3.9

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,818 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.

2016 Audi S3 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2016 Audi S3 Owner Comments

problem #11

Dec 222022

S3

  • miles

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

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.

- Louisville , KY, USA

problem #10

May 082021

S3

  • miles
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 issues that have been always going to the RV dealership and I really think that it-??s time for some reimbursement. My husband won-??t go and do anything about it because he used to work at the dealership but I-??m sick of it and we-??ve been charged hundreds and hundreds of dollars and then they finally just fixed. They finally just found the problem there that-??s an issue and it-??s a safety issue to because when I was driving down the highway all the sudden the over the engine overheated and that wasn-??t on that was on several occasions, we brought it into the Audi dealership. They couldn-??t find anything wrong with it Several please call me back or contact my husband who owns a car I-??m getting sick of this. I think they also replaced the water pump as well.

- Lake Saint Louis , MO, USA

problem #9

Aug 312021

S3

  • miles
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.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #8

Oct 012020

S3

  • 50,000 miles

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

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.

- Alamogordo, NM, USA

problem #7

Nov 112020

S3

  • 35,000 miles
Pod which controls the passenger air bag

- Lowell, MA, USA

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problem #6

Nov 302019

S3

  • 36,000 miles
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.

- Oakland Park, FL, USA

problem #5

Oct 282020

S3

  • 55,000 miles

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

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 $1700 to have the pods unit replaced in the passenger seat. After researching and speaking with other owners, it seems this is a common problem, as many others have encountered the issue, and the repair is not covered under the recall. This is clearly an issue with an inappropriate/ineffective recall repair. Audi must fix this issue.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #4

Sep 252020

S3

  • 110,000 miles
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!

- Golden, CO, USA

problem #3

Jan 012017

S3

  • 15,000 miles
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.

- Coppell, TX, USA

problem #2

Jan 032020

S3

  • miles
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.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #1

Nov 302019

S3

  • 38,000 miles
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.

- Miami, FL, USA

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