2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (32) · Fuel/Propulsion System (9) · Fuel System, Gasoline (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A3 Cabriolet model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
63 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2019-06-19 · campaign 19V474000 · 138,896 vehicles
Defect: 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 a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.
Equipment:other:labels 2017-04-26 · campaign 17V280000 · 2,091 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Audi A3 1.8T FWD S tronic and 2.0T Quattro S tronic vehicles. The safety certification label has an incorrect vehicle production date. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle safety recall, an incorrect production date may prevent owners from determining if the recall affects them, increasing their risk of injury or a crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install an overlay label containing the correct vehicle production date, free of charge. The recall June 23, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51F5.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2016-09-07 · campaign 16V647000 · 110,042 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Audi A3 sedan and A3 Cabriolet vehicles. Due to a problem with the suction pump inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system.
Risk: As fuel accumulates in the EVAP system, it may leak out through the charcoal canister filter element. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298, Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 20Y6 and 20Y5. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 24V-110.
Seats 2015-12-08 · campaign 15V824000 · 904 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, LLC (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet vehicles manufactured June 5, 2014, to April 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driver or front passenger seat whose cover may be incorrectly stitched, preventing the side air bag from properly deploying in the event of a crash.
Risk: Improper side air bag deployment may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's and/or front passenger's seatback cover, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notices on February 4, 2016. The recall began on February 29, 2016 . Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74C9.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2015-04-17 · campaign 15V229000 · 6,205 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Golf, and GTI manufactured on February 17, 2014, to May 22, 2014, and Audi A3 manufactured on February 16, 2013, to April 23, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle will not start, or if the engine is running, it will stop and the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any affected fuel pumps, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi at 1-800-253-2834.
Service bulletins (702)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Showing the 6 most recent of 702 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-07-31 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 113,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact stated while refueling, there was gasoline leaking from the vehicle. the contact was able to drive the vehicle however, while the vehicle was parked gasoline was still leaking from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the suction pump had failed and that the sucti…”
2022-11-08 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experi…”
2022-10-24 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2011 dodge durango. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the contact had …”
2022-10-20 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted several times. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was…”
2022-10-17 · Steering · 33,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact stated while reversing out his driveway, the steering wheel firm and hard to turn. the contact noticed that an unknown warning light was illuminated. additionally, there was a message stating “do not drive”. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted.…”
2022-10-17 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was made aware of the issue. the…”
2022-09-21 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was made aware of the issue. the manufacturer was made …”
2022-09-06 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the dealer had been notified about the issue on multiple occasions and each time informed the contact that parts were not yet available. the manufacturer had been notified…”
2022-09-01 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 162,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undetermined speed, the fuel level decreased. the driver noticed that fuel was pouring out of the vehicle. the driver added fuel to the vehicle and continued driving. the vehicle was parked for several days. while the contact was driving the vehicle, the ve…”
2022-08-30 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2015 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.