2017 Audi A3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (11) · Power Train (6) · Air Bags (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A3 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline 2024-02-14 · campaign 24V110000 · 261,257 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and re
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.
Service bulletins (592)
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.
Structure:body 2026-09-18 · TSB_2078648_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 592 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System“recall campaign 20yf; description- suction jet pump i was not made aware of the recall until fuel began gushing out of my passenger side rear. the audi dealership was aware of the recall in july of 2025 when i had routine maintenance at the service department, however it was not addressed. fast forward to the fuel leak in april 2026, i was infor…”
2026-02-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System“while driving at highway speeds, a warning light appeared as well as an alert indicating the car was limited to no more than 4000rpm. after coming to a stop, a strong smell of gasoline was noticed in the passenger compartment. continued driving home uneventfully but the strong smell of gas persisted. the next day i drove the car to a mechanic. thei…”
2025-12-07 · Seats“in august 2025, my 2017 audi a3 (vin [xxx] ) experienced repeated stalling, strong gasoline odors inside the cabin, and a check engine light immediately after audi completed recall-related service. the safety issue was later confirmed by the dealership to be caused by a failed suction jet pump (nhtsa recall 24v110), which allowed fuel to enter the …”
2025-01-24 · Electrical System“the vehicle electrical system control module j519 had a fault that prevented using many vehicle functions - no interior lights, no heated seats, dashboard and navigation screen too dim to read in daylight.…”
2025-01-21 · Power Train“car throws p2884 and the internal combustion motor will not start. the issue is gone into detail here: [xxx] recommendation is swapping out mechatronic unit for the upgraded unit. since the unit is prone to failure this really should be a recall. it happens on all cars 2016/2017 years right around 60k miles. information redacted pursuant to the f…”
2024-12-19 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“passenger airbags, and emergency braking have been failing, i would have to be aware in advance if my vehicle needs to be checked, my safety and my passengers safety is in danger because incase i need to brake quickly but dont have the reaction time to do so i will crash since emergency brake doesnt work, and my passengers would be at high risk bec…”
2024-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“the audi san juan -texas address: 1001 east expressway 83 ,san juan, tx. 78589 .do not want repair my car for a recall water pump and in the future can cause fire .audi a3 2017 …”
2024-07-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the car started having issues around february 2024. the car first started misfiring and dying at stops which was a safety issue. when parked i noticed that there was an excessive amount of fuel that started coming out of the charcoal canister, another problem that could have resulted in the car catching on fire. the car could not be filled up with …”
2024-05-29 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings · 💥 crash“i recently was involved in a collision where my car going at 30 mph collided with. car that was completely stopped that i unfortunately didn’t see i’ve previously been warned by the safety system where it’s saved me by first audio warning and then immediately breaking allowing me to avoid collision unfortunately prior to the accident i never had an…”
2024-05-20 · Seat Belts“recall on this vehicle several years ago. taken to the audi dealership for repairs of the recall. no change after recall repairs completed. the airbag and seatbelt warning lights have continued to light up. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.