How many recalls does the Audi A3 have?

As of NHTSA records retrieved 2026-08-27, NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns for the Audi A3, model years 2016–2024. A recall applies to specific VIN ranges, variants, trims or build dates, so a particular vehicle may be affected by all, some, or none of them, and a campaign count is not a reliability ranking. Whether an open recall is a safety risk depends on the campaign, so read the NHTSA entry for the VIN. Each campaign below shows the remedy NHTSA records, which may be a dealer or service-center repair, an over-the-air software update, or, for some campaigns, a repurchase. This page details the most recent campaigns; the full record for any VIN is at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What should an inspector check on a used Audi A3?

Beyond the standard pre-purchase checks, the recall history for this model concentrates in: air bags, back over prevention, equipment, fuel system, tires, child seat. An inspector documents the visible and operational condition of those systems without disassembly; internal parts, software-only issues and whether a recall remedy was performed are VIN-lookup questions, not inspection findings.

Can a pre-purchase inspection tell me whether a Audi A3 recall was done?

No. Whether a recall repair was performed is recorded against the VIN, so NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls (or the manufacturer's own) is the authoritative check. Run it before you travel. The inspection covers what a VIN lookup cannot: the physical condition of the vehicle in front of you.

Can you inspect a Audi A3 at a dealer, a private seller, or out of state?

Yes. The inspector usually travels to the vehicle at the seller's location — a dealer lot or a private seller — and you do not need to be there. Vehicle Inspectors dispatches an independent inspector within 50 miles of any US ZIP code, widening to 150 miles if needed; more remote locations are quoted case by case. You get a photo-documented PDF report in 24–48 hours.

How much does a Audi A3 pre-purchase inspection cost?

A pre-purchase inspection of a Audi A3 through Vehicle Inspectors: Bronze $249 · Silver $349 · Gold $449. Your card is saved at booking, not charged. A hold is placed when an inspector schedules, and you are charged after the inspection is completed. If no inspector accepts within 72 hours, the request auto-cancels and nothing is charged.

Should You Buy a Used Audi A3?

Newest first, from NHTSA campaign records. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

24V251000NHTSA report received April 2024Model years: 2023

NHTSA campaign 24V251000: Audi A3 air bags recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S5 Cabriolet, A4 Allroad, Q5 Sportback, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, SQ7, TT Coupe, TT Roadster, RS5 Sportback, 2024 A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q8, RSQ8, 2023-2024 Q3, Q5, and Q7 vehicles. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the occupant detection system (ODS) control module may loosen and deactivate the front passenger air bag.

Consequence: A deactivated front passenger air bag will not deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant detection system control module, free of charge.

24V110000NHTSA report received February 2024Model years: 2016–2020

NHTSA campaign 24V110000: Audi A3 fuel system recall

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.

Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge.

22V901000NHTSA report received December 2022Model years: 2023

NHTSA campaign 22V901000: Audi A3 equipment recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S3, RS3, and A3 vehicles. The Safety Certification label on the B-pillar is missing weight capacity information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Consequence: Missing weight information may result in unintentional overloading of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Audi dealers will install an overlay label, free of charge.

22V823000NHTSA report received November 2022Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 22V823000: Audi A3 back over prevention recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge.

22V815000NHTSA report received October 2022Model years: 2019–2020

NHTSA campaign 22V815000: Audi A3 tires recall

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."

Consequence: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge.

22V806000NHTSA report received October 2022Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 22V806000: Audi A3 equipment recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 AUDI A8, A6 Allroad, E-TRON Quattro, 2022 S3, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 Avant, Q8, Q7, Q3, E-TRON Sportback Quattro, S5 Cabriolet, E-TRON GT, S5 Sportback, A7, A6, A5 Sportback, A5 Cabriolet, A4, A4 Allroad, A3, S8, SQ7, SQ8, S6, and S4 vehicles. The infotainment main unit may become damaged internally when the vehicle is shut off, resulting in an inoperative rearview camera display the next time the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: An inoperative rearview camera display reduces the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the infotainment main unit, free of charge.

22V652000NHTSA report received August 2022Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 22V652000: Audi A3 air bags recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3, A3, and RS3 vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been folded incorrectly.

Consequence: An incorrectly folded air bag can tear, prohibiting it from deploying properly during a crash, increasing the risk of an injury.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag module, free of charge.

22V543000NHTSA report received July 2022Model years: 2016

NHTSA campaign 22V543000: Audi A3 air bags recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. An improper air bag deployment may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge.

22V515000NHTSA report received July 2022Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 22V515000: Audi A3 seat belts recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3 and A3 sedans. The retention force of the seat belt tensioner on the driver and front passenger seats may be inadequate to properly restrain the occupants during a crash.

Consequence: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt assemblies, free of charge.

22V224000NHTSA report received April 2022Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 22V224000: Audi A3 child seat recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022 A3 Sedan and S3 Sedan vehicles. The child seat anchorage fitting sleeves are incorrectly marked with a different symbol than the one described in the owner's manual. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."

Consequence: An incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage may cause confusion during child seat installation, resulting in a child seat being improperly secured and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace all four fitting sleeves, free of charge.

21V825000NHTSA report received October 2021Model years: 2022

NHTSA campaign 21V825000: Audi A3 back over prevention recall

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8 and S8, 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, A4 Sedan, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, RS6 Avant, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RSQ8, SQ7, SQ8, and S3 Sedan vehicles. A software error may prevent the rear-view image from initially displaying when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: A rear-view camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge.

21V198000NHTSA report received March 2021Model years: 2016–2020

NHTSA campaign 21V198000: Audi A3 air bags recall

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.

Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge.

What does a pre-purchase inspection cover on a used Audi A3?

The same full inspection at every tier, at the seller’s location, with a photo-documented report:

Bronze $249 · Silver $349 · Gold $449. Compare Bronze, Silver and Gold. The core inspection is the same at each tier; Silver and Gold add instrumented measurements.

Similar used luxury sedans

Other luxury sedans to weigh against the Audi A3. Recall counts cover different model-year spans and are not a reliability ranking.

What does a pre-purchase inspection not do?

Common questions about buying a used Audi A3

Where can I book a Audi A3 pre-purchase inspection?

Vehicle Inspectors matches buyers with independent inspectors nationwide. Local pages for cities with active inspectors:

Recall data from NHTSA recall records (NHTSA public recalls API), retrieved 2026-08-27. Vehicle Inspectors is not affiliated with Audi. A recall is not a defect finding on any individual vehicle.

Should you buy a used Audi A3?

Which systems do Audi A3 recalls affect?

What are the most recent NHTSA recall campaigns for the Audi A3?