2020 Audi A3

2020 Audi A3 recalls (3)

• AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

  Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.

• TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

  Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

  Remedy: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

  Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.

2020 Audi A3 safety ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2020 Audi A3 owner complaints (15)

• ENGINE

  At 70,000 miles with only one owner, it develops transmission problems, making it unsafe to drive and control the car; control of the car is lost. Here is the link from the Dealer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• TIRES

  Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires. •The first occurred in 2022 at just under 7,000 miles and caused the vehicle to fail PA state inspection. Continental covered 50% of the replacement cost after I submitted a warranty claim. •The second bubble appeared in June 2025 on the front passenger tire. At that point, I replaced all four tires out of safety concerns and disposed of the Continentals. The vehicle is in excellent condition, lightly driven, and is not exposed to potholes, curbs, or harsh use. I work remotely, so mileage is extremely low. Both tire failures were from normal road use and developed without any impact or external damage. I contacted Continental again in June 2025 with a full explanation and referenced my prior case. They refused to offer any goodwill or further investigation, stating that I had already disposed of the tires. ⸻ Why This Matters: Experiencing two identical sidewall failures within 13,000 miles on different tires under light driving conditions suggests a potential design or manufacturing defect. I’m reporting this in the interest of safety and awareness, as a sidewall failure at highway speed could be far more dangerous.

• POWER TRAIN

  Car has 50,000 miles and vehicle has a bulletin on the vehicle from Audi, where the vehicle goes into limp mode and only shift through certain gears, rendering the vehicle, unable to drive and creating a safety hazard due to the fact that it can’t drive at Highway speed and or jolt and skips gears. Code for the P173600 known issue by Audi, went into mode while merging onto freeway and a lost control of vehicle.

• POWER TRAIN

  The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunction warning light was displayed, and the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission mechatronics had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 17,525.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  As of October 25, 2022, the manufacturer (Audi) continues to not provide a solution to Recall Number 69BY / NHTSA Recall Number 21V198, stating that parts are still not available.

• AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS

  The passenger occupant detection system has permanently failed and causes my passenger airbag to be off at all times including when a passenger is seated in the vehicle. The seatbelt sensor also goes off when no one is in the seat. Audi dealership said this is an Audi issue and the parts are not in stock. This is a huge safety issue.

• WHEELS

  Our vehicle was purchased new a year and four months before the tires were considered completely "dry rotted" out by the Audi technician. The vehicle has 35, 737 miles on it, but it was all highway commuting driving. The TMPS never sparked an issue until the tires got down to 10 PSI only 10 miles before we were on our way to the dealership for this routine 30k maintenance appointment. The tech said that the TMPS would not show an issue because the faulty tires were all worn down with dry rot equally. So it was a 1: 2 punch of faulty tires with a terrible design to the TMPS. To make it worse, we were supposed to have the car in for this maintenance plan 3 weeks before, but Audi called to tell us they were canceling our appointment because they were double booked. In fact, the only reason this car was even able to be seen at this appointment on this day three weeks later was because our other Audi was scheduled for routine maintenance the day of this appointment and we asked to push back our other Audi so this one could be seen since it was too much of a delay. SO our safety kept being put at risk by a design flaw with the vehicle that did not show an issue when it should have, faulty tires given to us by Audi, and then a large delay in service we were supposed to receive (nd a delay in service on our other vehicle as well). Also they were unable to fix the other recall on the vehicle because Audi ran out of parts for it, so we are at risk still for that recall issue. It is unknown when they will address this. Also interestingly enough, we have maintenance and repair plans for everything on this vehicle, and of course, this just happened to be the one thing not covered conveniently. We submitted to Audi that this is unacceptable, and they refused to help us. The mechanic included a video of the damage to the tires that we will submit with this. The link for this is https://asr.autonation.com/1uPfbpuqWB We will also download it and submit it in case this link is delete

• AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Supposedly the recall parts for the PODS system can’t be replaced because AUDI is not manufacturing the necessary part!! There is no schedule or estimated time for when the parts will become available. Now I am afraid to drive my car knowing my passenger is not safe! This requires immediate attention as I cannot risk my passengers’ lives every time they are in my car. We have been trying to resolve this for months and the service center says they cannot do anything until the parts somehow magically become available.

• AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do 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 dealer and Biener Audi (795 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY 11021) were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

• AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag alarm would chime intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made the dealer aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer informed the contact to latch the front passenger’s seat belt latch at all times. 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 failure mileage was approximately 7,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

• AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

• AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH with a passenger seated in the passenger’s seat, the "Air bag Off", "Malfunction, air bag off" warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and the warning light remained illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). The dealer also informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 9,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

• AIR BAGS

  Nothing has happened (Yet), but Audi has still not come up with a fix for this problem since March 2021. This is real safety concern for front passengers in the 2020 Audi A3 autos.

• AIR BAGS

  Airbags have had a recall since March 2021.

• AIR BAGS

  The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not available. 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. VIN tool confirms part not available.