Audi S3 Recalls (2015-2023)
The Audi S3 has been the subject of 12 recall campaigns on record with NHTSA across the 2015 to 2023 model years. They cluster mostly around the air bags, back over prevention, and equipment.
The Audi S3 scores 92 out of 100 (grade A), one of the cleaner recall records among the vehicles we track. That score reflects how serious the recalls are rather than how many. 58% involve a critical safety system, none carried a do-not-drive warning, and 0% were issued in the last three years. How the score works.
Those 12 campaigns span 9 model years of the Audi S3. The single largest affected 153,152 vehicles, over air bags. A recall repair is free at a franchised dealer and most never expire, so an older open recall is still worth fixing. Beyond recalls, you can also see the most common S3 problems owners report and its crash-test safety ratings.
The full record is below, grouped first by model year and then listed in detail. Each entry gives the defect NHTSA describes, the safety risk it creates, the manufacturer's remedy, the number of vehicles in that campaign, and the dates. A recall covers a whole production run, so a campaign listed for the Audi S3 may not apply to your exact vehicle, and one you have already had repaired will still appear in the history. To see what is actually open and unfixed on a specific car, check its 17-digit VIN.
Audi S3 recalls by model year
Recall activity by model year. Select a year to jump to its recalls below. Older years often carry more recalls simply because defects surface over time.
Audi S3 recalls by affected system
Which vehicle systems the recalls touch, using NHTSA's component groups. Select a system to see how it is recalled across every make and model.
Recalls by model year
2022 Audi S3 Recalls
7 recalls affect the 2022 Audi S3, involving the back over prevention, seat belts, and equipment.
2016 Audi S3 Recalls
3 recalls affect the 2016 Audi S3, involving the air bags.
Every Audi S3 recall in detail
Select any recall to read the full defect, risk, and remedy text. Do Not Drive and Park Outside warnings stay visible without opening anything.
Equipment
- Affected years
- 2023 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 297
- Reported
- Dec 7, 2022
- Owners notified
- Feb 24, 2023
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S3, RS3, and A3 vehicles. The Safety Certification label on the B-pillar is missing weight capacity information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Risk: Missing weight information may result in unintentional overloading of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Audi dealers will install an overlay label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 27, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 50ZZ.
NHTSA campaign number 22V901000.
Back Over Prevention
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 2,607
- Reported
- Nov 2, 2022
- Owners notified
- Feb 14, 2023
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.
NHTSA campaign number 22V823000.
Back Over Prevention
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 6,076
- Reported
- Oct 26, 2022
- Owners notified
- Jun 6, 2023
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 AUDI A8, A6 Allroad, E-TRON Quattro, 2022 S3, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 Avant, Q8, Q7, Q3, E-TRON Sportback Quattro, S5 Cabriolet, E-TRON GT, S5 Sportback, A7, A6, A5 Sportback, A5 Cabriolet, A4, A4 Allroad, A3, S8, SQ7, SQ8, S6, and S4 vehicles. The infotainment main unit may become damaged internally when the vehicle is shut off, resulting in an inoperative rearview camera display the next time the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: An inoperative rearview camera display reduces the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the infotainment main unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91Ei.
NHTSA campaign number 22V806000.
Air Bags
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 4,117
- Reported
- Aug 29, 2022
- Owners notified
- Dec 13, 2022
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3, A3, and RS3 vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been folded incorrectly.
Risk: An incorrectly folded air bag can tear, prohibiting it from deploying properly during a crash, increasing the risk of an injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 13, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69DZ.
NHTSA campaign number 22V652000.
Air Bags
- Affected years
- 2016 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 1,216
- Reported
- Jul 27, 2022
- Owners notified
- Dec 16, 2022
Defect: 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.
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.
NHTSA campaign number 22V543000.
Seat Belts
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 2,584
- Reported
- Jul 20, 2022
- Owners notified
- Nov 15, 2022
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3 and A3 sedans. The retention force of the seat belt tensioner on the driver and front passenger seats may be inadequate to properly restrain the occupants during a crash.
Risk: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 15, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 68i2.
NHTSA campaign number 22V515000.
Child Seat
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 466
- Reported
- Apr 6, 2022
- Owners notified
- May 24, 2022
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022 A3 Sedan and S3 Sedan vehicles. The child seat anchorage fitting sleeves are incorrectly marked with a different symbol than the one described in the owner's manual. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
Risk: An incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage may cause confusion during child seat installation, resulting in a child seat being improperly secured and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all four fitting sleeves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May24, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72M7.
NHTSA campaign number 22V224000.
Back Over Prevention
- Affected years
- 2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 2,857
- Reported
- Oct 20, 2021
- Owners notified
- Nov 9, 2021
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8 and S8, 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, A4 Sedan, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, RS6 Avant, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RSQ8, SQ7, SQ8, and S3 Sedan vehicles. A software error may prevent the rear-view image from initially displaying when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rear-view camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 9, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91CR.
NHTSA campaign number 21V825000.
Seat Belts
- Affected years
- 2021-2022 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 45,496
- Reported
- Aug 5, 2021
- Owners notified
- Aug 27, 2021
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).
NHTSA campaign number 21V606000.
Air Bags
- Affected years
- 2015-2020 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 153,152
- Reported
- Mar 22, 2021
- Owners notified
- Dec 23, 2021
Defect: 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.
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.
NHTSA campaign number 21V198000.
Air Bags
- Affected years
- 2015-2016 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 138,896
- Reported
- Jun 19, 2019
- Owners notified
- Sep 12, 2019
Defect: 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.
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.
NHTSA campaign number 19V474000.
Air Bags
- Affected years
- 2017 Audi S3
- Vehicles in this recall
- 11,618
- Reported
- Mar 22, 2017
- Owners notified
- Apr 20, 2017
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi A3 and S3 Sedan vehicles. In a lower-speed crash situation, the air bag control unit software may deploy the passenger frontal air bag improperly if the front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: If the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q3.
NHTSA campaign number 17V196000.
Common questions about Audi S3 recalls
- Does the Audi S3 have any recalls?
- Yes. NHTSA has 12 recall campaigns on record for the Audi S3 across the 2015 to 2023 model years. The most common areas are the air bags, back over prevention, and equipment.
- How many times has the Audi S3 been recalled?
- The Audi S3 has 12 recall campaigns from the 2015 to 2023 model years. A single campaign often covers several model years at once, so the number of recalls is not the same as the number of years affected.
- What is the most serious Audi S3 recall?
- The most serious recall on record involves the air bags, affecting 153,152 vehicles. A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- Which Audi S3 model year has the most recalls?
- The 2022 Audi S3 has the most, with 7 recall campaigns on record. Older model years often pick up more recalls over time, since defects can surface years after a car is built.
- How do I check if my Audi S3 has an open recall?
- Enter your 17-digit VIN on the recall check page. It returns the recalls tied to your exact vehicle straight from NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer, with no expiration on most safety recalls.
Recall data comes from NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. For how it is sourced and how the safety score is built, see the methodology and data sources. This page is a reference, not legal or safety advice.