⌘K
Home›Audi›A3›2017
Audi · Compact car

2017 Audi A3

Plug-in hybridGas
Subcompact Cars
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
53 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA69
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA34 mpg
2026202520242023202220202019201820172016

The 2017 Audi A3 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid and gas compact car with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A3 e-tron, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 69 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-tronPlug-in hybridFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo + 80 kW DCPM333634 (44 MPGe blended)16 mi electric412.5 h$2,300
A3GasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo263529———$2,150
A3 CabrioletGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo253428———$2,250
A3 quattroGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo243127———$2,300
A3 Cabriolet quattroGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo223025———$2,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38228, 38231, 38232, 38006, 38176.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2017 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.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (5)

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

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.
▲high

Engine And Engine Cooling

24DF
8,383 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet and A3 Sedan vehicles. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) software may misinterpret the flywheel rotation on engine start-up as a "knocking" condition, and the adjusted air/fuel mixture may result in an engine stall.RiskAn engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.FixAudi will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24DF.
NHTSA campaign 17V508000reported Aug 16, 2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Air Bags

69Q3
11,618 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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."RiskIf the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.FixAudi 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 17V196000reported Mar 22, 2017Volkswagen 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
69complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2017: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 17 · 2022: 17 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

Air Bags30
Fuel/Propulsion System15
Engine14
Electrical System12
Power Train9
Seats4

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V110000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacte…”Apr 12, 2024 · Fuel System, Gasoline · NHTSA owner report
“The vehicle cabin started to smell like gas and the car would not accept fuel into the tank. Took to Audi/VW independent repair shop where they indicated fuel jet pump in gas tank was not working properly and that it had flooded various components with fuel (charcoal cannister, etc.). Directed us not to drive as it was…”Dec 20, 2023 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“The high voltage battery no longer charges to full. Only 7 out of 8 possible indicator bars are illuminated, the car now only shows 17-20 miles available. When I purchased the car 3 years ago, it showed 28-29 miles available. Car was at Audi dealership, got tested, Audi says it's within tolerance. I disagree, 30% to 40…”Dec 17, 2023 · Electrical System · 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

2016 Audi A3

6 recalls · 117 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.

JSON for this page · API