2015 Audi S3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
52
Complaints
2
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
2
Injuries
38.5
Severity index
Severity index 38.5 - Medium. 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 S3 ranks 111 of 143 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 22% of its model-year peers. See the full 2015 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 29 | 55.8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 17.3% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 11.5% |
| POWER TRAIN | 6 | 11.5% |
| SEAT BELTS | 5 | 9.6% |
| ENGINE | 4 | 7.7% |
| SEATS | 4 | 7.7% |
| WHEELS | 2 | 3.8% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 29 of 52 complaints (55.8%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V474000 | 19/06/2019 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect |
| 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 |
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.