2016 Audi A3 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Audi A3 holds 112 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 5 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 Fuel system, gasoline, Inflator, and Front passenger seat weight sensor.

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

Complaints

112

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (51 of 112), then Electrical system (18) and Fuel and propulsion system (17). Those filings include 3 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 A3 has 179 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2017 has 36 complaints, 0 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Audi A3. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2024-02-14 · NHTSA campaign 24V110000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.

Remedy Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. 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 VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2022-07-27 · NHTSA campaign 22V543000

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.

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.

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2021-03-22 · NHTSA campaign 21V198000

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.

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.

Complaints by component (112 total)

Air bags

Electrical system

Fuel and propulsion system

Engine

Powertrain

Fuel system, gasoline

Engine and engine cooling

Tires

Visibility and wipers

Exterior lighting

Seat belts

Speed control

Structure

Suspension

Back-over prevention

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Lane departure

Latches, locks, and linkages

Seats

Steering

Wheels

Show 13 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 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag occupant sensor failed to identify a passenger seat in the seat. A dealer was contacted. No warning light was illuminated. The…"
Engine and engine cooling, Air bags · filed 2026-07-21
"Electrical problems and fuel leak"
Electrical system, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-09
"This vehicle was involved in a rear end collision in late 2025. The vehicle was just sold at auction with a clean title even though it has frame damage that is more than 100% of the cost of this vehicle. It is sold with…"
Suspension, Exterior lighting, Structure · filed 2026-01-30
"FUEL LEAKED ALL MY GARAGE ALMOST CAUSING A FIRE IN MY HOME WHILE I WAS SLEEPING. I HAVE HAD THE FUEL TANK REPLACED 3 TIMES. AND I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO HAVE IT REPLACED BECAUSE AUDI WOULD NOT REPLACE THE RECALL OF…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-10-01
"My 2016 Audi A3 Sportsback E-tron vehicle was parked at my house. When I went to start it the engine did nothing, no power. The message “Driver System Fault” and a red triangle with a red ! in the middle was displayed…"
Electrical system · filed 2025-09-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2016 A3 Sportback e-tron FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 Audi A3 4 DR AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2016 Audi A3 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2016 Audi A3 C AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 Audi A3 C 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	1.8L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	23	33	27 MPG	$2400
A3 Cabriolet	1.8L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	24	35	28 MPG	$2300
A3 Cabriolet quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	All-wheel drive	23	32	26 MPG	$2500
A3 e-tron	1.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	33	37	35 MPG / 380 mi range	$2300
A3 e-tron ultra	1.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-wheel drive	37	41	39 MPG / 430 mi range	$2050
A3 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	All-wheel drive	24	33	27 MPG	$2400

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 2015 Audi A3 Next year 2017 Audi A3 See every Audi A3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Audi A3 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2016 Audi A3?

Is the 2016 Audi A3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 A3 has 179 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2017 has 36 complaints, 0 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Audi A3 been recalled?

The 2016 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 2016 Audi A3?

Owners have filed 112 complaints about the 2016 Audi A3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Audi A3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Audi A3 is 30.3 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.