Suspension and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
There aren’t many luxury sports sedan models on the market anymore, but the 2019 Audi S3 continues to hold its own. The automaker claims that the newest lineup provides “the look of performance,” but this is just about giving off the appearance of performance. What about the actual ability of the car? It turns out; it’s suffering. Owners report issues with both the powertrain and suspension.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2020
A car’s powertrain consists of the transmission, engine, driveshafts, differentials and more. It’s the most essential system of the entire vehicle because, without it, the car won’t move.
One owner had this to say about the powertrain on the Audi World Forums. “Yes, the transmission plays a role in the lag that many owners complain about in current Audis. Audi does build lag into the transmission to make them more comfortable to drive daily, but perhaps they have been going a bit too far lately. And as correctly stated, on the higher powered models such as the S5 and RS5 they have gone to torque converters, supposedly because their dual clutch can’t smoothly handle the higher low end torque. Audis competitors, though, continue to use clutch based transmissions in their highest powered models.”
He was discussing why the Audi S3 transmission doesn’t provide the same level of performance as its competition. In fact, many posts are filled with people complaining about the lag in performance from this vehicle, especially from people that previously owned other brands. It turns out that these aren’t the only powertrain-related problems. Service Bulletin #A151933 2053278 also suggests that some of the engines are experiencing significant oil loss. It’s hard for a car to perform as it should with the oil leaking out of it, but this Audi only needs to give off the “look of performance” to maintain its reputation. Just ignore the oil spots left on the ground.
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Air Bags |
In another part of the forum, a conversation got started about the differences between the Audi S3 and the A3 models. What resulted were common suspension issues that are found throughout the Internet.
This Audi World Forum user stated, “Don’t forget harsh ride, rattling and squeaking, which is provided on the S3 but not available as an option on the A3.”
A new S3 starts at more than $10,000 higher than the A3, but apparently that additional price adds some sound effects owners can’t get elsewhere. Audi isn’t oblivious to the problems. The company even issued Service Bulletin #A401993 2047758, which states that the shock absorbers must remain properly lubricated to prevent spring jumps and cracking noises while steering. This statement alone indicates that this Audi model might not be as premium as the price would reflect. Apparently, part of the “look of performance” revolves around the special sounds included that keep owners focused on something other than the lemon that this car is.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Audi pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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My AUDI S3 Brakes seem to stick in the morning when i am pulling off and sometimes when making a sharp turn it seems to buckle, the dealer said nothing is wrong but it still hapens