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2018 Audi RS 3

Gas
Subcompact Cars
1 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
D
Safety Signal
68 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns4
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA13
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA22 mpg
20182017

The 2018 Audi RS 3 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car. The most efficient version, the RS 3, is EPA-rated at 22 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 13 complaints, most often about the air bags.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
RS 3GasAWD2.5L 5-cyl turbo192822$3,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38773.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Audi RS 3 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 (4)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲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.
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Seats

72I8
3,326 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A3 sedan and RS3 vehicles. The latching pins for the center rear seat head restraint may be missing.RiskIn the event of a crash, the head restraint may detach and cause injury to the vehicle occupants.FixAudi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the head restraints, replacing any that are missing pins, free of charge. The recall began on March 7, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72I8.
NHTSA campaign 19V095000reported Feb 13, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Seats

VW 72H8 / Audi 72H9
169 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf and Golf R vehicles, and Audi A3 Sedan and RS3 vehicles. The rear seat frame head restraint guide sleeves may be incorrectly welded to the seat frame.RiskIf the guide sleeves are incorrectly welded, in the event of a crash, the rear seat head restraints may have reduced stability, increasing the risk of injury.FixVolkswagen and Audi will notify their owners, and dealers will inspect the guide sleeves for incorrect welds, replacing the rear seat frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. 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 72H8 (VW) and 72H9(Audi).
NHTSA campaign 18V803000reported Nov 14, 2018Volkswagen 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
13complaints filed

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

Filed per year: 2017: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Air Bags5
Fuel/Propulsion System4
Engine2
Lane Departure2
Electrical System2
Forward Collision Avoidance2

What owners describe

“Fuel tank may fail or charcoal canister within. Causing you not to be able to fill up the car and if it overflows it’ll spill. Coolant will also miraculously evaporate, even while car is sitting due to [XXX] water pump. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Jun 13, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“I attempted to add gas to a 3/4 full fuel tank (given that I had a long drive that day and needed a full tank). Fuel would not enter the tank, no matter how slow I seemed to pump the gas. I had filled up a few days prior and driven the car about 100 miles since. After calling the dealer and taking the car in for servic…”Nov 5, 2025 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“For several months each time I refuel my vehicle, I experience fuel spit back and refueling shutoff at any rate of fuel delivery. I have also experienced a strong fuel odor in my garage immediately after refueling which persists for a week or more. I am concerned that a fuel leak near a hot exhaust pipe could cause a f…”Jan 18, 2024 · Fuel/Propulsion 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 AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other RS 3 model years

B

2017 Audi RS 3

2 recalls · 1 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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