{"id":"2016_audi_s3","make":"Audi","make_slug":"audi","model":"S3","model_slug":"s3","year":2016,"url":"/audi/s3/2016/","pts":["gas"],"configs":[{"id":36392,"model":"S3","pt":"gas","drive":"All-Wheel Drive","trany":"Automatic (AM-S6)","cyl":4,"displ":2.0,"eng":"SIDI","turbo":true,"super":false,"start_stop":false,"city":23,"hwy":31,"comb":26,"cityA":0,"hwyA":0,"combA":0,"kwh100":null,"range":null,"range_city":null,"range_hwy":null,"erange":null,"phev_comb":null,"charge240":null,"charge240b":null,"charger":"","charger_b":"","motor":"","fuel":"Premium","vclass":"Subcompact Cars","co2":340,"fe_score":6,"ghg_score":6,"fuel_cost":3000,"save_spend":-3750,"guzzler":false,"mfr_code":"VGA","modified":"Wed Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2017"}],"vclass":"Subcompact Cars","segment":"Compact car","recalls":[{"campaign":"22V543000","component":"AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE","mfr":"Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.","reported":"2022-07-27","owner_notified":"2022-12-16","units":1216,"summary":"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":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"69DY, 61C1","initiated_by":"ODI","variants":[],"severity":"high"},{"campaign":"21V198000","component":"AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY","mfr":"Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.","reported":"2021-03-22","owner_notified":"2021-12-23","units":153152,"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.","consequence":"A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.","remedy":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"69BY","initiated_by":"MFR","variants":[],"severity":"high"},{"campaign":"19V474000","component":"AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION","mfr":"Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.","reported":"2019-06-19","owner_notified":"2019-09-12","units":138896,"summary":"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.","consequence":"A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.","remedy":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"69Z4","initiated_by":"MFR","variants":[],"severity":"high"}],"recall_count":3,"critical_count":0,"park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"score":76,"grade":"C","complaints":{"count":14,"crash":0,"fire":0,"injured":0,"deaths":0,"comps":[["Air Bags",11],["Seats",4],["Unspecified",2],["Engine",1],["Seat Belts",1],["Fuel/Propulsion System",1]],"by_year":{"2019":1,"2020":7,"2021":2,"2023":1,"2024":1,"2026":2},"excerpts":[["2024-04-13","Air Bags","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. They also damaged my vehicles\u2026"],["2023-02-05","Fuel/Propulsion System","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 comp\u2026"]]},"investigations":[{"action":"RQ23007","component":"FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE","opened":"2023-12-12","closed":"2024-07-01","campaign":"24V110","subject":"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. VW\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s recall filing stated the SJP may have been damaged during assembly, which"}],"ncap":[{"desc":"4 DR AWD","overall":5,"frontal":4,"side":5,"rollover":4,"rollover_risk":0.109,"seats":5,"fcw":"Optional","ldw":"Optional","aeb":"No","esc":"","backup_cam":"","variant":null}],"popularity":999,"headline":{"range":null,"mpg":26,"ncap":5,"complaints":14},"presskit_trims":[],"generated_at":"2026-09-11 05:01 UTC","sources":["EPA fueleconomy.gov","NHTSA recalls","NHTSA complaints","NHTSA NCAP","NHTSA investigations"]}