2016 Audi A3

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2016 Audi A3 has 113 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (31% of all complaints), specifically: i had the seat pod recall repair made on my car and this did not fix the problem of the indicator going off and a notice on the dash of "audi pre-sense: system fault!" notice. in other words, the problem of a faulty airbag connector wire was not solved by a wire replacement. i was told that the se. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 2 crash reports

113

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

35 complaints

31%

• I HAD THE SEAT POD RECALL REPAIR MADE ON MY CAR AND THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM OF THE INDICATOR GOING OFF AND A NOTICE ON THE DASH OF "AUDI PRE-SENSE: SYSTEM FAULT!" NOTICE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE PROBLEM OF A FAULTY AIRBAG CONNECTOR WIRE WAS NOT SOLVED BY A WIRE REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SE
• 2016 AUDI, CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM. *LD THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER TO MAKE A REPAIR FOR RECALL 69Z4. NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. *JS
• AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND SEAT BELT LIGHT IS ON. ERROR MESSAGE ON DASHBOARD: SAFETY SYSTEM: SYSTEM FAULT. CAR HAD A RECALL FOR SIMILAR ISSUE ON JANUARY 2020. TOOK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WANT TO REPLACE A SENSOR FOR $1300. DEALERSHIP STATED IS NOT THE SAME ISSUE RELATED TO THE RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I HAD THE SEAT POD RECALL REPAIR MADE ON MY CAR AND THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM OF THE INDICATOR GOING OFF AND A NOTICE ON THE DASH OF "AUDI PRE-SENSE: SYSTEM FAULT!" NOTICE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE PROBLEM OF A FAULTY AIRBAG CONNECTOR WIRE WAS NOT SOLVED BY A WIRE REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

20 complaints

18%

• I CANT GET GAS , IT GOES OUT OF THE TANK
• AUDI A3 QUATTRO 2016 MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) CAME ON WHILST DRIVING SLOWLY IN TRAFFIC. I BELIEVE THE VERSION OF THE ECM IN MY VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE AND MAY BE RELATED TO "SAFETY RECALL 24DF": HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/RCL/2017/RCONL-17V508-5502.PDF HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/RCL/
• Upon parking in my garage, the vehicle leaked fuel from the rear-wheel on passenger side. There were no warning lights to indicate the fuel line or other component was compromised or malfunction. The vehicle was towed to the Audi service center for inspection. The inspection revealed fuel was in the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“I CANT GET GAS , IT GOES OUT OF THE TANK”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

15 complaints

13%

• VEHICLE WAS GARAGED AND FUNCTIONING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. APPX. 64000 MILES. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND PUT IN REVERSE, THE REARVIEW CAMERA'S VIEW WAS MODERATELY VISIBLE, BUT GARBLED PAST ANY USEFUL VIEW. THIS DID APPEAR TO HAPPEN AFTER THE TRUNK WAS SIMPLY OPENED AND SHUT BEFORE GETTING
• AN IMPROPER ELECTRICAL CONTACT MAY CAUSE THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) TO FALSELY DETECT A MALFUNCTION AND DEACTIVATE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG. THE DEALERSHIP WILL SAY THEY FIXED IT BUT SHORTLY AFTER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG AND SEATBELT SIGN GOES OFF AGAIN BEEPING AND ADVISING YOU THE PAS
• CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CUTS ON WITH OVERHEATING AND EPS ERROR WHEN STARTING CAR SOMETIMES. WHEN YOU SHUT OFF CAR IT CUTS OFF AND RETURNS TO NORMAL. IT STARTED LAST YEAR AND HAS CONTINUED, I WAS TOLD IT MAY BE A SENSOR SHORTAGE.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“VEHICLE WAS GARAGED AND FUNCTIONING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. APPX. 64000 MILES. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND PUT IN REVERSE, THE REARVIEW CAMERA'S VIEW WAS MODERATELY VISIBLE, BUT GARBLED PAST ANY USEFUL VIEW. THIS DID APPEAR TO HAPPEN AFTER THE TRUNK WAS SIMPLY OPENED AND SHUT BEFORE GETTING ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

12 complaints

11%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, HE NOTICED A BURNING SMELL IN HIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PARKED HIS VEHICLE IN HIS DRIVEWAY AND OPENED THE HOOD WHEN FLUIDS BUBBLING WHERE COMING FROM ONE OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIRS AND THE BURNING ODOR WAS COMING FRO
• CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CUTS ON WITH OVERHEATING AND EPS ERROR WHEN STARTING CAR SOMETIMES. WHEN YOU SHUT OFF CAR IT CUTS OFF AND RETURNS TO NORMAL. IT STARTED LAST YEAR AND HAS CONTINUED, I WAS TOLD IT MAY BE A SENSOR SHORTAGE.
• TL THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, AN ABNORMAL RUMBLING SOUND WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO IMMEDIATELY START-UP. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REFUEL THE VEHICLE, THE NOZZLE WOULD CONTINUOUSLY CLICK OF

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, HE NOTICED A BURNING SMELL IN HIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PARKED HIS VEHICLE IN HIS DRIVEWAY AND OPENED THE HOOD WHEN FLUIDS BUBBLING WHERE COMING FROM ONE OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIRS AND THE BURNING ODOR WAS COMING FRO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

8 complaints

• I have contacted Audi USA several times regarding the recall on my Audi A3 2016 but it seems that they don't care about the issue and asked me to drive it and nothing will happen.
• There has been a National recall on my VIN with no known fix at this time. My car has stalled, would not cool off, it will read error codes that don’t make any sense. It goes from speed, to shut engine off now, immediately exit and turn off vehicle, saying it’s too Hot, oil leaking, airbag lights co
• AUDI BATON ROUGE INFORMED ME THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH COOLANT MIGRATION AT COOLANT TANK CONNECTOR (COOLANT COULD LEAK INTO WIRE HARNESS) AND CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WANT $300 +_ TO REPAIR. SINCE THIS IS NOT SOMETHING CAUSED UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS OR NEGLIGENCE ON MY PART I DO NOT FE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I have contacted Audi USA several times regarding the recall on my Audi A3 2016 but it seems that they don't care about the issue and asked me to drive it and nothing will happen.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 113 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: I HAD THE SEAT POD RECALL REPAIR MADE ON MY CAR AND THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM OF THE INDICATOR GOING OFF AND A NOTICE ON THE DASH OF "AUDI PRE-SENSE: SYSTEM FAULT!" NOTICE. IN OTHER WORDS, THE PROBLEM OF A FAULTY AIRBAG CONNECTOR WIRE WAS NOT SOLVED BY A WIRE REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: I CANT GET GAS , IT GOES OUT OF THE TANK
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: VEHICLE WAS GARAGED AND FUNCTIONING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. APPX. 64000 MILES. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND PUT IN REVERSE, THE REARVIEW CAMERA'S VIEW WAS MODERATELY VISIBLE, BUT GARBLED PAST ANY USEFUL VIEW. THIS DID APPEAR TO HAPPEN AFTER THE TRUNK WAS SIMPLY OPENED AND SHUT BEFORE GETTING
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, HE NOTICED A BURNING SMELL IN HIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PARKED HIS VEHICLE IN HIS DRIVEWAY AND OPENED THE HOOD WHEN FLUIDS BUBBLING WHERE COMING FROM ONE OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIRS AND THE BURNING ODOR WAS COMING FRO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)