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2016 Audi A3

Plug-in hybridGas
Subcompact Cars
6 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
43 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical6
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA117
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA39 mpg
2026202520242023202220202019201820172016

The 2016 Audi A3 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid and gas compact car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A3 e-tron ultra, is EPA-rated at 39 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 117 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
A3 e-tron ultraPlug-in hybridFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo + 80 kW DCPM374139 (49 MPGe blended)17 mi electric382.5 h$2,000
A3 e-tronPlug-in hybridFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo + 80 kW DCPM333735 (44 MPGe blended)16 mi electric402.5 h$2,200
A3 CabrioletGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl turbo243528———$2,250
A3GasFWD1.8L 4-cyl turbo233327———$2,300
A3 quattroGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo243327———$2,300
A3 Cabriolet quattroGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233226———$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37130, 37129, 36384, 36383, 36385, 36386.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Audi A3 is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (6)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

VW: 20UF/AUDI:20YF
261,257 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers 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 re
NHTSA campaign 24V110000reported Feb 14, 2024Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Air Bags

69DY, 61C1
1,216 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskAn 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.FixDealers 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 22V543000reported Jul 27, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Air Bags

69BY
153,152 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.FixDealers 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 21V198000reported Mar 22, 2021Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Air Bags

69Z4
138,896 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.FixAudi 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 19V474000reported Jun 19, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

20Y6/20Y5
110,042 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Audi A3 sedan and A3 Cabriolet vehicles. Due to a problem with the suction pump inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system.RiskAs fuel accumulates in the EVAP system, it may leak out through the charcoal canister filter element. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.FixVolkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298, Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 20Y6 and 20Y5. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 24V-110.
NHTSA campaign 16V647000reported Sep 7, 2016Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
○minor

Electrical System

97CB
79,895 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 TT roadster, A3 cabriolet, A3 sedan and A3 e-tron, 2016-2017 TT coupe, 2017 A4 sedan and Q7 and 2015-2017 Q3 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadvertently makes the side marker lights inoperative in conjunction with the parking lights or the headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."RiskIf the side marker lights do not illuminate, the vehicle may be less visible at night, increasing the risk of a crash.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97CB.
NHTSA campaign 16V642000reported Sep 6, 2016Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

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

Opened Dec 12, 2023 · closed Jul 1, 2024 · action RQ23007

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
117complaints filed

3 involved a crash · 4 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 24 · 2022: 24 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 11 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Air Bags51
Fuel/Propulsion System22
Electrical System19
Engine15
Unspecified11
Power Train9

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer, where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, Audi Richmond (12…”Jun 26, 2024 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving at unknown speed the message, "Oil Level Sensor System Fault" was displayed. The message was display on several occasions while the contact was driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic stated that several fault codes …”Apr 1, 2024 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds and making a U-turn, the "Steering Defect; Do Not Drive" message was displayed. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The steering wheel turned in the other direction when the vehicle struck the curb. While making a left turn, …”Aug 30, 2023 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

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
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other A3 model years

A

2026 Audi A3

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2025 Audi A3

0 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2024 Audi A3

0 recalls · 1 complaints

B

2023 Audi A3

2 recalls · 6 complaints

F

2022 Audi A3

6 recalls · 9 complaints

D

2020 Audi A3

3 recalls · 16 complaints

D

2019 Audi A3

4 recalls · 14 complaints

F

2018 Audi A3

7 recalls · 45 complaints

F

2017 Audi A3

5 recalls · 69 complaints

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). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

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

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