2016 Audi S3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (6) · Seats (3) · Visibility/Wiper (1)
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2022-07-27 · campaign 22V543000 · 1,216 vehicles
Defect: 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 may explode or deploy improperly.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. An improper air bag deployment may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2021-03-22 · campaign 21V198000 · 153,152 vehicles
Defect: 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 when the seat is occupied.
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.
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.
Service bulletins (631)
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.
Structure:body 2026-09-08 · TSB_2068999_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this tsb describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.
Showing the 6 most recent of 631 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-29 · Visibility/Wiper“sunroof exploded while driving …”
2024-04-13 · Unknown Or Other“received notice for safety recall to have pods system repaired or replaced free of charge by audi. took my vehicle in for the recall. audi wanted to charge me to complete this safety recall and refused to complete the recall if i didn't pay. this was bluegrass motorsports in louisville ky. they also damaged my vehicles door trim and stole money fro…”
2023-02-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System“where do i start? we have taken this car into the audi dealership four times due to the engine. overheating and being almost stranded in the middle of nowhere with it because oil was needing to be added to the engine all the time and after charging us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do to plug in their service computer system they finally reali…”
2021-08-31 · Air Bags“1. passenger airbag has been off for 2 weeks. 2. on the information screen there has been a system malfunction ever since. 3. car has been taken for repair to dealership for 3 times and the issue keeps coming back. …”
2021-01-14 · Seats · 50,000 mi“car had no issues prior to recall 69z4. after audi dealership performed work to satisfy recall 69z4 (nhtsa 19v474), the affected system (pods) now does not function at all. this renders the passenger seat airbag inoperable regardless of whether it is occupied. audi will not cover the additional repair to the system that was perfectly functional unt…”
2020-12-19 · Air Bags · 35,000 mi“pod which controls the passenger air bag…”
2020-12-02 · Air Bags · 36,000 mi“airbag issue on the passenger side. a recall was done in december 2019 and the issue persisted and now the dealer wants more than $1,300 to fix the issue.…”
2020-10-28 · Air Bags · 55,000 mi“after bringing in my vehicle for service, the dealer informed me of a necessary recall repair that would prevent potential passenger airbag failure. i authorized the repair, although i had not encountered any issues prior. however about a month after the repair, i began to receive a flashing warning on the dash while driving and sometimes immediate…”
2020-09-26 · Air Bags · 110,000 mi“passenger front air bag seat sensor was replaced under warranty yet the problem wasn't fixed. seat wont detect passenger and passenger airbag wont deploy because of it. audi says the whole sensor needs to be replaced and is a wear and tear part, which it is not! the nhstsa must hold audi accountable for a full fix not a half fix. do your jobs!! l…”
2020-08-11 · Seats · 15,000 mi“dashboard warning lights indicating air bag is off even when passenger seat is occupied. under warranty service was performed and failed to address the issue, was told by dealer that the repair would be $1400 despite safety recall and inadequate effort made to repair vehicle safety issue under warranty. audi of grapevine, texas appear to be crooks…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.