Audi S3 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 81 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Audi S3 (2015–2018) that have at least 5 complaints. 2015 has the most, with 53. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (46 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All S3 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 | 6,250 | 1 | 655 | — | Not enough data |
| 2017 | 9 | 28,859 | 2 | 620 | — | Not enough data |
| 2016 | 14 | 44,000 | 3 | 630 | — | Not enough data |
| 2015 | 53 | 52,000 | 2 | 689 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags46 47%
- Fuel system10 10%
- Transmission and drivetrain9 9.2%
- Electrical system9 9.2%
- Seats8 8.2%
- Seat belts6 6.1%
- Other or unknown5 5.1%
- Engine5 5.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2015: “My car's passenger side front seat abruptly developed a sensor failure. The passenger airbag off light is lit, signaling the airbag won't deploy despite a passenger sitting in the seat. This is dangerous. There has been a recall issued in june 2018 on 140k Audi cars with similar problem, my model has yet to be included, and there are likely more cars with similar malfunction.”
NHTSA complaint #11138921, filed 2018-10, 52,000 miles2016: “Very similar to the recall for the 2017-2018 Audi a3, the engine completely shuts off while driving at slow speeds shortly after starting the car. The car starts normally, shifts into gear (drive or reverse) accelerates normally, before the engine dies (RPM gauge drops to 0). The car forces me to put it in park before starting normally when pushing the start/stop button. It has happened 15+ times in the last two weeks. I've taken it to the mechanic and no error codes appear. …”
NHTSA complaint #11298302, filed 2020-01, 59,500 miles2017: “After purchasing a 2017 Audi S3 I immediately encountered horrible chattering of the wiper blades in my very first drive in the rain. I have subsequently taken my car to the Audi dealership to address this issue 10+ occasions. This chattering and skipping of the wiper blades is so bad that I and many other a3 / S3 owners no longer use our wipers in the rain as they cause more of a distraction than good. Most of us are now using rainx or some other repellent to evacuate the water. …”
NHTSA complaint #11258174, filed 2019-09, 18,000 milesOther Audi models
2,893 complaintsAudi A6
1,653 complaintsAudi Q5
1,348 complaintsAudi Q7
1,052 complaintsAudi A3
727 complaintsAudi S4
577 complaintsAudi A5
324 complaintsAudi TT
306 complaints
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. Methodology