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2020 Audi A3

Gas
Subcompact Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
D
Safety Signal
69 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA16
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA30 mpg
2026202520242023202220202019201820172016

The 2020 Audi A3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the A3, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 16 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
A3GasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo273630$2,100
A3 Cabriolet quattroGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo223025$2,500
A3 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: 42114, 41985, 41984.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2020 Audi A3 is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

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

Tires

AU:45J7,VW:45J6,45J8
296,044 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."RiskAn undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or AudiÂ’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
NHTSA campaign 22V815000reported Oct 31, 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.

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

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
16complaints filed

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

Filed per year: 2021: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Air Bags9
Unspecified2
Power Train2
Electrical System1
Vehicle Speed Control1
Wheels1

What owners describe

“At 70,000 miles with only one owner, it develops transmission problems, making it unsafe to drive and control the car; control of the car is lost. Here is the link from the Dealer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Jun 10, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires. •The…”Jun 26, 2025 · Tires · NHTSA owner report
“Car has 50,000 miles and vehicle has a bulletin on the vehicle from Audi, where the vehicle goes into limp mode and only shift through certain gears, rendering the vehicle, unable to drive and creating a safety hazard due to the fact that it can’t drive at Highway speed and or jolt and skips gears. Code for the P1736…”Apr 12, 2025 · Power Train · 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. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

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

2019 Audi A3

4 recalls · 14 complaints

F

2018 Audi A3

7 recalls · 45 complaints

F

2017 Audi A3

5 recalls · 69 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.

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