2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 17%of 36 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 20,039miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 17% of the 36 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 20,039 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driving 50-60 MPH on the fwy when all of a sudden the car started to jerk/stutter and then it lost speed. The jerking is similar to a new driver learning how to drive a manual transmission where you're thrown fwd and back somewhat violently. As I tried to accelerate back to fwy speed, it wouldn't accelerate. It kept slowing down instead. No cel illuminated. I decided to exit and pulled into a parking lot.”
NHTSA complaint #11000378, filed 2017-06, 19,878 miles“Twice I have experienced the random loss of power. The first time occurred on a local street, driving approximately 40 MPH, and all of a sudden the vehicle stuttered and lost power. It appeared as if the vehicle was slowing down, not even coasting but slowing down considerably. I was required to pull onto a side road. I restarted the car and the issue disappeared. The second time occurred on the highway driving in the left lane at approximately 70 MPH. Same issue, car stuttered and then loss power. The car's speed slowed considerable fast, from 70 to 30 in apprximately 5-7 seconds. …”
NHTSA complaint #11067212, filed 2018-02, 15,500 miles“I bought a cpo 2016 a3 1.8t from Audi of palo alto on may 20, 2017 with a little under 19100 miles. Great fast car. Until june 17, 2017 when it had 19878 miles. The car started to stutter/sputter/jerk while on the fwy. I was going about 50-60mph on the fwy, cruising, and then it stuttered. It lost the power to accelerate to keep up the fwy pace and it slowed down considerably so I pulled over. I had it towed to the nearest dealer (Audi of concord). It was there from 6/17 to 6/29. Dealer said it had a faulty turbo, stating the wastegate failed, so they replaced the entire turbo. …”
NHTSA complaint #11002951, filed 2017-07, 20,200 miles“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving at unknown speed the message, Oil Level Sensor System Fault was displayed. The message was display on several occasions while the contact was driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic stated that several fault codes were displayed. The mechanic informed the contact that replacing the sensor might fix the failure and the part was replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to stall, and the message was displayed again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11580553, filed 2024-04, 100,500 miles“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 21V198000 (Air Bags) and 19V474000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who declined to repair the vehicle for unknown reasons however, the dealer received payment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the ignition coil needed to be replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #11431217, filed 2021-08, 84,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11034657Jun 26, 2026This bulletin provides information when there is increased oil consumption; >0.5ltr/1000 km.
- 11034728Jun 10, 2026This bulletin provides informaiton when the engine is not running smoothly, misfiring.
- 11029368Feb 20, 2026This bulletin provides information on the use of the Audi frequencly analysis app, and where the application can be downloaded.
- 11029367Feb 20, 2026This bulletin provides information on VIN Plates, Safety Certification labels, and the ordering procedures.
- 11028398Jan 14, 2026This bulletin provides information regarding UV leak additive for finding oil leaks.
- 11027356Dec 11, 2025This bulletin provides information when there is increased oil consumption; >0.5ltr/1000 km.
- 11016532Mar 12, 2025This bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds.
- 11012476Dec 5, 2024This bulletin provides information when the MIL is on; DTCs for misfire, air/fuel ratio imbalance, or lean fuel system stored in the ECM P030000.
- 11009928Oct 8, 2024This bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds.
- 11009327Sep 24, 2024This bulletin provides information when ther is an Engine: start/stop system fault shown and start/stop system not is working; mileage below 50 km/32 miles.
Engine: other model years
Other parts of the 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet
15 complaintsFuel system
8 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology