2021 Audi A5 Front Seats Entry Assistance Inoperative TSB

Symptoms of Inoperative Entry Assistance

Owners of affected 2021 Audi A5, A4, and RS 5 vehicles may notice that the "Front seats entry assistance is sporadically inoperative". Specifically, after opening the driver and/or front passenger door, the driver and/or front passenger seat may sporadically move to an implausible position. The "Entry Assistance feature" can be activated or deactivated within the MMI system.

Another symptom is that after entering and starting the vehicle, the driver and/or passenger seat does not return to its original position. Instead, the seat may reverse its direction and move all the way back. Pressing the seat memory switch should still allow the seat to move to its selected memory position.

Technical Background and Cause

The root cause of the 2021 Audi A5 front seats entry assistance issue lies within the seat control module. During the seat's movement for Entry Assistance, a brief action by the driver or passenger, such as applying the brakes or pushing against the footrest, can create a voltage peak in the seat control module.

This voltage peak activates an overload limit, causing the seat to reverse its direction of movement. Older software versions had a low overload limit to ensure sensitive pinch protection when the seat moved backward. The new software improves this by distinguishing between forward and backward movement, allowing for different force thresholds. Since forward movement is not subject to pinch protection requirements, a higher force can be defined in the updated software.

For Audi A4, A4 allroad, A5, RS 5, and Q7 models, the movement of the front seats is not fully integrated into the Entry Assistance feature. For these specific models, if the vehicle is equipped with an electric adjustable steering column (PR Code 2C7) and/or pneumatic adjustable seat lumbar support (PR Code 8I6), this TSB primarily addresses seat memory-related concerns.

Important Warnings and Owner Information

Loss of Seat Memory Settings: Prior to performing this SVM Update, customers must be informed that all seat memory settings will be lost. It is not possible to remotely store or restore these settings after the SVM Update has been performed.

Specific Model Instructions: Owners of A6, A6 allroad, A7, Q8, and RS Q8 models should not follow the instructions in this TSB. Instead, they should perform Campaign 72K6, which also includes the necessary seat control module software update.

Repair Procedure Summary

To resolve the 2021 Audi A5 front seats entry assistance issue, a software update is required for the driver seat control module (J136, address word 0036) and the passenger seat control module (J521, address word 0006). This update should be performed using the SVM action code 36A006.

The new software version should be 0064 or higher, replacing any older versions (0063 or lower). After the software update, basic settings for both the driver and passenger seats must be performed using the Guided Functions in ODIS. Technicians should follow the instructions in TSB 2011732: 00 Software Version Management (SVM) for operating procedures.

Warranty Information

Warranty claims for this repair can be submitted under specific conditions:

• Claim Type 110: For vehicles up to 48 months or 50,000 miles.
• Claim Type G10: For Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles, after verifying ownership.
• If the vehicle is outside of any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is for informational purposes only.

The service number for this procedure is 7293, with a damage code of 0039. The labor operation for the software update, which includes checking for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), is 01510000, with a maximum time unit (TU) of 120. Diagnostic time (GFF) and road tests before and after the service procedure are not allowed for billing. The claim comment should reference TSB 2060085/4.

All warranty claims must adhere to the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures Manual and are subject to review by Audi Warranty.

NHTSA ID: 10185680