2016 Audi A3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 112 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
112
Complaints
3
Recalls
3
Crash reports
4
Fire reports
1
Injuries
39.3
Severity index
Severity index 39.3 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Audi A3 ranks 100 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 29% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 51 | 45.5% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 18 | 16.1% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 17 | 15.2% |
| ENGINE | 14 | 12.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 11 | 9.8% |
| POWER TRAIN | 9 | 8.0% |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 5 | 4.5% |
| GASOLINE | 5 | 4.5% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 51 of 112 complaints (45.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 23 |
| 2022 | 24 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
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 |
| 22V543000 | 27/07/2022 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag |
| 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.