2018 Audi A3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
44
Complaints
2
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
2
Injuries
45.5
Severity index
Severity index 45.5 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 121 2018 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2018 Audi A3 ranks 66 of 121 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 45% of its model-year peers. See the full 2018 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 24 | 54.5% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 11.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 11.4% |
| ENGINE | 4 | 9.1% |
| TIRES | 4 | 9.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 | 9.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 6.8% |
| SEATS | 2 | 4.5% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 24 of 44 complaints (54.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 1 |
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.