2022-2024 Audi MMI/MIB Freezes or Restarts TSB

Symptoms of Audi MMI/MIB Freezing

Owners of 2022-2024 Audi vehicles equipped with MMI or MIB infotainment systems may experience issues when a phone is connected via Bluetooth and a contact name is searched in the MMI address book. This search can be initiated using either the MMI control knob or the voice recognition system.

When this occurs, the Audi MMI freezes or exhibits one of two primary symptoms:

• The MMI screen goes blank then restarts.
• The MMI screen freezes for a few minutes then recovers.

Technical Background

This condition arises because special characters, such as symbols, emoticons, or map icons, are stored within the name fields of phonebook contacts. The MMI/MIB system encounters an error when attempting to process these characters during a contact search, leading to the freezing or restarting behavior.

Important Warnings

It is crucial for owners and technicians to understand that "Replacement of the MMI main unit or of the telephone control unit will not fix the condition." This issue is not a hardware defect but rather a data-related problem stemming from the phonebook entries themselves. Therefore, hardware replacement is an ineffective and unnecessary solution.

Repair Procedure Summary

To resolve the issue where the Audi MMI freezes or restarts, the following steps should be taken:

1. Inspect Phonebook Contacts: All phonebook contact fields (including first name, last name, company, and phone number) that have been transferred to the vehicle must be thoroughly checked. Any special characters identified in these fields must be removed.
2. Correct Source Information: It is essential to correct the entries not only on the phone but also in the original source information from which the entries were obtained. If the phone synchronizes with other smartphone applications, Outlook, or Gmail, simply changing the information on the phone alone may not permanently fix the issue. The special characters must be removed from the primary data source to prevent them from being re-synced to the phone and subsequently to the vehicle's MMI/MIB system.

For additional information related to Bluetooth MMI issues, including freezing, streaming music skips, or inoperable voice recognition due to phonebook, refer to TSB 2026390.

About This Technical Service Bulletin

Technical Service Bulletin 91 23 59 2036576/7 was issued on January 9, 2023. This bulletin supersedes an earlier document, Technical Service Bulletin Group 91 number 20-65, dated May 12, 2020. The TSB has undergone several revisions to expand its applicability and refine the service procedure:

• Revision 7 (January 9, 2023): Updated the header to include new model years and revised the service procedure by removing a troubleshooting script that is no longer supported.
• Revision 6 (May 12, 2020): Revised the title and header, adding model years 2020 and 2021, and clarifying that the bulletin applies to all Audi vehicles and all MMI systems, not just MMI3G+.
• Revision 5 (March 27, 2018): Revised the header to include model years 2018 and 2019.

This TSB is for informational purposes only and is not applicable to any Audi warranty.

Owner Action

If you experience your Audi MMI freezes or restarts when searching for contacts, the primary action you should take is to review and clean your phonebook entries. Carefully check all contact details for any unusual symbols, emoticons, or map icons. Remove these special characters from your phone and, crucially, from any synchronized accounts like Google Contacts or Microsoft Outlook, to ensure a lasting solution. If you are unable to resolve the issue yourself, consult with an authorized Audi service center.

Source: NHTSA ID 10230790