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2016 Audi S3

Gas

Subcompact Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

72 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical 3

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 14

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 26 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 Audi S3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact sedan. The most efficient version, the S3, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 14 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Audi S3 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Audi S3 · Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
S3	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	31	26	$3,150

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36392.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
S3	5–6 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sedan/Saloon
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

292 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Transmission

Drivetrain	AWD/All-Wheel Drive
Transmission	Automatic

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: quattro Premium Plus, quattro Prestige, quattro Technik (Canada)). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	176.0 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	70.9 in
Height	55.9 in
Wheelbase	103.9 in
Track, front	61.0 in
Track, rear	60.2 in
Curb weight	3,450 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	60/40

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: Sedan Tfsi Quattro. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Air Bags

69DY, 61C1

1,216 vehicles 63% reported repaired

Problem 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. Risk 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. Fix Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 22V543000 reported Jul 27, 2022 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Air Bags

69BY

153,152 vehicles 73% reported repaired

Problem 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. 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.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V198000 reported Mar 22, 2021 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Air Bags

69Z4

138,896 vehicles 82% reported repaired built Jun 10, 2014 – Jul 25, 2016

Problem Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag. Risk A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash. Fix Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V474000 reported Jun 19, 2019 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Fuel System, Gasoline — Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647) closed

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. VW’s recall filing stated the SJP may have been damaged during assembly, which c

Opened Dec 12, 2023 · closed Jul 1, 2024 · action RQ23007 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific S3

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Audi publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Audi’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Audi S3, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

14complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2019: 1 · 2020: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

Air Bags 11

Seats 4

Unspecified 2

Engine 1

Seat Belts 1

Fuel/Propulsion System 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Received notice for safety recall to have PODs system repaired or replaced free of charge by Audi. Took my vehicle in for the recall. Audi wanted to charge me to complete this safety recall and refused to complete the recall if I didn't pay. This was bluegrass motorsports in Louisville ky.

Air Bags Apr 13, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11582791

Where do I start? We have taken this car into the Audi dealership four times due to the engine. Overheating and being almost stranded in the middle of nowhere with it because oil was needing to be added to the engine all the time and after charging us hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do to plug in Their service computer system they…

Fuel/Propulsion System Feb 5, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11505674

Very similar to the recall for the 2017-2018 Audi a3, the engine completely shuts off while driving at slow speeds shortly after starting the car. The car starts normally, shifts into gear (drive or reverse) accelerates normally, before the engine dies (RPM gauge drops to 0).

Engine at 59,500 miles Jan 9, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11298302

1. Passenger airbag has been off for 2 weeks. 2. On the information screen there has been a system malfunction ever since. 3. Car has been taken for repair to dealership for 3 times and the issue keeps coming back

Air Bags Aug 31, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11431235

Car had no issues prior to recall 69z4. After Audi dealership performed work to satisfy recall 69z4 (NHTSA 19v474), the affected system (pods) now does not function at all. This renders the passenger seat airbag inoperable regardless of whether it is occupied.

Air Bags at 50,000 miles Jan 14, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11388170

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
4 DR AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 596

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-25

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 592 service bulletins, 4 others

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Suspension, Unknown Or Other, Engine.

TSB_2083409_1 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
TSB_2052680_2 Service bulletin
2026-09-25 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
TSB_2074846_5 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Steering
This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
TSB_2020552_15 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Visibility/Wiper
This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
TSB_2030471_9 Service bulletin
2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
TSB_2068999_5 Service bulletin
2026-09-08 · Structure — Body
This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.
TSB_2051095_12 Service bulletin
2026-09-08 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.
TSB_2074436_3 Service bulletin
2026-08-26 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

S3 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A 0 0 26 mpg 2026 A 0 0 26 mpg 2025 A 0 0 26 mpg 2024 A 0 2 26 mpg 2023 A 1 0 26 mpg 2022 C 7 2 27 mpg 2021 A 1 0 25 mpg 2020 A 1 1 25 mpg 2019 A 1 2 25 mpg 2018 A 1 5 25 mpg 2017 B 2 9 24 mpg 2016 this page C 3 14 26 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 S3

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 Audi S3 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 Audi S3, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 22V543000, covering Air Bags. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 Audi S3?

NHTSA gave the 2016 Audi S3 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it C (72/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Audi S3?

For the 2016 Audi S3, the best EPA combined figure is 26 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2016 Audi S3?

Transport Canada measured it at 176.0 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 55.9 in tall, on a 103.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,450 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Audi S3?

Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Audi S3, most often about air bags, seats, unspecified. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 Audi S3?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Audi S3 runs 5 to 6 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II ULEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Audi S3?

The manufacturer has filed 596 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Audi S3, most often covering equipment, electrical system, suspension. The most recent is dated 2026-09-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	1 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	1 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	3	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	14	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	1 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	596	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	9 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API

2016 Audi S3

Specs & fuel economy

Emissions & certification

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Dimensions Exterior

Engine Basics

Engine Output

Fuel Economy

Transmission

Dimensions & weight

Factory warranty running out?

Recalls (3)

Air Bags

Air Bags

Air Bags

NHTSA defect investigations

Whether any of this applies to one specific S3

Hear about a recall before the letter does

Parts & accessories for the 2016 Audi S3

Owner complaints

Most-cited components

In owners' own words

Crash ratings

Service bulletins & campaigns

S3 by model year

Common questions about the 2016 S3

Does the 2016 Audi S3 have any recalls?

How safe is the 2016 Audi S3?

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Audi S3?

What are the dimensions of the 2016 Audi S3?

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Audi S3?

How clean is the 2016 Audi S3?

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Audi S3?

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Where to go next

Sources & method