What breaks most · 2015 to 2024 model years
Audi S3 problems by year
Owners have filed 88 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi S3 across model years 2015 to 2024. Three years stand out: 2015 for air bags complaints, 2016 for air bags complaints and 2017 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2020, 2019 and 2018.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016, 2017
- Fewest complaints: 2020, 2019, 2018
- Complaints on file
- 882015 to 2024, all trims
- Worst year
- 201553 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 45kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 17Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (29) | |
| 14 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (11) | |
| 9 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (5) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Backup camera and sensors (1) |
What fails on the 2015 Audi S3
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 55% |
29 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
9 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2015 Audi S3 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
7 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2015 Audi S3 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
6 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 9% |
5 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2015 Audi S3 |
| Seats | 8% |
4 | 0 | — |
| Wheels | 4% |
2 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Gas pump shuts off and stops pumping fuel into my car with a loud hissing noise before it shuts down the pump. I can not properly fill my vehicle with gas. This is not a single incident it is an ongoing problem.
-
transmission failed after going over a small pothole at 20mph, after which engine revved up than slammed into high gear and jerked the car forward, car has been towed to dealership for inspection, transmission light came on
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Audi S3 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016, 2017 carry the most filings on the Audi S3. The 2015 alone has 53 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Audi S3 problem?
On the 2015 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 29 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi S3 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi S3 complaints that include mileage is about 45,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.