Audi has been struck by the same issue that continually plagued numerous automakers in 2025: a recall for a faulty rearview camera. While it's a relatively basic problem and one that drivers will be able to live without for a short time, what's concerning is the sheer scale of the recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It impacts 117 vehicles from the 2019-2026 model years, potentially affecting 356,649 units. This is the same problem that afflicted more than 173,000 Porsche vehicles not long ago, showing that shared software has its drawbacks. Volkswagen Group of America filed the recall report late in December, so this, technically, isn't the first recall of 2026, but it's a problem that will only be resolved next month.

Audi's Problem Affects Numerous Models

Audi

The NHTSA recall report tells us that, "in certain situations, a software issue may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying," thereby making the impacted vehicles noncompliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, for Rear Visibility, and increasing the risk of a crash due to the driver's reduced visibility behind their vehicle. In total, 19 different model types from up to eight model years are impacted, and they are listed below with the number of potentially involved vehicles in brackets. For the record, the RS e-tron GT appears twice due to different production runs.

A Long-Standing Problem for Audi

Audi

After receiving reports of the rearview camera glitch, an investigation was initiated way back in December 2023, but over the following 10 months, the root cause could not be determined because the issue occurred highly sporadically. Then, in November 2024, corrupted register entries were identified for the first time, and further testing finally confirmed that electrical noise between the control unit and the cameras could cause corrupted register data, which in turn could sporadically affect the performance of one or more cameras.

Related: 10 Car Brands With the Most Recalls in 2025

In the last three months of 2025, Audi and the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation determined that an increased shielding resistance in coaxial cables, along with reduced electromagnetic interference protection, potentially caused by variations at crimp connections, could result in camera failures within the Top View System. This surround-view system explains why smaller, less expensive Audi models are not mentioned in the recall. Regardless, Audi's solution is software that can perform a "self-healing process of the cameras." Owners will be notified of the remedy on February 17, 2026, but VINs are already searchable on the NHTSA's site.