2013 Audi A3 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Audi A3 holds 20 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A3 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator.

2012 Audi A3 — Photo by Peulle, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (10 of 20), then Engine (3) and Fuel and propulsion system (3).

Next to 2012 and 2015

The 2012 A3 has 43 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2015 has 179 complaints, 10 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Audi A3. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-12-04 · NHTSA campaign 19V862000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2018-01-30 · NHTSA campaign 18V082000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V079000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Complaints by component (20 total)

Air bags

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Diesel fuel system

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Speed control

Visibility

Show 1 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2013 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the…"
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-03-16
"Car stalled in fast moving traffic, and then lurched forward. In the stall the car behind me almost ran into me. In the lurch, I almost rear ended someone. Fortunate that both times there was no collision. Took the…"
Powertrain, Unknown or other · filed 2022-05-13
"INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH EXTERIOR LIGHTING. I ALREADY REPLACED ONE OF THE REAR LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS (NOT A BULB ISSUE) AND AM NOW EXPERIENCING REAR PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHT ISSUES WHERE THE TAIL LIGHT AND DIRECTIONAL…"
Exterior lighting · filed 2020-01-27
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A3. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUDI TEMECULA (40955 TEMECULA CENTER DR, TEMECULA, CA 92591, (951)…"
Engine · filed 2019-12-06
"TAKATA RECALL - DEALER INFORMED ME THE RECALL PART HAS BEEN UNAVAILABLE FOR 1 YEAR AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNAVAILABLE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 2 - 6 MONTHS. NO RECALL MAINTENCE IS ABLE TO BE SCHEDULED. THE RISK ASSOCIATED…"
Air bags · filed 2018-12-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Audi A3 4 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2013 Audi A3 4 DR FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
A3	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	21	28	24 MPG	$3300
A3	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	29	37	32 MPG	$2950
A3	2L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	21	30	24 MPG	$3300
A3 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	All-wheel drive	21	28	24 MPG	$3300

Specs and fitment

8V A3, 2012–2020

Body styles Sedan, Cabriolet

Oil 5W-30 full synthetic (common US fills) , 5.5 qt capacity

Tire size 225/45R17, 225/40R18, 235/35R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-198 covers certain 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and related A3/S3/RS3 and e-tron variants: the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied, increasing injury risk in a crash; dealers replace the PODS sensor mat and update the control module. Recall 24V-110 covers certain front-wheel-drive 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles (with several Volkswagen models in the same campaign): a fuel suction pump concern can allow a fuel leak that increases fire risk; dealers replace the suction pump.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Audi A3 Next year 2015 Audi A3 See every Audi A3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Audi A3 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Audi A3?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (10 of 20), then Engine (3) and Fuel and propulsion system (3).

Is the 2013 Audi A3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 A3 has 43 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2015 has 179 complaints, 10 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2013 Audi A3 been recalled?

The 2013 Audi A3 has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Audi A3?

Owners have filed 20 complaints about the 2013 Audi A3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Audi A3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Audi A3 is 26 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi A3 take?

US 8V (2012-2020) commonly lists 5W-30; US 8Y (2022+) commonly lists 0W-20 full synthetic.

Does recall 21V-198 cover the Audi A3?

It covers certain 2015-2020 A3 Sedan and related A3/S3/RS3/e-tron variants: the passenger occupant detection system may switch off the passenger air bag incorrectly.

What generation is a 2020 Audi A3?

8V generation (2012-2020 in the US). The next US generation is 8Y from 2022.