10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,838 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.

2015 Audi S3 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2015 Audi S3 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #28

Mar 012021

S3

  • miles

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

I have had a passenger airbag recall since 2021, and I have tried to schedule the maintenance for that recall several times, but each of the 5 times that I-??ve tried, the Audi dealership (in Glenwood Springs, CO) says they don-??t have the parts in stock. Each time that happens, I-??m told I-??ve been put on the list for the next parts shipment. I am so tired of waiting, while in the meantime, my passengers are considered unsafe in this vehicle. I need to have this repaired soon, please. Thank you.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #27

Nov 172022

S3

  • miles
I got into an accident and my air bags didn-??t deploy

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #26

Mar 222021

S3

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Pass Christian, MS, USA

problem #25

Sep 022022

S3

  • miles

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

A recall for my car's PODS system has been in place since March of 2021 but Audi continues to inform me that the part is not available to fix the recall. It has been a year and a half since the recall and the passenger airbag in my car continues to turn on and off randomly. I feel that it's completely unacceptable to have to wait this long for a fix. I just spoke with my dealership today (Audi of Westwood, Massachusetts) and they again informed me that there are no parts available to complete the repair. I find this unacceptable and am filing this complaint.

- Sharon, MA, USA

problem #24

Aug 022022

S3

  • miles
I had scheduled with the dealership to have the PODS recall fix completed. While waiting for the scheduled date my vehicle began showing symptoms described in the recall and they were sporadic just as described in the recall and only lasted a few seconds. The dealer called and cancelled my appointment as there are no parts available and they do not know when the recall parts will become available again. Then in early August things got worse than described in the recall campaign. Now I get the same Audi pre sense error on the dash when starting the vehicle and the airbag is disabled. The front passenger airbag has been disabled since early August and is never enabled if there is a passenger or not. I called dealer and was still told that they do not know when parts will be available. Called Audi and was told the same information as in the recall to read the owner manual and avoid the front passenger seat. There is no way to use the front passenger seat safely as the airbags are disabled and no one can tell me when I may be able to get it fixed. For my family we need to use every seat in the car so there is no way to not have someone in the front passenger seat. I would like Audi to fix the issue or at the least give a date of when it would be able to fix the vehicle. I need Audi to respond so that I know if I need to make decision to sell the vehicle for my families safety.

- Proctorville, OH, USA

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problem #23

Aug 012020

S3

  • miles
Audi has had a safety recall on this vehicle since I purchased the car in June 2019. In 2019 and early 2020, there were no issues. About two years into owning the vehicle, I started experiencing faults, error codes, and safety lights on my dash due to issues with the passenger seat air bag. I brought the vehicle to Audi Burlington in MA and they said that the issues I was having was due to the recall but there was no fix. In January of 2022, I received a letter saying that there was fix for the recall. I called to schedule an appointment and they were booked 6 months out due to part availability. I made my appointment for June 6th, first available. A few weeks before my appointment, I received a letter saying Audi of America was stopping the fix due to part availability and not to bring my car in to my appointment. This recall is preventing me from passing state inspection and is a safety issue for any passengers in the car.

- Woburn, MA, USA

problem #22

Feb 012021

S3

  • miles

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

The contact's husband owns a 2015 Audi S3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal beeping sound would emit from the passenger-??s side occupant detection system while the passenger-??s side seat was vacant. The passenger-??s side air bag warning light would remain illuminated at start-up. The contact stated that she would either buckle the seat belt or place a heavy object in the passenger-??s seat to stop the beeping. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part was not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #21

Oct 112021

S3

  • miles
Audi issued a recall in March 2020. Seven months later, they still say that they have no solution. This is a major passenger safety issue and could result in serious injury or death. Seven months with no solution should not be accepted by NHTSA and we request that you take further enforcement action with Audi to achieve a fix quickly. They do not appear to feel pressure to act and issuing a recall without then rapidly achieving and implementing a fix makes a mockery of the NHTSA recall process.

- Haverford, PA, USA

problem #20

May 012021

S3

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Audi S3. The contact stated while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the airbag warning light and the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provide no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

- Oxford, MD, USA

problem #19

May 122021

S3

  • miles
Passenger side air bag light came on and off even with not passenger on the vehicle PODS

- Trinity , FL, USA

problem #18

Jul 162021

S3

  • miles

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

Passenger Air bag light that indicates it is OFF and pre sense safety system failure. This has been occurring for years on my 2015 A3. How long does the manufacture have to repair said problem ?

- Ocean City, NJ, USA

problem #17

Dec 102020

S3

  • miles
The passenger seat airbag sensor is faulty. I see everyone else has the same issue but when I type in my VIN it says it is not recalled? they wanted $1000 to fix it but it isn't my fault and I hope to see them own up to their mistake and fix our airbags. Online it says my vehicle should be covered and fixed for free but when I checked their site 2015 Audi S3 isn't covered, however, on this site, it will say it is but when I type in VIN nothing.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #16

Dec 012020

S3

  • 20,000 miles
I got a passenger airbag off problem on the second year, and keep going back to dealership to check the problem until I got a recall notice. After having the passenger airbag sensor repaired recall, the car still comes up the same problem plus the passenger seatbelt off light up. The Audi dealership now tell me that the pods sensor is faulty and let me pay for its safety problems. I have no idea what have it done with my car after recall, and I feel really disappointed with Audi right now.

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #15

Nov 302020

S3

  • 112,000 miles
Regarding: NHTSA campaign# 19V474000 recall# 69Z4 vehicle was taking into Audi dealership in cuyahoga falls oh and completed the safety recall fix. 11 months later, the pods system indicated another circuit failure. Take back into same dealership and confirmed same safety recall failure. Would not honor the 12mth/12K warranty as I was about 5K miles past. They want about $700 to fix. I am deciding not to have them fix it. I have heard this problem keeps happening. So right now I have no passenger air bags and looking for a way to bypass the pods circuit to stay on always I guess.

- Barberton, OH, USA

problem #14

Sep 262020

S3

  • 58,450 miles
I had the pods recall 19V47400 done and noticed about 2 months ago that the airbag light came on saying Audi pre sense system fault, and safety system: System fault, where the passenger seat will think someone is in it and then when someone is in it, the airbag will stay off and occasionally come on but turn back off quickly after, all while the airbag light and errors stay on the dash

- Edenton, NC, USA

problem #13

Nov 022020

S3

  • miles
After having the passenger airbag sensor repaired per recall campaign 19V474000, I started getting passenger airbag warnings again. The Audi dealership now says the pods sensor in the seat itself is faulty, and requires a >$1,700 repair. Given the number of times this exactly problem - having the pods sensor fail after having the recall addressed - has been reported to the NHTSA and on Audi forums, it seems pretty clear this is a major safety issue likely either associated with or triggered by the recall itself. It looks like Audi is trying to get away with a "cheap" fix via the recall, when there is a broader more expensive issue going on.

- Tiburon, CA, USA

problem #12

Dec 162019

S3

  • 45,000 miles
Audi recall 69Z4 messed up my passenger airbag and seatbelt warning sign. Had no issue until after the recall, so I called Audi immediately after and they claimed I had to replace some sensor that had 'nothing' to do with the sensor they 'fixed' from the recall. When the car starts the passenger seatbelt warning sign keeps blinking with the airbag light on when there is no passenger. When there is a passenger and the car starts there is no seatbelt warning sign and the passenger airbag is turned off. These issues never existed until after the recall and Audi is charging $1200 to replace the sensor that should not be a wear-and-tear product.

- Apex, NC, USA

problem #11

Oct 052020

S3

  • 86,000 miles
The passenger bag safety light goes on and off intermittently, and has done for some time. The problem occurs sometimes when someone is sitting in the seat, but mostly it will occur when the passenger seat is unoccupied. The yellow dash light comes on near the passenger and the airbag light on the instrument panel illuminates. The information panel on the dash will simultaneously report "safety system: System fault! see owner's manual" and "passenger airbag off" and "Audi pre sense: System fault!" this started to happen right after the recall for the passenger side airbag wiring. I was only 2 miles down the road from the Audi dealership when it started. Dealer said it was unrelated to the recall and $980 to fix it.

- Rochester, NH, USA

problem #10

Aug 282020

S3

  • miles
The pods sensor in the actual passenger seat is faulty on all Audi A3/S3/RS3 models and will shut off the airbag while driving with a passenger in the seat. This issue is not due to the current recall on the harness but the actual seat sensor. It's a known issue that the manufacture should have a recall for.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #9

Sep 202019

S3

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Audi S3. The contact stated the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 19V474000 (air bags), however a failure occurred. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the air bags warning message displayed on the instrument panel. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to local dealer Audi of huntington located at 363 E. jericho turnpike, huntington station, NY 11746, where it was diagnosed with needing the pods (passenger occupant detection system) system replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Plainview, NY, USA

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