2017 Audi A3 Cabriolet problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (11) · Power Train (3) · Engine (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A3 Cabriolet model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2017-08-16 · campaign 17V508000 · 8,383 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet and A3 Sedan vehicles. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) software may misinterpret the flywheel rotation on engine start-up as a "knocking" condition, and the adjusted air/fuel mixture may result in an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24DF.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2017-03-22 · campaign 17V196000 · 11,618 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi A3 and S3 Sedan vehicles. In a lower-speed crash situation, the air bag control unit software may deploy the passenger frontal air bag improperly if the front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: If the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q3.
Service bulletins (496)
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 496 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-04-12 · Fuel System, Gasoline“the contact owns a 2017 audi a3. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v110000 (fuel system, gasoline) 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 contacted. the manufacturer was not ma…”
2023-01-13 · Power Train · 90,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 audi a3. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to make abnormal sounds and inadvertently downshifted. in addition, the reduced power warning light, check engine warning light, and the esp warning light illuminated. the dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not …”
2022-10-14 · Air Bags · 66,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 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 local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that part…”
2022-09-23 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2017 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 contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag off warning l…”
2022-08-15 · Air Bags · 55,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 audi a3. the contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated and the message "air bag malfunction. please seek audi dealer" was displayed. the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. the contact became aware that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 2…”
2022-07-25 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2017 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…”
2022-07-07 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage · 42,800 mi“the contact owns a 2017 audi a3. the contact stated while refueling the vehicle, fuel was spilling from the fuel filler neck. the contact drove back to her residence and placed the vehicle in park(p) and noticed the odor of gasoline entering the cabin. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact exited and ch…”
2022-05-03 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2017 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 not made awar…”
2022-05-02 · Air Bags · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 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 upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated and the warning message "air bag off" would illuminate though there was a passenger in …”
2022-04-20 · Air Bags · 22,500 mi“the contact owns a 2017 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 contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.