Audi A3 owners have reported 20 seats related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common seats problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's seats (20 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seats problems |
Airbag pressure sensing fault in passenger seat. Fix is $1,800.
Subject: complaint regarding refusal to perform recall repairs outside the u. S. – VIN wauacgff6f1010676 dear NHTSA office of defects investigation, I am the owner of an Audi A3, model year 2015, VIN wauacgff6f1010676. According to the NHTSA database, my vehicle is subject to two open recall campaigns: – 69by / 21v198 – passenger occupant detection system (pods) – 20yf / 24v110 – evap suction pump I currently reside in ukraine, where the vehicle has been legally imported and registered. Despite the recalls being active and safety-related, the official Audi importer and dealers in ukraine have refused to perform the repairs free of charge. They argue that these recalls apply only to the u. S. Market and therefore decline service, which contradicts the global principle of mandatory recall repairs. This situation puts me and other drivers at risk, as the unresolved recall issues directly affect vehicle safety. I kindly ask NHTSA to review this case and provide guidance on ensuring that recall obligations are respected internationally, or to instruct Audi ag / Audi of America to facilitate the execution of these recalls regardless of the vehicle’s current market. Attached, please find copies of my correspondence with Audi dealers in ukraine and Audi of America. Thank you for your assistance. Best regards, oleksandr hurin ukraine phone: +380937426438 email: hurin. Oleksandr@gmail. Com.
In August 2025, my 2017 Audi A3 (VIN [xxx] ) experienced repeated stalling, strong gasoline odors inside the cabin, and a check engine light immediately after Audi completed recall-related service. The safety issue was later confirmed by the dealership to be caused by a failed suction jet pump (NHTSA recall 24v110), which allowed fuel to enter the evap system and leak into the rear seat area and cabin. The leak was so severe that the rear seat and flooring had to be replaced due to fuel saturation. Before the problem was properly identified, I was repeatedly told the issue was “just the gas cap,” despite reporting fuel smell, rapid fuel loss after filling the tank, and the check engine light. During this time, I unknowingly drove a vehicle with a significant fire hazard. The cabin fumes caused physical symptoms and unsafe driving conditions. I was not notified of this recall at the time I purchased the vehicle in March 2022, nor was I notified of a second recall affecting the passenger occupant detection system (69by), despite having purchased a one-year maintenance warranty. I only became aware of the recalls after experiencing the hazardous symptoms described above. The problem was confirmed and reproduced by the Audi dealership. Fuel odor, fuel loss, and warning lights first appeared within 24 hours after the initial service visit, and the safety defect was later linked to the recall-related component failure. This defect presented a serious risk of fire and exposure to gasoline fumes to both myself and other road users. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
My Audi A3 got the recall for pods done 5/2022 which the sensors and air bag in the passenger side weren’t working and I got the same lights come up 2 weeks ago. My dealership says since this was a recalled item and is a massive safety concern and should be covered by Audi USA. Instead they want to charge me $1400. I have 3 kids and one sits in the front, and need my car to take them to school and so forth so big safety feature I need. This is a huge safety issue and Audi needs to take accountability.
Dropped off car to Audi arlington to fix recall. They said it was finished but did not update the recall status. Called Audi multiple times to ask, was not able to reach them. Left voice mail and still no call back.
The front-passenger airbag deactivated while my father was riding in the car and the corresponding warning light came on. The error first occurred prior to the Mar 2021 recall. I notified Audi multiple times that my vehicle had this problem, but Audi has not repaired it or offered me an alternative option.
There are six recall warnings associated with this car and tons of information that I am not including as I am sure you have all of the documentation. I am adding my VIN # above to the complaints. I would like to know what vw corp is doing about this. Thank you very much for keeping us safe on the road best, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6.
I was driving my car with my friend in the passenger seat. All of a sudden car started made a beeping sound and my dashboard said something about safety feature being turned off/limited. Also the passenger airbag off light turned on even when the passenger seat was occupied. The vehicle was already in motion. This created an unsafe situation as passenger airbag was off when it should not have been. The passenger occupant detection system (pods) detected a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat was be occupied. I reached out to Audi regarding this and they said that since the repair is not available yet I will have to wait. The NHTSA recall number for this issue is 21v198. The manufacturer recall number is 69by. I have attached the latest video of this situation. If you look at the video it shows that the passenger seat is occupied and still the passenger airbag off light is on. This is the 3rd occurrence of this issue. I use my car daily and since the repair is not available yet this makes my car unsafe on the road.
Audi recall #69z4, NHTSA recall #19v474 the car was under a previous recall for the same problem, which was �fixed� by dealer sometime in 2019. Currently the car shows airbag is deactivated, the unbuckled seatbelt warning lights and sounds flashes even when the seat is unoccupied. Spoke the Audi of ontario,CA on several occasions. They refuse to fix the vehicle. Service manager will not return phone calls. This is the second time this component had to be replaced, and the dealer is refusing to repair it. The passenger airbag off light stays on, when the seat is unoccupied, this happens as soon as the vehicle is started. The unfastened seatbelt light, and airbag light remain on while driving. Unfastened seatbelt sounds continue for 2-3 minutes after the car is started, then goes away.
Audi has stated there are no parts available to address the pods recall 21v198 since March 2021. My dealership sold my vehicle to me at the end of my lease without having addressed this safety recall.
I purchased my 2016 Audi A3 in April of 2020 from Audi san diego. Less than a year later, I was getting airbag warning lights on my dash, as well as constant warning sounds when driving. I brought my vehicle into Audi san diego, and they "fixed" the issue free of charge. A few months later, I started getting the same warning lights/sounds - this time, the passenger airbag was turning on and off even while somebody was sitting in the passenger seat. I received a recall letter in the mail shortly thereafter. When I called in the summer of 2021 to schedule a service appointment, I was told there was not yet a remedy to this recall and that in the next few months I should receive a phone call to schedule service. Over a year later, I called Audi san diego to get an update (since I did receive a phone call as promised), and I am still told that there is no solution. For over a year now, I have been unable to have passengers in my front seat, due to the fear of the airbags not working in the event of a crash.
While driving the car on a city street, the seat belt warning light came on, a warning came on indicating that the passenger airbag was disconnected, followed by an Audible warning. There was an adult passenger in the passenger seat who was properly belted in. Recall "fix" 69z4 has been applied to the vehicle.
Passenger air bag off light will illuminate while passenger is seated. Numerous error codes will flash on dash. Car on highway, in motion. After a few minutes, light will turn off and error codes disappear.
The seat sensor on the passenger side is faulty, causing the air bag light to staty on while operating the vehicle - the "pre-sense" light to stay on - and the un-buckled seat belt alarm to stay going off. All while operating the vehicle. The brand dealership said airbag maynot deploy while seat sensor is malfuctioning. $1200 repair.
Shortly after having recall 69z4 completed (harness and connector) completed started getting warnings the passenger airbag not working and when someone was not in the passenger seat getting a seatbelt warning. Also error on display about pre-sense error. Went to dealer and point out this started right after the recall and they said different issue and has impacted a lot of others. Now they say the pods (passenger occupancy detection system) needs to be replaced quoting me approximately $1200 to fix. Due to the fault the passenger side air bag will not operate. In addition to my dealer telling me it is a common problem, when looking at the forums it seems like a problem across many Audi models, not just the A3, s3.
There has been previous recall for the passenger seat occupation sensor in 2019, asking for a connector to be replaced. Approximately 3 months after the connector was replaced in late 2019, the airbag warning light in the dashboard turned on. That was approximately in March or April of 2020. The car was only lightly used during 2020 and the latest recall had not been issued. In early 2021, a letter with recall information arrived and stated that I shall not use the car with the passenger seat occupied if the warning light was on. I contacted Audi service in may 2021 and was told that no parts were available to repair - about a month ago I received another letter repeating the warning and stating that parts were available. I tried to arrange an appointment but was again told, no parts were available and the earliest appointment would be available in may. As of now, the airbag warning light is on, the airbag indicator says “airbag has been disabled” and the diagnostic readout reports “sensor resistance too high".
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 turn on and off. The sensor imbedded in the bottom of the seat is faulty.
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 happening for quite some time.
On June 8 2018 the car was in motion in the city of atlanta driving straight when another car turn improperly causing accident. This cause the car to get involved in a car accident front end. The driver chest hit the steering. Which from the that cause the impact of the air bag to improperly inflate but deflated cause burns to right arm. The impact also cause driver and passenger seat to open. Front and side damage to body of car.
I purchased this vehicle in germany back in September 2020. It’s a us spec Audi that has the passenger air bag floor sensor recall that I can’t seem to get fixed by the german Audi dealership. How can I get this recall fixed in case I sell the car or want to ship it back stateside. They won’t ship a car with a potential safety recall outstanding. My phone number is +49 151 408 08336 and I used my stateside address because the system will not accept my german address. Please contact me via phone number listed above or by email.