2016 Audi S3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
14
Complaints
3
Recalls
0
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
0
Injuries
0.0
Severity index
Severity index 0.0 - Low. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 11 | 78.6% |
| SEATS | 4 | 28.6% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 14.3% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 7.1% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 7.1% |
| BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 7.1% |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 | 7.1% |
| ENGINE | 1 | 7.1% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 11 of 14 complaints (78.6%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 2 |
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 |
| 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 |
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.