10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,668 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Audi A3 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Audi A3:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2018 Audi A3 Owner Comments

problem #16

Dec 212023

A3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My Audi a3 got the recall for PODS done 5/2022 which the sensors and air bag in the passenger side weren-??t working and I got the same lights come up 2 weeks ago. My Dealership says since this was a recalled item and is a massive safety concern and should be covered by AUDI USA. Instead they want to charge me $1400. I have 3 kids and one sits in the front, and need my car to take them to school and so forth so big safety feature I need. This is a huge safety issue and Audi needs to take accountability

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #15

May 012019

A3

  • miles
appointment Aug2022 to take car for recall work of the PODS sensor mat & to update the PODS control module but was told the part was out of stock due to logistics. Why they scheduled appointment without confirming the part was in stock. I was then told before I left that there was a couple hundred cars needing this recall and that there would be a waiting list for recall work and that I would get a call to be put on a waiting list, never received a call. Then 6 months later in Feb 2023, I received another letter from Audi informing me again of the recall 69BY & a new recall item 24Wi. I called Audi & was told the part(s) were out of stock. I called today 16AUG2023 after waiting another six months & a service advisor informed me that the recall work was already performed on my vehicle. According to the invoice(s) from Audi of El Paso the recall work for PODS was completed on 05DEC2020 for Audi Action Code 69Z4 and 23AI. But according to a letter from Audi of America dated May 2021, it stated that a interim safety recall notice was issued but a recall repair is not yet available for Audi Action Code 69BY. It was still being under investigation and a solution was still being developed. In Dec 2021, I received a letter from Audi stating that there was a solution to fix the recall/defect 69BY & it says -??to correct this defect, your authorized Audi dealer will replace the passenger occupant detention system (PODS) sensor mat & update the PODS control module.-?? I called Audi of El Paso after receiving the letter & was told part was on backorder due to demand. I inputted the VIN of my vehicle into Audi USA recall webpage [XXX] ). I also ran VIN into the NHTSA database. Both Audi & NHTSA state that recall(s) work 69BY & 24Wi on my vehicle have not been fixed. But according to Audi of El Paso all the recall work was done in 2020. Air bags turn off with wife in car have airbag problems since 2019. Current Mileage 34k INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #14

Sep 142022

A3

  • miles
Audi Dealership is not co-operating to perform the recall issued on my vehicle, i have been trying to schedule the part replacement for more than a year now and every time they say the part is not available. i also attached my service request to Audi but after a phone call to confirm they said the part not available and they do not know when they will have the part. below is recall info: Mar 22,2021 Manufacturer Recall Number: 69BY NHTSA Recall Number: 21V198

- Bayside, NY, USA

problem #13

Aug 212022

A3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have not been able to fix the problem. I had an appointment with a local Audi dealership earlier in the year to address this recall and the day before they cancelled my appointment because they had not received the parts. I was rescheduled to drop off the car in April 2022 since the dealer had received the parts. The car was at the dealership for 2 days when they called me to have the car picked up and inform me that they ran out of parts at the dealership while the car was there and that I would have to wait for further notice to have the recall performed. It is August 21, 2022 and still no notice and my local dealer still has not received the parts. It is going to be 1 year since the recall notice was sent and my vehicle has not been able to be serviced.

- Doral, FL, USA

problem #12

Jan 042022

A3

  • miles
On 4 Jan 2022 I received my notification of the PODS recall from Audi for my 2018 A3. I called the dealer and they informed me they did not have the part and would not schedule me for the repair until they had they part. They also indicated they had no control over when the part would be available and suggested I call Audi Customer Care for information on when the part might be available. I did as suggested and got a supreme runaround and sent back to the dealer. The service manager indicated to me they would put me on the list and call when they received the part. Unfortunately, they could not schedule me for repairs as they did not have a delivery date for the part from Audi. My system is intermittently showing the airbag is not working. This has been going on for a couple of months. I should be able to schedule my car for repair but cannot as Audi is slow rolling the delivery of the part for this recall. I want to inform NHTSA that Audi is not offering a timely response to this recall. After being notified of the problem several months ago, you would think they could start the manufacturing process to deliver parts in a timely manner. And to send a letter to me and advise that I should schedule the repair only to discover the parts aren't available and I can't get my Audi A3 repaired is very bad on Audi's part.

- Lunenburg, MA, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #11

Dec 112019

A3

  • miles
The passenger airbag stays on off mode even when a passenger is sitting in the seat with their seatbelt on. I have taken my car to Audi dealership two times and they tell me I would have to pay $900 for a new airbag pod which may not even fix it. Audi also told me it-??s not covered with my warranty. I-??ve been trying to avoid driving with passengers but it-??s my only vehicle and can-??t always avoid it.

- Los Banos, CA, USA

problem #10

Oct 092021

A3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car informed me the passenger airbag is turned off. This recall was first noticed 7 months ago. Surely that-??s enough time for Audi to come up with a fix? If the fix is going to be expensive (new seats and sensors) then that sucks for Audi. But what about the tens of thousands of us driving without airbags while Audi -??investigates-?? for 7 months?

- Fullerton, CA, USA

problem #9

Sep 292021

A3

  • miles
Airbag light reads off while my husband is sitting in the seat

- Frisco , TX, USA

problem #8

Sep 132021

A3

  • miles
My wife was impacted on the drivers side very hard by another vehicle, enough to total the car, and the side airbags did not deploy

- Polk City, IA, USA

problem #7

Mar 222021

A3

  • miles
Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied. I have been waiting for the recall on my vehicle to be fixed since 03/22/2021. It has been 6months and the manufacture still doesn't have a remedy to fix my vehicle. I can't sale my vehicle or even rent it out because of the recall.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #6

Mar 222021

A3

  • 34,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact received notification for NHTSA Recall Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,400. The incorrect VIN was provided.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #5

Aug 162021

A3 4-cyl

  • miles
There are six recall warnings associated with this car and tons of information that I am not including as I am sure you have all of the documentation. I am adding my vin # above to the complaints. I would like to know what VW corp is doing about this. Thank you very much for keeping us safe on the road best, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6

- Calabasas, CA, USA

problem #4

May 212021

A3

  • miles
Audi has not come up with a repair for the PODS recall. This is the second time they have needed to repair the PODS system. Users could run into an issue where if an accident were to occur with a passenger the airbag may not deploy. NO TIME FRAME GIVEN.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #3

Mar 072021

A3

  • 7,280 miles
I've been waiting since March for Audi NJ to repair my airbag (pods) and it's already May 1st this is absurd and completely on the hands of Audi and Audi only. I don't want to risk having anyone in my passenger seat and god forbid get into an accident and it would be on my hands. Audi has to step it up because I'm more than sure I'm not the only one waiting for this to be available to service our cars.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

problem #2

Apr 272021

A3

  • 23,000 miles
Audi is unable to provide a remedy for the pods recall in a timely manner making my Audi A3 unsafe for passengers sitting in the front passenger seat.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #1

Aug 312019

A3

  • 10,000 miles
Safety recall 69Z4 passenger occupant section system (pods) for Audi A3S. I received notice of this recall from Audi in August 2019 and at the time there was no repair available. I was receiving the airbag warning light and audio warning signals indicating that there was a safety system malfunction. The recall repair became available in September and I had the recall completed in late September 2019 at the dealership I purchased the car from brand new. In October of 2019 the safety warnings and audio warnings about my safety systems and my air bag light came on again. I called the Audi wilisonville (Oregon) to report the problem and they again attempted to fix it in November. In December, again the same warning lights and sounds came on. I again let them attempt to fix the issue in January 2020. They took 13 days and got Audi usa involved to help service to fix the pods issue. In February of 2020, I again am experiencing the same issues with my airbags and safety systems and warning lights. Audi just continues to attempt to fix the car, but under Oregon lemon law I only needed to allow Audi wilsonville 1 chance at fixing the pods problem because and the issue can cause serious injury or death and I quote from the Audi recall notice "in the event of a crash there would be an increased risk of injury to the occupant in the front passenger seat if the passenger airbag is switched off/not working." The dealership is offering to pay off the remainder of what I owe on the car, but I would still be losing over $17,000 in money I put down and have already paid in monthly payment. The warning lights come on randomly when I'm driving or stationary waiting at traffic lights. Audi wilsonville doesn't seem interested in working with me to find a resolution.

- Springfield, OR, USA

Not what you are looking for?