Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S5 Cabriolet, A4 Allroad, Q5 Sportback, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, SQ7, TT Coupe, TT Roadster, RS5 Sportback, 2024 A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q8, RSQ8, 2023-2024 Q3...
2001-2026 · 23 model years
Audi A3 Problems by year
Owners have filed 843 complaints about the Audi A3 across 23 model years, and it has 20 recalls. The 2015 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (180), while 2001, 2003, 2004 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the airbags, followed by the transmission & drivetrain.
- Complaints
- 843
- Recalls
- 20
- Crashes
- 22
- Fires
- 7
- Injuries
- 11
- Deaths
- 0
A3 complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common A3 problems
Audi A3 recalls 20
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S3, RS3, and A3 vehicles. The Safety Certification label on the B-pillar is missing weight capacity information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 AUDI A8, A6 Allroad, E-TRON Quattro, 2022 S3, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 Avant, Q8, Q7, Q3, E-TRON Sportback Quattro, S5 Cabriolet, E-TRON GT, S5 Sportback, A7, A6, A5 Sportback, A5 Cabriolet, A4, A4...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3, A3, and RS3 vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been folded incorrectly.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3 and A3 sedans. The retention force of the seat belt tensioner on the driver and front passenger seats may be inadequate to properly restrain the occupants during a crash.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022 A3 Sedan and S3 Sedan vehicles. The child seat anchorage fitting sleeves are incorrectly marked with a different symbol than the one described in the owner's manual. As such, these vehicles...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8 and S8, 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, A4 Sedan, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, RS6 Avant, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RSQ8, SQ7, SQ8, and S3 Sedan vehicles. A software error may...
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the...
Latest A3 complaints
The automobile refuses to accept fuel from the gas pump. It quickly stops accepting gasoline and spills over the top of the gas cap area even though the gas gauge indicates fuel is required. I understand this is under warranty for front wheel drive variations of the A3 but my Cabriolet happens to be an All-Wheel Drive Quattro model. The Dealer I called claimed my exact VIN isn't on the recall list, even though the tank configuration suffers identical symptoms as the front wheel drive model. This is a common problem and should be covered since it is a danger having gasoline spill out of the vehicle when fueling. There are no warning lights yet I cannot fuel my car properly.
My 2026 Audi A3's windshield wipers shake, skip, and rub across the windshield, reducing visibility in rain. Even in very light rain, multiple sensor warnings activate. These issues began shortly after leasing the vehicle and continue despite repeated service visits. I am concerned about visibility and safety while driving in rain.
My 2016 Audi A3 (VIN [[redacted]]) underwent Safety Recall 69BY on [redacted], to correct a defect in the front passenger occupant detection system (PODS), including replacement of the occupant detection sensor. Less than two years later, the same safety-system malfunction returned. The vehicle intermittently displays "Safety system: system fault," "Audi pre sense: system fault," and "Passenger airbag off." These warnings appear unpredictably and sometimes clear temporarily before returning. This malfunction...
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creates a serious safety risk because the vehicle may fail to recognize a front-seat passenger and disable the passenger airbag during a collision. We cannot safely use the front passenger seat. On [redacted], at 74,151 miles, Audi Marin diagnosed the malfunction and documented fault codes B102202, B102229, and B12251B. The dealership confirmed that diagnostic testing continued to indicate a faulty passenger occupant sensor (G128) and recommended replacement. Audi Marin's service manager informed us that Audi has redesigned the replacement component, but the updated part is on an extended backorder from [[redacted]]. The dealership cannot currently complete the repair. Audi of America acknowledged the prior recall repair but referred repair coverage decisions to the dealership, citing the expired warranty. The vehicle remains unrepaired and is available for inspection. I request that NHTSA investigate whether the remedy installed under Safety Recall 69BY is failing prematurely, allowing the original passenger airbag safety defect to recur. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My Audi automatically applies the brakes while reversing. When this happens, I'm unable to immediately drive the vehicle. This is an ongoing problem that has not been resolved, and I'm increasingly concerned about the safety implications.just recently experienced while making a U turn.
I was driving my vehicle on the [[redacted]] like normal and suddenly my car stopped accelerating at 70 MPH and displayed a message stating to stop vehicle, transmission malfunction. There were 2 cars that almost hit me while I was trying to get over to the side of the road due to the car barely having any power. The car also displayed a checked engine light and an eps warning. This all happened within one minute. I towed It to Rocco European garage in [[redacted]] where It was concluded that solenoid shift for the...
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transmission has failed and is stuck. I was told that now the car isn't technically drivable any longer distance and should have It towed again until it's fixed to prevent further damage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was going from one section of the parking lot to another section. I was slowly making a right turn into that area as there were a lot of empty parking spaces. As I turned, suddenly I felt that I could not control the car. I tried to steer and tried to stop the car. I was alarmed, thinking why the car won't stop. Then my car slammed into a parked car, and spun it around. My car finally came to a complete stop. I don't know if the same problem has been reproduced. The vehicle is now at a collision repair shop. There was not warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Questions about the Audi A3
Which Audi A3 years have the most problems?
Which Audi A3 years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Audi A3 problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the airbags (399), transmission & drivetrain (131), fuel system (127) most often.
How many recalls does the Audi A3 have?
NHTSA lists 20 recalls across all Audi A3 model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data