KnownCarProblems2015 Audi A3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 93 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Audi A3, most often about the air bags (48% of complaints, typically around 53,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about A3 model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2015 Audi A3 problems
Air bags
45 complaints · 48%Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Passenger airbag does not turn on. Warning light is displayed and error safety message is on screen when care is turned on and operating. Additionally seatbelt alarm continues to chime while seatbelt is used.
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. 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…
Fuel system
22 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that while refueling the vehicle, all the fuel was not entering the fuel tank, with some fuel dripping out onto the ground. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v110000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 35-38 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and there was a strong gasoline odor coming from the A/C…
Electrical
17 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 65,500 miles.
For the last 4 days I have had someone get into my passenger seat and randomly while I'm driving and the car is in motion the airbag signal states ' passenger airbag off' it flashes to notify me it has turned of. I completed research and found their is a recall on Audi vehicles for this complaint but only 2016 and a…
My Audi A3 continually has a presence system fault when the car starts which indicates that the system is not functioning properly. As a result it turns off the passenger airbag even with the seat occupied which is a safety hazard. Audi has indicated that this is due to a faulty sensor. I have brought this issue to…
Seat belts
10 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles.
Passenger airbag does not turn on. Warning light is displayed and error safety message is on screen when care is turned on and operating. Additionally seatbelt alarm continues to chime while seatbelt is used.
There was recently a pods recall for the wiring harness going to the occupant detection sensor the recall did not fix the issues for many people. Car will randomly think someone is setting in the passenger seat and activate airbag and cause the seatbelt light to chime constantly while driving causing the air bag to…
Seats
10 complaints · 11%There was recently a pods recall for the wiring harness going to the occupant detection sensor the recall did not fix the issues for many people. Car will randomly think someone is setting in the passenger seat and activate airbag and cause the seatbelt light to chime constantly while driving causing the air bag to…
My car keeps having a safety system fault. There are two errors: 1. The "paasenger airbag off" indicator stays on even when a passenger is in the front passenger seat 2. Buckle seatbelt sign is on when there is no passenger I took my car for a recall but it did not fix the issue of the airbag being off! This has been…
Engine
10 complaints · 11%The water pump/thermostat housing is leaking coolant out of the engine. This occurs on nearly all mqb chassis vw/Audi's with the ea888 gen 3 2.0 tfsi engine. It is a widely known issue.
After recent car inspection due to recall for passenger occupant detection I was informed that water pump was leaking and it needs to be replaced. Vehicle has only 55 000 miles on it. Other Audi models appear to have the same issue and they have been recalled, however no recalls have been issued for Audi A3 2015. As a…
Other or unspecified
8 complaints · 9%Transmission
5 complaints · 5%
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2015 Audi A3 recalls
Fuel system: fuel system, gasoline
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fuel leak due to suction jet pump failure within fuel tank (remedy effectiveness of recall 16v647)
Summary
On december 12, 2023, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened rq23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of volkswagen (vw) recall 16v-647. Recall 16v-647 was issued on september 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (sjp) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the sjp could lead to a fuel leak from the vehicle. This recall covered certain model year (my) 2015-2016 volkswagen golf and audi a3 passenger car vehicles. The recall remedy repair replaced sjp version 1.0 with an improved version, version 1.1. The sjp is designed to purge fuel from the evaporative emissions (evap) system. Vwâs recall filing stated the sjp may have been damaged during assembly, which
Questions about the 2015 Audi A3
- What are the most common problems with the 2015 Audi A3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (45 complaints, typically around 53,500 miles); fuel system (22 complaints, typically around 83,500 miles); electrical (17 complaints, typically around 65,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2015 Audi A3 have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 14, 2024 (fuel system). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2015 a bad year for the Audi A3?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about A3 model year since 2000, with 93 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.