Owners have filed 655 complaints on the Audi A3, covering 2006–2025. The system named most often is Air Bags (298 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2015, 2016; cleanest: 2024, 2025, 2019. 18 reports describe a crash, 5 a fire. On average the car was 6.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Audi A3
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 655 A3 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 298 Read
My wife was impacted on the drivers side very hard by another vehicle, enough to total the car, and the side airbags did not deploy
I have had a recall on my vehicle and have been trying to get it replaced at audi since 2016, I have sent emails to the general manager and they kept saying "they do not have the airbags in stock". I have tried another auid and gert the same answer
On june 8 2018 the car was in motion in the city of atlanta driving straight when another car turn improperly causing accident. This cause the car to get involved in a car accident front end. The driver chest hit the steering. Which from the that cause the impact of the air bag to improperly inflate but deflated cause…
Power Train 106 Read
Driving into a small lot to park. Foot on brake and moving at at low speed came to stop and auto suddenly started to speed and sounded like the car was in neutral. Auto jumped a small curb and went into some bushes. In past when driving auto shifted to sport gear without warning and slowed down. Dealer checked and…
Vehicle switched into neutral and accelerated Unable to control or stop Crashed into bush 2014 AUDI checked said no issuue Vehicle switches gear unexpectedly on highway and slows and drags Audi checked Said normal 9/3 2022 foot on break to a full stop at a light Anothet auto in front Audi suddenly switched gear and…
While driving at highway speeds the transmission shifts into neutral loosing the ability to power the vehicle almost causing a multi-vehicle crash. The dealer reports that it is the s-tronic transmission control box causing the issue. The incident has happened twice now with the second time with a near miss almost…
Electrical System 60 Read
1) Electronic emergency brake goes on repeatedly when attempting to put vehicle in gear. 2) Speed control has coasted to a very low speed while on the highway several times, on its own with no vehicles in front of me. 3) Numerous other “glitchy” electrical issues exist. Dealer says they are collaborating with…
The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently come to a complete stop as the brake, air bag, and seat belt warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that while her husband was driving the vehicle 35 MPH, the…
The f16 fuse which is recalled on the vw side melted, causing the smell of burnt plastic and exterior lights going out while driving on the interstate at night. The dealer on top if this refuses to acknowledge this issue, and will not properly fix the car. I replaced the fuse with another, the recall on the vw side is…
Fuel System 34 Read
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine and low oil warning lights illuminated. The contact also became aware that there was fuel leaking from the charcoal canister. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred.…
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that while refueling the vehicle, fuel started leaking from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering while being started. The failure occurred intermittently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact removed the EVAP hose and…
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V110000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 35-38 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and there was a strong gasoline odor coming from the A/C…
Fuel/propulsion System 31 Read
Fuel leaked all my garage almost causing a fire in my home while I was sleeping. I have had the fuel tank replaced 3 times. And I had to pay out of pocket to have it replaced because audi would not replace the recall of it so I am reaching out to you so you can reach out to audi about not standing by the recall…
My vehicle stalls while driving twice in a row several times a week. Check engine code P0148 indicating a fuel system error. Took my vehicle to the Audi Dealership but because my husband had cleared the code, nothing could be done. My vehicle stalling multiple times in a row, several times a week not only poses a…
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…
Engine 29 Read
The contact owns a 2016 audi a3. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, he noticed a burning smell in his vehicle. The contact parked his vehicle in his driveway and opened the hood when fluids bubbling where coming from one of the coolant reservoirs and the burning odor was coming from the passenger side…
I have filed multiple complaints with you all regarding my concern for safety and anxiety each time I get behind the wheel of my car. I contacted Audi, National, local dealer and no help with National safety recall. My car has been presenting random electrical concerns. It has shown numerous check engine lights…
At 70,000 miles with only one owner, it develops transmission problems, making it unsafe to drive and control the car; control of the car is lost. Here is the link from the Dealer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Tires 13 Read
On August 30th 2021 around 12:45pm driving to work I experienced something I did not realize was possible. I was in the fast lane going 70-75mph when my steering wheel began to shake profusely, I felt like something was under my car and hitting/whipping the right passenger side of my vehicle. I lost control of my car,…
Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires. •The…
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…
Engine And Engine Cooling 13 Read
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle hesitated while starting. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure persisted before starting. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it…
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag occupant sensor failed to identify a passenger seat in the seat. A dealer was contacted. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that PODS had failed and needed…
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated and the engine overheated. There was an abnormal sound coming from the transmission. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming abnormal amounts of coolant without signs of a coolant leak.…
A3 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Back Over Prevention | 2 | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags, Seat Belts | — | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 2 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 395 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.7 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.0 years |
A model average of 1.7 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,109,349 of them, covering 2,013 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the A3?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2015, 2016 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which A3 years are the cleanest?
2024, 2025, 2019 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Audi A3 have?
655 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2006–2025. Of those, 18 describe a crash and 5 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.
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