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ProblemsByVin Index / 2017-AUDI-A3 / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2017 Audi A3 owner complaints

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

airbags 6 complaints shown

9 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/19/2024 ODI #11631547.0

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 because of failing airbags, im unsure if the problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, the problem has not yet been inspected there were other symptoms like my sensors going off or the car telling me some assists were malfunctioning in heavy rain or when the car is dirty

11/17/2021 ODI #11440855.0

The front-passenger airbag deactivated while my father was riding in the car and the corresponding warning light came on. The error first occurred prior to the Mar 2021 Recall. I notified Audi multiple times that my vehicle had this problem, but Audi has not repaired it or offered me an alternative option.

11/03/2021 ODI #11439184.0

Hello, My vehicle has a non working passenger seat airbag due to a malfunctioning PODS (Passenger Occupant Detection Sensor). Audi states that such cannot be fixed as a fix has not yet been approved. It has been seven months since this recall has been issued and I am afraid to carry passengers in my vehicle due to the non-functioning airbag. How can I have my vehicle repaired on an expeditious fashion? Thank you, Dealership says the recall has been placed on hold due to no parts being available.

09/16/2021 ODI #11433203.0

There has been an open recall on my car since March 2021 (NHTSA recall number 21V198) which prevents the passenger airbag from functioning properly. Because the airbag isn't working it also disables my forward collision assistance. It took Audi 2 months to mail notice of the recall and 6 months later there is still no remedy or timeframe for a remedy. A recall affecting an airbag should not linger for 6 months. I can't, in good conscience, have someone ride in the passenger seat of my car, and having this recall unfixed has tanked the re-sell value of my car. Having a recall outstanding for half a year with no communication from the manufacturer on a timeframe is completely unacceptable. Doesn't the manufacturer have a burden to fix a serious passenger safety issue within a reasonable

09/08/2021 ODI #11432222.0

Passenger airbag sporadically turns off, and constantly shows the seat belt unfastened (unclear if something is wrong with its functionality also). This also turned off the Audi presense/ auto stop feature at the same time. When I told Audi this at the dealership, they said they had no solution other than 'don't sit in the passenger seat', and had no idea when it might end

07/30/2020 54,000 mi ODI #11342416.0

The seat sensor on the passenger side is faulty, causing the air bag light to staty on while operating the vehicle - the "pre-sense" light to stay on - and the un-buckled seat belt alarm to stay going off. All while operating the vehicle. The brand dealership said airbag maynot deploy while seat sensor is malfuctioning. $1200 repair.

other 5 complaints shown

12/28/2021 ODI #11445248.0

Sunroof exploded while driving. All windows and sunroof closed also sunscreen was closed. I heard a terrifying loud explosion then I heard all the glass shattering and falling on the sunscreen. I pulled over and called police because I thought it was a gunshot. But no evidence of a gunshot, rock, bird or object. Sunscreen is intact. It was on Christmas day so was not a hot day and no heater turned on at the time.

12/20/2023 ODI #11561079.0

The vehicle cabin started to smell like gas and the car would not accept fuel into the tank. Took to Audi/VW independent repair shop where they indicated fuel jet pump in gas tank was not working properly and that it had flooded various components with fuel (charcoal cannister, etc.). Directed us not to drive as it was a fire danger and said that we should send to Audi to see if they would cover this under warranty as it was a major emissions and safety problem. Towed to Audi dealer in Dallas. Dallas Audi dealer indicated this sounded like exactly what had happened for a recall issued for 2016 A3s. I learned this was subject to a warranty extension. Am working with the dealer who is trying to determine if that applies. Regardless, this is my daughter's car and a fuel leak with fumes

10/01/2021 ODI #11435173.0

Vehicle tank was almost empty. Was unable to fill the tank because the gas station pump stopped constantly without being full. Took 15 minutes to fill the tank. Fuel came out of my tank and a very unpleasant fuel odor came into the car. When arrived home gasoline came out of the tank again, a significant amount of fuel came out. Fortunately the car didn't catch fire. Took it to a mechanic and the gasoline pump valve was replaced. This valve is under the rear seats. No recall available for my car for this issue. I was told that VW/AUDI knows well about this issue but they didn't include all VIN numbers on this recall. I ended paying $140 for this repair.

09/09/2022 ODI #11483625.0

Was trying to fill up my car at the gas station. The car would not accept any fuel. Frustrated, I went to try another gas station. Same thing happened. Went home to check and see what the problem was and gas started spewing out of the gas tank from where you fill it up with gas. Car (to my knowledge) has never been overfilled, by me. This is apparently a problem with the 2017 VW golf's as well (which run on the same platform as my Audi A3). It is a problem that most people are saying could be the Charcoal canister prematurely dying, or a suction pump dying, which is supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle.

06/20/2022 ODI #11470122.0

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022 my vehicle began having a hard time accelerating, then my vehicle started leaking out gas from the back of the vehicle located in front of the rear passenger tire. I then took the vehicle to Audi West Houston to have a diagnosis. After a day and a half, Audi misdiagnosed my vehicle with ethanal composition too high and recommended that the gas tank be drain. I then took my car to an independent mechanic who replaced the fuel pump. On the way to the independent mechanic for a second opinion, the check engine light surface. I then stopped at the gas station to put gas in the vehicle, but the vehicle would not take fuel even though After the fuel pump repair, the car was still misfiring and gas was still leaking from the rear of the vehicle and gas fumes would be sme

powertrain 4 complaints shown

6 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/17/2023 ODI #11560571.0

The high voltage battery no longer charges to full. Only 7 out of 8 possible indicator bars are illuminated, the car now only shows 17-20 miles available. When I purchased the car 3 years ago, it showed 28-29 miles available. Car was at Audi dealership, got tested, Audi says it's within tolerance. I disagree, 30% to 40% of the capacity is lost so far. There are many more owners that are reporting the same issue on the Facebook Audi A3 group.

10/12/2022 ODI #11488888.0

2017 Audi A3 Etron Sportsback- Engine light turned on at 50k, when scanned for errors no codes. Then around 55k miles started to stall when slowing down or at a full stop. The car must be turned off then immediately go into drive. Felt very dangerous when driving in high traffic areas and areas with many stop lights/signs. Car error say Transmission Malfunction first then says something about Limited Power. We had changed ATF and filter, still had issues. Then it started to not allow to go into reverse. Issues were intermittently happening then became more constant. Finally towed to Audi dealer they are not 100% but they say a new transmission is needed. After seeing complaints of similar situation I think this should be a recall on the transmission for these cars.

08/16/2023 ODI #11538951.0

“Transmission Malfunction/no reverse gear. Okay to continue driving” comes on constantly the past 2 years now. I’ve only had this vehicle 3 years. Yes , it is available for inspection. This puts my safety and the safety of my other passengers at risk because my vehicle will abruptly slow down in fast flowing traffic and it will uncontrollably accelerate when it’s time to come to complete stops. A local mechanic used a sensor to check for faulty defects and confirmed that my transmission is having sensor issues. There has never been any warning lamps , regarding this problem. There have been no prior warning messages regarding this issue. I purchased this vehicle from Audi Dealership in Van Nuys, CA in November 2020. I have had this vehicle less than 3 years & as of now , it has less than 3

07/24/2023 ODI #11534031.0

This concerns a recall issued. Audi issued a recall/reimbursement for transmission failure. Mine failed. Car stopped in the middle of roadway. I had transmission repaired before recall was issued. I have attempeted reimbursement and am denied by audi due to my vehicle being a theft recovery. However they have performed multiple recalls on this vehicle since I have owned it with the theft recovery title. They also performed the transmission reprogram after I had it fixed at no charge. NHSTA itself states salvage/rebuilt title is no reason for not performing a recall except in exceptional circumstances when car is no longer drivable. I am asking for help in getting audi to honor the recall. Had I been on the highway I would have been smashed when the car shut down.

electrical 3 complaints shown

8 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
10/22/2020 50,000 mi ODI #11365758.0

Regardless of front seat passenger presence: 'passenger airbag off', 'seatbelt off', and 'pre sense off' warning messages illuminate at car start, restart, drive, park, restart, repeat. Unable to clear warnings. Also appears in vehicle dash warning system. Started noticing intermittently after airbag recall addressed, not sure if exact date. Now, the malfunction is constant.

10/02/2022 ODI #11487560.0

Passenger air bag light intermittently comes on after starts. Car has been showing exact symptoms from the PODS recall since I bought it in May, and I’ve tried to have this fixed by 3 separate Audi dealerships, and none of them have been able to fix it. At this point, this recall has now been active for over a year and a half, and I think it is absolutely ridiculous to have a non-functioning passenger seat in a “practical” hatchback. Thus, at this point, I would like to escalate this further and potentially fight for a buyback, as this is a recall that both devalues the car AND puts my passenger (and potentially myself, as this one fault has most likely disabled the entire SRS; granted I don’t want to find out for myself) at risk. The “no-passenger” fix would have worked for 30-ish days w

09/12/2020 45,000 mi ODI #11354557.0

Passenger air bag off light will illuminate while passenger is seated. Numerous error codes will flash on dash. Car on highway, in motion.after a few minutes, light will turn off and error codes disappear.

engine 2 complaints shown

6 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/20/2019 ODI #11290248.0

When driving off after starting the vehicle, the car starts jerking and 'knocking' and stalls/turns off. This happens almost everyday as I reverse out of my drive way and drive forward. Extremely unsafe! Does not show check engine light or any other lights.

08/10/2022 ODI #11478698.0

Car has constant pedal sensor issue. Audi is refusing to look at the car because the car keeps stating it has fixed the issue. This has become quite a problem for my family the car will abruptly stopped while driving and stay stuck in 2nd gear. Once the car sits it will resets, it will then drive normal but after a certain amount of miles it will do the same thing again.

Showing 300 of 36 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2017/Audi/A3#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. 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.
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