Skip to content
EnginePart report

2015 Audi A3 Engine Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
10%of 93 total for the year
Median mileage
55,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine of the 2015 Audi A3, 10% of the 93 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 55,000 miles.

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.

“Check engine light came on in october 2020 car was slow to take off for several weeks and seemed to take time to shift gears. Took to Audi mechanic and had to replace water pump -w/thermostat housing & intake manifold. Now I'm april 2021 car is back in shop because it wouldn't shift out of 1st gear suddenly when I was driving with my daughter in the car, I pulled over in a parking lot to turn car off and then got an error message stating transmission malfunction cannot reverse and had to have the car towed to mechanic again. …”

NHTSA complaint #11407754, filed 2021-04, 90,605 miles

“After recent car inspection due to recall for passenger occupant detection I was informed that water pump was leaking and it needs to be replaced. Vehicle has only 55 000 miles on it. Other Audi models appear to have the same issue and they have been recalled, however no recalls have been issued for Audi A3 2015. As a manufacturer Audi must take the responsibility for faulty parts and it should replace them on their own expense.”

NHTSA complaint #11310473, filed 2020-02, 55,000 miles

“The water pump/thermostat housing is leaking coolant out of the engine. This occurs on nearly all mqb chassis vw/Audi's with the ea888 gen 3 2.0 tfsi engine. It is a widely known issue.”

NHTSA complaint #11306575, filed 2020-02, 48,000 miles

“Blown turbo with propeller broken off lodged into the pre-catalytic converter, which caused damage to the catalytic converter/exhaust requiring a new turbo and a complete new catalytic converter and exhaust system. They also found major oil leaking from the upper timing cover gaskets, which I later found documented on the accounting service record as not repaired at that time few months from my purchase. These known engine damages were a major contributor to the engine failures that I’m faced with today. …”

NHTSA complaint #11723149, filed 2026-03

“I have an appointment at Audi of Richmond on Wednesday 08/19/26 and was told to have the car there on Tuesday the day before the appointment to fix the recalls. I called Audi USA roadside assistance and also the actual dealership about a complimentary tow based of the fact the reason it stop driving was because of one of the recalls. They said they can’t cover it because they can’t confirm that was the cause that keeps it from driving which confuses me because a fuel pump recall should trigger a stop drive anyway because of fire hazard at the very least. …”

NHTSA complaint #11757471, filed 2026-08

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023114%
2022111%
202016%
2018412%
2017920%
2016911%
2015910%
2013315%
2011614%
201048%
2009511%
200748%
200632%

Other parts of the 2015 Audi A3

Air bags
45 complaints
Fuel system
22 complaints
Electrical system
17 complaints
Seat belts
10 complaints
Seats
10 complaints
Other or unknown
8 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
5 complaints
Steering
2 complaints
Body and structure
2 complaints
Electronic stability control
1 complaints
Engine cooling
1 complaints
Exterior lighting
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2015 Audi A3

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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