Technical Service Bulletin
57 Door cannot be opened from outside, it can only be opened from inside
57 14 99 2029151/5 January 3, 2014. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 57 number 13-87 dated
March 27, 2013 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

TT

2010-2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

TT

2013

000001 - 009134

Not Applicable

TTRS

2013

900001 - 900864

Not Applicable

Allroad

2013

000001 - 163626

Not Applicable

A4 Avant

2010 - 2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A4

2010 - 2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A4

2013

DA000001 – DA163626

Not Applicable

A4

2013

DN000001 – DN028651

Not Applicable

A5

2010-2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A5

2013

000001 - 040474

Not Applicable

RS5

2013

900001 - 901639

Not Applicable

A5 Cab

2010-2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A5 Cab

2013

000001 - 007403

Not Applicable

A6

2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A6

2013

000001 - 080001

Not Applicable

A7

2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A7

2013

000001 - 080001

Not Applicable

Q5

2009 - 2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

Q5

2013

000001 - 037978

Not Applicable

A8

2011 - 2012

000001 - 999999

Not Applicable

A8

2013

000001 - 016662

Not Applicable

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 1 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

5

-

Revised header data (added MY 2009 Q5)

4

3/27/2013

Revised header data (added A8)
Revised Production Solution
Revised Service
Revised Warranty (added A8)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (updated parts)

3

11/9/2012

Revised Warranty (SRT and labor operations)

2

5/14/2012

Revised header data
Revised Warranty, Required Parts and Tools (added Audi Q5)

1

3/30/2012

Original publication

• The door cannot be opened from outside with the outer door handle, but it can be opened with the inner
handle.
• The complaint is often described as follows: The customer locks the vehicle and checks by pulling the door
handle whether the vehicle is locked. When opening the vehicle again, the door cannot be opened. It feels as if
the handle is slack.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 2 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Technical Background
When fitting the Bowden cable from the mounting
bar to the door lock, the cable can get kinked. In
some cases, this can increase the inner friction of
the strand in the Bowden cable. As a result, the
door lock stays in pressed position or does not
completely return to its zero position (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Bowden cable routing.
When the Bowden cable gets twisted during the
installation, the rubber grommets can get distorted.
Consequently, the Bowden cable has a too-high
inner friction and the door lock does not move to
the zero position (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Distorted rubber grommets.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 3 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Production Solution
Improved cable with ‘L’-shaped attachment
(Figure 3). Improved positioning of the
locking collar.

Figure 3. Improved cable.

Service
1. Replace the cable. The bow does not need to be replaced unless damage to the component is
evident. Remove/install the latch carrier (“bow” according to ETKA) and Bowden cable together, as a set,
according to the repair manual:
Repair Manual >> Body >> Body Exterior >> 57 Front doors, Central Locking System >> Removal and
Installation >> Door Components >> Door Lock, Bracket, Door Lock Actuating Link.
-orRepair Manual >> Body >> Body Exterior >> 58 Rear doors >> Removal and Installation >> Rear Door
Components >> Door Lock, Bracket, Door Lock Actuating Link.
Tip: Do not separate the Bowden cable from the latch carrier (“bow” according to ETKA) while the carrier
is installed in the vehicle. Ensure the Bowden cable does not get damaged during the replacement procedure.
2. Assemble the latch carrier (“bow” according to ETKA) / Bowden cable assembly and the door lock together
according to the steps below, before installing into the vehicle:

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 4 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
a. Position the Bowden cable by holding the
yellow sleeve in the lock (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Holding the yellow sleeve in the lock.
b. Pull down the Bowden cable by holding the
yellow sleeve (Figure 5). The locking
mechanism is pulled along and the
Bowden cable is locked. Slot in the yellow
locking mechanism to the left.

Figure 5. Pulling down the Bowden cable.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 5 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
c. Do not twist the Bowden cable after the
installation. To avoid twisting the cable,
turn neither the lock nor the mounting bar
(Figure 6).

Figure 6. Do not turn the lock or the mounting bar.
Tip: The attached short video shows the correct attachment of the Bowden cable in the door lock.

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 6 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical
Service Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

5719

Damage Code:

0017

Labor Operations:

A6 – One Door:
Front door trim panel
remove and reinstall

7059 1900

40 TU

Rear door trim panel
remove and reinstall

7073 1900

40 TU

Door lock front remove
and reinstall

5717 1950

70 TU

Door lock rear remove
and reinstall

5817 1950

30 TU

Replace front door
release cable

5737 9999

10 TU

Replace rear door
release cable

5837 9999

10 TU

-OrA6 – Two Doors:

© 2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Both front door trim
panels remove and
reinstall

7059 2000

70 TU

Both rear door trim
panels remove and
reinstall

7073 2000

70 TU

Both door locks front
remove and reinstall

5717 9999

140 TU

Both door locks rear
remove and reinstall

5817 9999

60 TU

Replace both front door
release cables

5737 9999

20 TU

Page 7 of 12

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Replace both rear door
release cables

5837 9999

20 TU

Front door trim panel
remove and reinstall

7059 1900

40 TU

Rear door trim panel
remove and reinstall

7073 1900

40 TU

Door lock front remove
and reinstall

5717 1950

50 TU

Door lock rear remove
and reinstall

5817 1950

90 TU