Coolant Water Pump and Thermostat -- Coolant temperature indicator gauge runs from normal to high after about 10-15 miles drive. Coolant levels are good and no signs of leak. Engine light is activated along with warning messages. Engine Warning: Drive System Malfunction. Please call for service. The vehicle goes into "Limp Mode" and warns to not exceed 4,000 rpm. I am in the process of having this repaired by a mechanic. FYI--- There was a previous RECALL for this in 2017. Clearly the problem still occurs.
Engine & cooling
2018 Audi A3 Engine problems
Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2018 Audi A3's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 9% of all its complaints, most recently on June 18, 2026. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 4
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
Hello, I dropped my car off at Audi and Dominion in San Antonio Texas on Thursday July 10th for a repair this was a recall for the fuel pump system in something in the mechatronic controls. They had my car until Saturday I was informed that the repairs were done under warranty. Then on Saturday July 19th as I began to drive the vehicle a alert for my transmission malfunction appeared on my dashboard and I Lost first gear. I had my car taken to Audi on Dominion where I was informed by several service staff that this...
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is a common malfunction after the last software update that was done the week prior and that it could take up to 48 hours to do the repair and recall warranty work on my vehicle. Audi on Dominion has had my vehicle for 5 days and has not given me an answer as to know whether or not the repairs will be approved as this is covered under my extended warranty. My car was working perfectly fine until I was forced to take it in for this recall of which Audi has failed to provide a loaner vehicle or give accurate information as to whether or not the repairs will be covered. I have been informed that I will be responsible for the cost of the repairs. These repairs are only brought upon due to Audis forcing me to bring the car in for the recall repair as it would have voided out the rest of my vehicles warranty. As of today I am still without a vehicle and without an answer from Audi. I have tried reaching out to Audi of America without any response.
I was driving on the freeway at 60 mph when I received a warning code of a transmission problem. The code said the car was driveable but I should take it in for service. About 1-2 minutes after that the car lost all power. Unfortunately I broke down in the left lane in a construction zone without a shoulder. The state patrol had to temporarily shut down all three lanes of the highway to push me out of the traffic lane I was blocking. That was unsafe for me and for the state patrol and for the tow truck driver....
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The car was up to date on all recommended service, had been acting normally until the moment it failed, had not given me any warnings and is only 6 years old. I had the car towed to the dealer and the dealer reported that the Mechatronic unit (transmission computer) failed. Replacing the Mechatronic took a week and cost $5000.
On initial start, occasionally the car will become inactive while driving (sometimes stalls/sputters & sometimes just doesn't advance even while pressing on the gas pedal). Often the car spontaneously responds within seconds if it has not stalled, but recently now it stalls and sputters, then needs to be restarted. I was pulling out of a parking lot into traffic with safe distance, when the car became "dormant" and stalled. Luckily, there was a center lane that I could coast into to avoid causing a serious...
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accident. Upon restarting the vehicle, the screen displayed "start/stop system: malfunction". I shut off the system and drove home. The next morning, the car did the same exact thing- had just started up the car and began driving- and it lost all power to the gas pedal/we almost came to a complete stop- but the car was still running, then it quickly reset itself. This time my service engine soon light came on. I called the dealer and took it in for service. I was told that it was bad gas and that I needed to take it to certain gas stations -marathon or shell only and only put premium fuel in it (although the manual states that I can use 87 or 89). The car is unsafe and is dangerous to drive. I am putting myself and my occupants in danger and also the lives of others around me. I understand that there is a class action law suit that was filed in 2020- this cannot wait- there must be a recall- someone will get seriously hurt or even die because of this.
Audi A3 engine complaints by year
A3 engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data