Owners have filed 22 complaints
about the 2016 Audi S3 with NHTSA between 2019 and 2026.
The largest single group is the airbags.
Across this model's run it ranks 3 of 3 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 32
Against the median year of the Audi S3. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 43
25% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
10,000 – 24,999 miles
216.7%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
433.3%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
541.7%
100,000 – 149,999 miles
18.3%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Dec 2019peak 3Mar 2026
NHTSA investigations into the 2016 Audi S3
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
RQ23007Opened 12 Dec 2023Closed 1 Jul 2024FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS:CANISTER
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
On December 12, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of Volkswagen (VW) recall 16V-647. Recall 16V-647 was issued on September 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (SJP) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the SJP could lead to a fuel leak from the vehicle. This recall covered certain model year (MY) 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf and Audi A3 passenger car vehicles. The recall remedy repair replaced SJP Version 1.0 with an improved version, Version 1.1. The SJP is designed to purge fuel from the evaporative emiss...
Recalls on the 2016 Audi S3
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2022403202 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger-front airbag inflator could rupture when the airbag deploys in a crash. If this happens, the airbag may not inflate properly and small pieces of metal could be propelled toward vehicle occupants. Safety Risk: An airbag inflator that ruptures can create a risk of injury or death. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the passenger-front airbag module.
Recall 202116918,204 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may not work properly. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a person is seated in the front passenger seat. Note: This problem would cause an error message to display on the instrument panel and a warning chime to sound. The airbag indicator light would also display "passenger airbag off". Safety Risk: An airbag that is turned off when it should be turned on could increase the risk of injury to a passenger in a crash. Corrective Actions: Audi will notify owners by mail. The corrective actions for this recall are under development. To reduce the safety risk, Audi recommends that if the PODS in your vehicle is not working properly, you should contact an Audi dealer for assistance right away and not transport a person in the front-passenger seat until the PODS has been repaired.
Recall 201930815,723 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, there could be a loose wiring connection for the passenger occupant detection system (PODS). This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even though the seat may be occupied. Note: This problem would cause an error message to display on the instrument panel and a warning chime to sound. The airbag indicator light would also display "passenger airbag off". Safety Risk: An airbag that is turned off could increase the risk of injury to a passenger in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to install a new connector for the passenger occupant detection system. The wiring will also be re-routed under the seat.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Santa fe, NM
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Sunroof Exploded while driving
NHTSA complaint #11727853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tellico Plains, TN
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
N/A
NHTSA complaint #11710500 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Louisville, KY
SEATS
Received notice for safety recall to have PODs system repaired or replaced free of charge by Audi. Took my vehicle in for the recall. Audi wanted to charge me to complete this safety recall and refused to complete the recall if I didn't pay. This was bluegrass motorsports in Louisville ky. They also damaged my vehicles door trim and stole money from my glove box(my fault for leaving money inside). Filed a complaint on the dealers website and was never reached out to. This is why safety recall remains open on my vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11582791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Louisville, KY
AIR BAGS
Received notice for safety recall to have PODs system repaired or replaced free of charge by Audi. Took my vehicle in for the recall. Audi wanted to charge me to complete this safety recall and refused to complete the recall if I didn't pay. This was bluegrass motorsports in Louisville ky. They also damaged my vehicles door trim and stole money from my glove box(my fault for leaving money inside). Filed a complaint on the dealers website and was never reached out to. This is why safety recall remains open on my vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11582791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Louisville, KY
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Received notice for safety recall to have PODs system repaired or replaced free of charge by Audi. Took my vehicle in for the recall. Audi wanted to charge me to complete this safety recall and refused to complete the recall if I didn't pay. This was bluegrass motorsports in Louisville ky. They also damaged my vehicles door trim and stole money from my glove box(my fault for leaving money inside). Filed a complaint on the dealers website and was never reached out to. This is why safety recall remains open on my vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11582791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lake Saint Louis, MO
AIR BAGS
Where do I start? We have taken this car into the Audi dealership four times due to the engine. Overheating and being almost stranded in the middle of nowhere with it because oil was needing to be added to the engine all the time and after charging us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do to plug in Their service computer system they finally realized that the car third high-pressure fuel pump leaking was leaking fuel into the crank case causing a hard start and fuel trim codes we spent and this is just the warrants $911.67 another time my husband was backing out of our brand, new home and This car did not sense that he was too close and essentially the front right part of his tire where the tire is doc Benton and he ruined the right side of our garage and these are just one of the 20 issues that have been always going to the RV dealership and I really think that it’s time for some reimbursement. My husband won’t go and do anything about it because he used to work at the dealership but I’m sick of it and we’ve been charged hundreds and hundreds of dollars and then they finally just fixed. They finally just found the problem there that’s an issue and it’s a safety issue to because when I was driving down the highway all the sudden the over the engine overheated and that wasn’t on that was on several occasions, we brought it into the Audi dealership. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it Several please call me back or contact my husband who owns a car I’m getting sick of this. I think they also replaced the water pump as well.
NHTSA complaint #11505674 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lake Saint Louis, MO
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Where do I start? We have taken this car into the Audi dealership four times due to the engine. Overheating and being almost stranded in the middle of nowhere with it because oil was needing to be added to the engine all the time and after charging us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do to plug in Their service computer system they finally realized that the car third high-pressure fuel pump leaking was leaking fuel into the crank case causing a hard start and fuel trim codes we spent and this is just the warrants $911.67 another time my husband was backing out of our brand, new home and This car did not sense that he was too close and essentially the front right part of his tire where the tire is doc Benton and he ruined the right side of our garage and these are just one of the 20 issues that have been always going to the RV dealership and I really think that it’s time for some reimbursement. My husband won’t go and do anything about it because he used to work at the dealership but I’m sick of it and we’ve been charged hundreds and hundreds of dollars and then they finally just fixed. They finally just found the problem there that’s an issue and it’s a safety issue to because when I was driving down the highway all the sudden the over the engine overheated and that wasn’t on that was on several occasions, we brought it into the Audi dealership. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it Several please call me back or contact my husband who owns a car I’m getting sick of this. I think they also replaced the water pump as well.
NHTSA complaint #11505674 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lake Saint Louis, MO
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Where do I start? We have taken this car into the Audi dealership four times due to the engine. Overheating and being almost stranded in the middle of nowhere with it because oil was needing to be added to the engine all the time and after charging us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do to plug in Their service computer system they finally realized that the car third high-pressure fuel pump leaking was leaking fuel into the crank case causing a hard start and fuel trim codes we spent and this is just the warrants $911.67 another time my husband was backing out of our brand, new home and This car did not sense that he was too close and essentially the front right part of his tire where the tire is doc Benton and he ruined the right side of our garage and these are just one of the 20 issues that have been always going to the RV dealership and I really think that it’s time for some reimbursement. My husband won’t go and do anything about it because he used to work at the dealership but I’m sick of it and we’ve been charged hundreds and hundreds of dollars and then they finally just fixed. They finally just found the problem there that’s an issue and it’s a safety issue to because when I was driving down the highway all the sudden the over the engine overheated and that wasn’t on that was on several occasions, we brought it into the Audi dealership. They couldn’t find anything wrong with it Several please call me back or contact my husband who owns a car I’m getting sick of this. I think they also replaced the water pump as well.
NHTSA complaint #11505674 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Miami, FL
AIR BAGS
1. PASSENGER AIRBAG HAS BEEN OFF FOR 2 WEEKS. 2. oN THE iNFORMATION SCREEN THERE HAS BEEN A SYSTEM MALFUNCTION EVER SINCE. 3. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN FOR REPAIR TO DEALERSHIP FOR 3 TIMES AND THE ISSUE KEEPS COMING BACK.
NHTSA complaint #11431235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 50,000 milesAlamogordo, NM
SEATS
CAR HAD NO ISSUES PRIOR TO RECALL 69Z4. AFTER AUDI DEALERSHIP PERFORMED WORK TO SATISFY RECALL 69Z4 (NHTSA 19V474), THE AFFECTED SYSTEM (PODS) NOW DOES NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. THIS RENDERS THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG INOPERABLE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS OCCUPIED. AUDI WILL NOT COVER THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR TO THE SYSTEM THAT WAS PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL UNTIL THEIR RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING SIMILAR A3/S3 MODEL YEARS.
NHTSA complaint #11388170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 50,000 milesAlamogordo, NM
SEAT BELTS
CAR HAD NO ISSUES PRIOR TO RECALL 69Z4. AFTER AUDI DEALERSHIP PERFORMED WORK TO SATISFY RECALL 69Z4 (NHTSA 19V474), THE AFFECTED SYSTEM (PODS) NOW DOES NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. THIS RENDERS THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG INOPERABLE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS OCCUPIED. AUDI WILL NOT COVER THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR TO THE SYSTEM THAT WAS PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL UNTIL THEIR RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING SIMILAR A3/S3 MODEL YEARS.
NHTSA complaint #11388170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 50,000 milesAlamogordo, NM
AIR BAGS
CAR HAD NO ISSUES PRIOR TO RECALL 69Z4. AFTER AUDI DEALERSHIP PERFORMED WORK TO SATISFY RECALL 69Z4 (NHTSA 19V474), THE AFFECTED SYSTEM (PODS) NOW DOES NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. THIS RENDERS THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG INOPERABLE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS OCCUPIED. AUDI WILL NOT COVER THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR TO THE SYSTEM THAT WAS PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL UNTIL THEIR RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE AFFECTING SIMILAR A3/S3 MODEL YEARS.
NHTSA complaint #11388170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 35,000 milesLowell, MA
AIR BAGS
POD WHICH CONTROLS THE PASSENGER AIR BAG
NHTSA complaint #11384161 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 36,000 milesOakland Park, FL
AIR BAGS
AIRBAG ISSUE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. A RECALL WAS DONE IN DECEMBER 2019 AND THE ISSUE PERSISTED AND NOW THE DEALER WANTS MORE THAN $1,300 TO FIX THE ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11377483 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 55,000 milesJacksonville, FL
AIR BAGS
AFTER BRINGING IN MY VEHICLE FOR SERVICE, THE DEALER INFORMED ME OF A NECESSARY RECALL REPAIR THAT WOULD PREVENT POTENTIAL PASSENGER AIRBAG FAILURE. I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR, ALTHOUGH I HAD NOT ENCOUNTERED ANY ISSUES PRIOR. HOWEVER ABOUT A MONTH AFTER THE REPAIR, I BEGAN TO RECEIVE A FLASHING WARNING ON THE DASH WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING THE CAR WHILE STATIONARY WHICH READ "SAFETY SYSTEM: SYSTEM FAULT! SEE OWNER'S MANUAL", "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" AND "AUDI PRE SENSE: SYSTEM FAULT!". I NOW RECEIVE THE WARNING EVERY TIME I START THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND INFORMED THEM OF THE ISSUE. THEY SET AN APPOINTMENT FOR AN INSPECTION AND POSSIBLE REPAIR, HOWEVER UPON INSPECTION THEY FOUND THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND THUS I WOULD BE CHARGED $1700 TO HAVE THE PODS UNIT REPLACED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. AFTER RESEARCHING AND SPEAKING WITH OTHER OWNERS, IT SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AS MANY OTHERS HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE ISSUE, AND THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THIS IS CLEARLY AN ISSUE WITH AN INAPPROPRIATE/INEFFECTIVE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI MUST FIX THIS ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11366890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 110,000 milesGolden, CO
AIR BAGS
PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG SEAT SENSOR WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY YET THE PROBLEM WASN'T FIXED. SEAT WONT DETECT PASSENGER AND PASSENGER AIRBAG WONT DEPLOY BECAUSE OF IT. AUDI SAYS THE WHOLE SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IS A WEAR AND TEAR PART, WHICH IT IS NOT! THE NHSTSA MUST HOLD AUDI ACCOUNTABLE FOR A FULL FIX NOT A HALF FIX. DO YOUR JOBS!! LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM ITS DANGEROUS!
NHTSA complaint #11361222 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 15,000 milesCoppell, TX
SEATS
DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING AIR BAG IS OFF EVEN WHEN PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. UNDER WARRANTY SERVICE WAS PERFORMED AND FAILED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE $1400 DESPITE SAFETY RECALL AND INADEQUATE EFFORT MADE TO REPAIR VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUE UNDER WARRANTY. AUDI OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS APPEAR TO BE CROOKS.
NHTSA complaint #11348678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 15,000 milesCoppell, TX
AIR BAGS
DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING AIR BAG IS OFF EVEN WHEN PASSENGER SEAT IS OCCUPIED. UNDER WARRANTY SERVICE WAS PERFORMED AND FAILED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE $1400 DESPITE SAFETY RECALL AND INADEQUATE EFFORT MADE TO REPAIR VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUE UNDER WARRANTY. AUDI OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS APPEAR TO BE CROOKS.
NHTSA complaint #11348678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 59,500 milesSalt Lake City, UT
ENGINE
VERY SIMILAR TO THE RECALL FOR THE 2017-2018 AUDI A3, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR. THE CAR STARTS NORMALLY, SHIFTS INTO GEAR (DRIVE OR REVERSE) ACCELERATES NORMALLY, BEFORE THE ENGINE DIES (RPM GAUGE DROPS TO 0). THE CAR FORCES ME TO PUT IT IN PARK BEFORE STARTING NORMALLY WHEN PUSHING THE START/STOP BUTTON. IT HAS HAPPENED 15+ TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE MECHANIC AND NO ERROR CODES APPEAR. WE HAVE TESTED TO SEE IF IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE GAS TANK IS BELOW HALF (WHICH WOULD INDICATE A FUEL PUMP ISSUE) HOWEVER, IT HAS HAPPENED ON A FULL TANK AS WELL. IT IS NOT BAD GAS-- I HAVE FILLED UP AT A VARIETY OF GAS STATIONS SINCE THIS ISSUE BEGAN. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS IT POTENTIALLY COULD HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC, SINCE IT DIES WHILE IN MOTION AND REQUIRES THE CAR TO BE IN PARK BEFORE IT WILL START BACK UP. I'VE SEEN SEVERAL FORUMS ONLINE ABOUT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND I'M ESPECIALLY CONCERNED BASED ON THE EXACT SAME RECALL FOR THE 2017-2018 A3.
NHTSA complaint #11298302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Miami, FL
AIR BAGS
FRONT AIRBAG RECALL WAS JUST COMPLETED BUT THE CAR KEEPS TOGGLING THE FRONT AIRBAGS ON AND OFF WHEN DRIVING. I ALSO GET A MESSAGE THAT SAYS AUDI PRE-SENSE SYSTEM FAULT. PIC ATTACHED.
NHTSA complaint #11296859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 38,000 milesMiami, FL
SEATS
FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG KEEPS SHUTTING OFF AND ON WHEN WHILE DRIVING AND WITH A PASSENGER SITTING ON THE SEAT. CAR WAS REPAIRED ONCE BEFORE FOR THE SAME ISSUE BUT THE ISSUE KEEPS SHOWING AGAIN. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED RECENTLY FOR THIS ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11287183 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 38,000 milesMiami, FL
AIR BAGS
FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG KEEPS SHUTTING OFF AND ON WHEN WHILE DRIVING AND WITH A PASSENGER SITTING ON THE SEAT. CAR WAS REPAIRED ONCE BEFORE FOR THE SAME ISSUE BUT THE ISSUE KEEPS SHOWING AGAIN. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED RECENTLY FOR THIS ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11287183 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.