Free. Instant. No signup. Pulls recalls and complaints for your exact vehicle.

Couldn't find that VIN. Check the digits and try again.

ProblemsByVin Index / 2016-AUDI-S3 / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2016 Audi S3 owner complaints

14 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle . Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

airbags 10 complaints shown

11 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/05/2019 38,000 mi ODI #11287183.0

Front passenger airbag keeps shutting off and on when while driving and with a passenger sitting on the seat. Car was repaired once before for the same issue but the issue keeps showing again. A recall has been issued recently for this issue.

12/02/2020 36,000 mi ODI #11377483.0

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.

10/28/2020 55,000 mi ODI #11366890.0

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 immediately after starting the car while stationary which read "safety system: system fault! See owner's manual", "passenger airbag off" and "Audi pre sense: system fault!". I now receive the warning every time I start the vehicle. I contacted the dealer and informed them of the issue. They set an appointment for an inspection and possible repair, however upon inspection they found the repair was not covered under the recall and thus I would be charged $1

09/26/2020 110,000 mi ODI #11361222.0

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!! Look into this problem its dangerous!

08/31/2021 ODI #11431235.0

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.

08/11/2020 15,000 mi ODI #11348678.0

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.

04/13/2024 ODI #11582791.0

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 from my glove box(my fault for leaving money inside). Filed a complaint on the dealers website and was never reached out to. This is why safety recall remains open on my vehicle.

02/05/2023 ODI #11505674.0

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 realized that the car third high-pressure fuel pump leaking was leaking fuel into the crank case causing a hard start and fuel trim codes we spent and this is just the warrants $911.67 another time my husband was backing out of our brand, new home and This car did not sense that he was too close and essentially the front right part of his tire where the tire is doc Benton and he ruined the right side of our garage and these are just one of the 20 iss

01/14/2021 50,000 mi ODI #11388170.0

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 until their recall repair was performed. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting similar a3/s3 model years.

01/03/2020 ODI #11296859.0

Front airbag recall was just completed but the car keeps toggling the front airbags on and off when driving. I also get a message that says Audi pre-sense system fault. Pic attached.

engine 1 complaint shown

01/09/2020 59,500 mi ODI #11298302.0

Very similar to the recall for the 2017-2018 Audi a3, the engine completely shuts off while driving at slow speeds shortly after starting the car. The car starts normally, shifts into gear (drive or reverse) accelerates normally, before the engine dies (RPM gauge drops to 0). The car forces me to put it in park before starting normally when pushing the start/stop button. It has happened 15+ times in the last two weeks. I've taken it to the mechanic and no error codes appear. We have tested to see if it only happens when the gas tank is below half (which would indicate a fuel pump issue) however, it has happened on a full tank as well. It is not bad gas-- I have filled up at a variety of gas stations since this issue began. This is dangerous as it potentially could happen in traffic, s

Showing 300 of 14 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Audi/S3#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-07-15. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
Sponsored
Get a free warranty quote →