2015 Audi A3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 176 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
176
Complaints
2
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
0
Injuries
2.3
Severity index
Severity index 2.3 - Low. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 143 2015 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2015 Audi A3 ranks 143 of 143 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 0% of its model-year peers. See the full 2015 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 83 | 47.2% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 25 | 14.2% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 19 | 10.8% |
| ENGINE | 17 | 9.7% |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 15 | 8.5% |
| GASOLINE | 15 | 8.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 12 | 6.8% |
| SEAT BELTS | 12 | 6.8% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 83 of 176 complaints (47.2%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 24 |
| 2021 | 23 |
| 2022 | 38 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 6 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21V198000 | 22/03/2021 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER | 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 passenger air bag even |
| 24V110000 | 14/02/2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 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, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 20 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.