Audi S3

Where it stands out against its peers

• Air bags: more complaints than 98% of 2015 cars — 55% of its 53 complaints, where an ordinary 2015 car has 10%.
• Seat belts: more complaints than 98% of 2015 cars — 9% of its 53 complaints, where an ordinary 2015 car has 2%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• AIR BAGS — 20 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 7 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN — 4 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 3 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — 3 owners reported this
• ENGINE — 3 owners reported this
• AIR BAGS,SEATS — 2 owners reported this
• AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — 1 owners reported this
• AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS — 1 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — 1 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEATS — 1 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES — 1 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) — 1 owners reported this
• STRUCTURE — 1 owners reported this
• TIRES — 1 owners reported this
• VISIBILITY/WIPER — 1 owners reported this
• WHEELS,ENGINE — 1 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

18% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 17V196000

  If the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.

  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.

• 19V474000

  A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

  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.

• 21V198000

  A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

  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.

• 21V606000

  An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

  Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

• 21V825000

  A rear-view camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 9, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91CR.

• 22V224000

  An incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage may cause confusion during child seat installation, resulting in a child seat being improperly secured and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

  Dealers will replace all four fitting sleeves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May24, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72M7.

• 22V515000

  Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.

  Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 15, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 68i2.

• 22V543000

  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.

  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.

3 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  Recall query, opened December 2023, closed July 2024.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Audi filed 142 bulletins about the 2026 S3.

• Electrical system: 62
• Structure: 9
• Engine: 7
• Service brakes: 7
• Suspension: 6
• Visibility/wiper: 6
• Steering: 5
• Wheels: 5
• Fuel/propulsion system: 4
• Power train: 2
• Other: 29

• This bulletin provides a statement regarding the bottleneck of supply for VW approved oil types VW 504.00 and VW 507.00. · August 2026
• This Pending Service Solution (PSS) requests that technicians enter a record in the PSS database in instances when the sterring wheel pulsates/vibrates when driving around corners. · August 2026
• This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible. · August 2026
• This bulletin provides information when DTC B105A1A, B103E25 is stored in 0017; fuel tank level implausible. · August 2026
• This service information TSB provides warranty coverage information for vehicles with a broken sunroof panel. · August 2026
• This bulletin provides informatoinw hent here are scratches or a coating on the cover of the instrument cluster, or particles inside of the housing. · August 2026
• This bulleitn provides informaiton when there is louver broken on the air vent for chest. · August 2026
• This TSB provides informaiton when the start/stop button is sticking or stiff. · July 2026

134 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.