2018 AUDI A3 Problems & Complaints

Audi Dealership is not co-operating to perform the recall issued on my vehicle, i have been trying to schedule the part replacement for more than a year now and every time they say the part is not available. i also attached my service request to Audi but after a phone call to confirm they said the part not available and they do not know when they will have the part. below is recall info: Mar 22,2021 Manufacturer Recall Number: 69BY NHTSA Recall Number: 21V198

I have not been able to fix the problem. I had an appointment with a local Audi dealership earlier in the year to address this recall and the day before they cancelled my appointment because they had not received the parts. I was rescheduled to drop off the car in April 2022 since the dealer had received the parts. The car was at the dealership for 2 days when they called me to have the car picked up and inform me that they ran out of parts at the dealership while the car was there and that I would have to wait for further notice to have the recall performed. It is August 21, 2022 and still no notice and my local dealer still has not received the parts. It is going to be 1 year since the recall notice was sent and my vehicle has not been able to be serviced.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

On 4 Jan 2022 I received my notification of the PODS recall from Audi for my 2018 A3. I called the dealer and they informed me they did not have the part and would not schedule me for the repair until they had they part. They also indicated they had no control over when the part would be available and suggested I call Audi Customer Care for information on when the part might be available. I did as suggested and got a supreme runaround and sent back to the dealer. The service manager indicated to me they would put me on the list and call when they received the part. Unfortunately, they could not schedule me for repairs as they did not have a delivery date for the part from Audi. My system is intermittently showing the airbag is not working. This has been going on for a couple of months. I should be able to schedule my car for repair but cannot as Audi is slow rolling the delivery of the part for this recall. I want to inform NHTSA that Audi is not offering a timely response to this recall. After being notified of the problem several months ago, you would think they could start the manufacturing process to deliver parts in a timely manner. And to send a letter to me and advise that I should schedule the repair only to discover the parts aren't available and I can't get my Audi A3 repaired is very bad on Audi's part.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

225/45-R18 DOT(17/22) On September 6, 2025, I purchased a 2018 Audi A3 (VIN [VIN], 56,634 miles) delivered by Carvana. Within days, I had the vehicle inspected at multiple independent repair shops. Each shop documented that all four tires showed dry rot and cracking and advised immediate replacement due to risk of tire failure. On September 10, 2025, I contacted Carvana and followed their warranty claim process. After escalation, on September 18, 2025, I was informed that Carvana determined “the tires are not bad enough” and denied replacement. The vehicle was delivered with unsafe tires that pose a serious risk of blowout or loss of vehicle control, endangering both the driver and others on the road. DOT date codes and photos of the cracks confirm the condition of the tires at the time of delivery. This complaint is being filed so NHTSA is aware of the issue and to request investigation into Carvana’s sale of vehicles with dry-rotted, unsafe tires.

Wife was driving and the tire suddenly lost pressure and she almost lost control. The tire sidewall had blown out and this is the second tire with the same problem.

During a trip the tire blew and separated at the sidewall. The vehicles tire pressure was correct and only had approximately 30,000 miles. The tires are the manufacturer installed Continental ProContact 225/40R18.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 AUDI A3 EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL CONTI PRO CONTACT TX TIRES, SIZE: 225/40R18 92HXL (NA). WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE THREAD SEPARATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PAUL MILLER AUDI (179 US-46, PARSIPPANY, NJ 07054, (973) 575-7750) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIRE PERFORMED AS DESIGNED; HOWEVER, THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE DEALER COULD SEND THE TIRE BACK TO THEM FOR REVIEW AND INSPECTION. THE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,101. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.

About once per month my car will rev when the accelerator is pushed but the car will not proceed. On MULTIPLE occasions this has put the SAFETY of myself and other road users at SIGNIFICANT RISK. This is because I'll be attempting to pull into traffic and the car will FAIL TO PROCEED. This is a known issue documented by Audi in TSB # [XXX] [XXX] ). I've described the issue before to my dealership but only found out about the fix myself via researching on NHTSA's site. Further, this should CLEARLY BE A RECALL - the vehicle does not move when it is needed. Audi should not be charging customers for this update and it should be applied to ALL effected vehicles. Happy to provide any additional information needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Transmission module! Started jerking when switching gears, to not switching gears at all and this happened while driving so I was on the road stalled with no gear changes! Car is inoperable, due to this and it’s still being paid for yet not able to be driven from practically the day I bought it! The manufacturer knows this is an issue and we are still out here in unsafe non gear changing cars! Very dangerous

On February 19, 2022, I drove from my home in San Francisco to the Home Depot in Colma/Daly City. This is a 7 Mile drive one way on the freeway. When I was leaving the parking lot at the Home Depot, I put the car in reverse and all of a sudden it would not move. The car stopped. I turned the ignition off. Then on. There were NO warning lights. I put the car in reverse again, and now it was bucking and stopped. It would not move. I had the car towed to my house on Saturday February 19, and again on Monday February 21 to the Audi Of San Francisco service department. The dealer told me that the problem was with the TCM (Transmission Control Module). It needed a SOFTWARE UPGRADE. Wow. This is really dangerous. Imagine if I was on the highway going 65 MPH and the TCM decided it needed a software upgrade. I am so happy I was in a parking lot. So, I always bring my car into the Audi Service department. And they NEVER upgraded the TCM software. They said it is not part of "maintenance". This is clearly Wrong! And Very dangerous. I am suprised that no on has been killed in an accident because of this. So, I paid: $250. Deductible Plus $275. Diagnostic. Plus $570. For TCM Software update ($1095. Total) Invoice/order #944256. Chris, the service advisor reported to me that Audi Of America Does NOT require or recommend Software updates to the TCM. And software updates are not part of the extended warranty. And also told me SOFTWARE is not covered under any warranty at Audi.

My 2018 Audi A3 began having fuel-related issues after receiving the recall service for campaign 20YF (Suction Jet Pump Seal) at an authorized Audi dealership. I first took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, because the check engine light came on, and there was a strong fuel smell. Most concerning, fuel leaked heavily from the front part of the engine, posing an extreme fire risk. who performed a diagnostic and found the following faults: Cold start fuel pressure performance fault Fuel rail/system pressure too low Fuel rail pump control valve stuck open Injector 4 leaking fuel The mechanic replaced injector 4 and installed new seals. However, the fuel leak continued, so I decided to take the car back to the Audi dealership, since they had previously performed recall work on the vehicle. I was concerned that the fuel leak might be related to the recall. The dealership told me the issue was not related to the recall and required a new in-depth diagnostic, which I would have to pay for. I accepted, and they charged me $876 for a deeper inspection. After their diagnosis, they said the only issue was that the previous mechanic had installed the seals incorrectly. They replaced the seals again and charged me for the repair. When I picked up the vehicle, the check engine light was still on. I immediately reported it to the dealership, and they asked me to return the car, saying the light should not be on. Once I brought it back, they told me it was now a new issue unrelated to their work, and that I would need to pay for another diagnostic. I believe this ongoing problem is directly related to the fuel system recall or to the dealership’s repair, and I feel that I am being charged repeatedly for an issue that was never fully resolved. Despite my efforts to follow Audi’s process, I am being held financially responsible for what I believe is a safety-related failure that began after the recall was performed.

The low pressure fuel pump, located in the fuel tank, shorted out and melted surrounding plastic housing. The pump is available for for inspection and has been verified by an independent service center. The vehicle and failed component have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance reps. Audi of America was contacted, but declined to inspect or pass the issue to technical representatives. There were no warning lights or messages. Symptoms included hesitation at startup.

Dealer (Audi of Palo Alto) has failed to notify us of this safety recall or make arrangements to fix it.

The panoramic sunroof suddenly shattered when drove on the highway I-15 at the speed around 75mph. There was no other cars around me when this happened, and we didn't use any heater or A/C at that time, all windows were closed. There is no sign of glass exploding prior to the failure. If the shade is not closed, the exploded sunroof glass will splash in the car cabin, causing injury for all passengers. Also, the shattered broken glass will hit the vehicles behind my car in a high speed. I have visited the Audi dealer, but they have no explanations about why this happen, they didn't exam the defect glass yet.

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 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.

Audi had a recall on my 2018 A3 for a Passenger Occupant Detection System. in July 2023, Audi replaced the PODS Sensor mat. Recently, the same car has encountered the same issue. The PODS light indicates the airbag is off even if a passenger is sitting in the seat. There has been not repair work since July 2023, that would impact the PODS. And the warning lights reappeared after a period of normalcy. I feel this is an incomplete recall remedy and Audi is now wanting to charge me for the repair

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. 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.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, a bystander alerted the contact that there was fuel leaking from the rear passenger's side near the fuel tank. The contact drove the vehicle to a gas station and was unable to refuel the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the charcoal canister was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where it was determined that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V110000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The vehicle pre-sense stopped the vehicle due to the detection of an object however, there was no object. This happened going forward and in reverse multiple times, causing the car to come to a sudden, abrupt stop even at speeds in excess of 30mph. This resulting in my teen daughter having bruising from the seat belt. The car was taken to the dealership and the dealership recalibrated the control unit. The vehicle continues to unnecessarily activate pre-sense when in reverse, and causes the car to come to an abrupt halt despite there being no object. The system may be responding to shadows. Numerous returns to the service department continue to yield “no codes”. The PODS system was recalled and this is a related system.

My Audi a3 got the recall for PODS done 5/2022 which the sensors and air bag in the passenger side weren’t working and I got the same lights come up 2 weeks ago. My Dealership says since this was a recalled item and is a massive safety concern and should be covered by AUDI USA. Instead they want to charge me $1400. I have 3 kids and one sits in the front, and need my car to take them to school and so forth so big safety feature I need. This is a huge safety issue and Audi needs to take accountability

The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving in a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the battery was drained, and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact jumpstarted the vehicle. The battery was replaced. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was called, but there was no response. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

appointment Aug2022 to take car for recall work of the PODS sensor mat & to update the PODS control module but was told the part was out of stock due to logistics. Why they scheduled appointment without confirming the part was in stock. I was then told before I left that there was a couple hundred cars needing this recall and that there would be a waiting list for recall work and that I would get a call to be put on a waiting list, never received a call. Then 6 months later in Feb 2023, I received another letter from Audi informing me again of the recall 69BY & a new recall item 24Wi. I called Audi & was told the part(s) were out of stock. I called today 16AUG2023 after waiting another six months & a service advisor informed me that the recall work was already performed on my vehicle. According to the invoice(s) from Audi of El Paso the recall work for PODS was completed on 05DEC2020 for Audi Action Code 69Z4 and 23AI . But according to a letter from Audi of America dated May 2021, it stated that a interim safety recall notice was issued but a recall repair is not yet available for Audi Action Code 69BY. It was still being under investigation and a solution was still being developed. In Dec 2021, I received a letter from Audi stating that there was a solution to fix the recall/defect 69BY & it says “to correct this defect, your authorized Audi dealer will replace the passenger occupant detention system (PODS) sensor mat & update the PODS control module.” I called Audi of El Paso after receiving the letter & was told part was on backorder due to demand. I inputted the VIN of my vehicle into Audi USA recall webpage [XXX] ). I also ran VIN into the NHTSA database. Both Audi & NHTSA state that recall(s) work 69BY & 24Wi on my vehicle have not been fixed. But according to Audi of El Paso all the recall work was done in 2020. Air bags turn off with wife in car have airbag problems since 2019. Current Mileage 34k INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied. I have been waiting for the recall on my vehicle to be fixed since 03/22/2021. It has been 6months and the manufacture still doesn't have a remedy to fix my vehicle. I can't sale my vehicle or even rent it out because of the recall.

There are six recall warnings associated with this car and tons of information that I am not including as I am sure you have all of the documentation. I am adding my vin # above to the complaints. I would like to know what VW corp is doing about this. Thank you very much for keeping us safe on the road best, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6

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 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.

HI, I BOUGHT AN AUDI A3 2018 ON NOVEMBER 2017 FROM AUDI OF ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN.SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE ORIGINAL PIRELLI TIRES IN THE CAR. TWO INCIDENTS HAPPENED WITHIN A SPAN OF 1 YEAR WHERE THE TIRE WAS DAMAGED ON THE SIDE WALL AND AND IT WAS IRREPLACEABLE SO I HAD TO GET A NEW TIRE WITHIN FEW MONTHS OF BUYING THE CAR. ON DEC 15, 2018 I LOST TIRE PRESSURE WHILE DRIVING IN SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS SIDEWALL DAMAGE. ON MAY 31, 2018 I WENT OVER A POTHOLE AT THE INTERSECTION OF HURONTARIO & EGLINTON IN MISSISSAUGA ONTARIO, WHERE ONE OF THE TIRE GOT PUNCTURED (COMPLAINT FILED WITH CITY OF MISSISSAUGA, TRANSPORT CANADA AND PICTURE ATTACHED). I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT I'LL HAVE TO REPLACE THE TIRE AS THEY COULDN'T FIX THE TIRE BECAUSE THE SIDE WALL WAS DAMAGED. ONCE I GOT BACK TO MICHIGAN I GOT A NEW TIRE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I ASKED BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND PIRELLI ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE TIRES BUT WAS TOLD THIS IS WHAT THE SUPPLIER (PIRELLI) SUGGESTED FOR THE A3. I WAS TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE LOW PROFILE TIRES ON THE AUDI CARS. IF THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE ISSUES THEN THIS SHOULD BE COMMUNICATED BACK TO THE OEM AS WELL AS THE SUPPLIER. THIS IS PART OF THE QUALITY AND SAFETY STANDARDS THAT DEALERSHIP SHOULD BE PROVIDING TO THE CUSTOMERS. WITHIN A YEAR I HAD TO PAY FOR TIRES BECAUSE THE QUALITY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO HANDLE POTHOLES? THE ISSUE HAPPENED IN LOW SPEED FOR ME SO I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE TO SAFETY. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

DUE TO CONDENSATION/FOGGING, FRONT HEADLIGHT PROJECTION IS REDUCED TO LESS THAN HALF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DRIVING AT NIGHT TIME.