMVSS 111. A missing rear view raises the risk of a crash.

Dealers update the software at no charge.

NHTSA campaign 25V900000, reported 19 December 2025, about 356,894 vehicles across every brand in the campaign.

Electrical system: gateway control module

Vehicles: Certain 2018-2022 Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback and SQ5 Sportback vehicles.

Liquid spilled in the rear seat area, or water coming in through an underbody seam, can reach the gateway control module and make it shut down. A shutdown suddenly cuts engine power, raising the risk of a crash.

Dealers fit a protective cover over the gateway control module and seal the underbody seam as needed at no charge.

NHTSA campaign 21V947000, reported 8 December 2021, about 288,991 vehicles across every brand in the campaign.

Air bags: passenger occupant detection (seat heater cable)

Vehicles: Certain 2017-2020 Audi A4 and A4 Allroad, 2018-2020 A5, S4 and S5, and 2018-2019 RS5 vehicles (years vary by body style). This campaign expands recall 19V-547.

A cable that links the seat heater to the passenger occupant detection system can have a poor contact, so the system may wrongly detect a fault and switch off the front passenger air bag. A disabled air bag raises the risk of injury in a crash.

Dealers replace the connecting cable and either the heating mat or the seat cover at no charge; vehicles repaired under 19V-547 need the new remedy.

NHTSA campaign 21V874000, reported 10 November 2021, about 208,332 vehicles across every brand in the campaign.

Air bags: passenger occupant detection

Vehicles: Certain 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan and S3, 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron and 2017-2020 RS3 vehicles.

The passenger occupant detection system can malfunction and switch off the front passenger air bag even when someone is sitting in the seat. A disabled air bag raises the risk of injury in a crash.

Dealers replace the occupant detection sensor mat and update its control module at no charge.

NHTSA campaign 21V198000, reported 22 March 2021, about 153,152 vehicles across every brand in the campaign.

Engine: cylinder head cover screws

Vehicles: Certain 2022-2024 Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback quattro vehicles.

The screws holding the cylinder head cover may not have been tightened correctly and can work loose, letting engine oil leak. Leaking oil raises the risk of a fire.

Dealers inspect the screws and replace them as needed at no charge.

NHTSA campaign 25V294000, reported 7 May 2025, about 89,417 vehicles across every brand in the campaign.

Recall details from the NHTSA recalls API, checked 26 October 2026.

Reading the rest of a Audi VIN

Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle — model, body style, engine, restraint system. Audi assigns that scheme itself and files it with NHTSA, which is why decoding requires a lookup rather than arithmetic. Character 9 is the check digit, character 10 is the model year, and character 11 is the assembly plant.

See how to read a VIN for the full breakdown, or model year codes for the position 10 table.

Where the VIN is on a Audi

On the driver's side dashboard, readable through the windshield, and on a sticker in the driver's door jamb. The door jamb sticker usually carries a scannable barcode, which is more reliable than transcribing 17 characters by eye — the decoder can read it with your camera.

More detail in where to find the VIN.