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The 2020 Audi A3 is a smaller car in the lineup. It’s hailed as one that “delivers uncompromising performance.” However, current customers struggle with the defective air bags and malfunctioning vehicle speed control system.
Click on another model year to view more problems: 2019 2022
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Audi A3
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Wheels | |
| Electrical System | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
Problems with the Air Bags
Having functional air bags is considered a given when driving any newer model, yet this A3 seems to have a legitimate struggle.
One NHTSA complaint reads, “The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag alarm would chime intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made the dealer aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer informed the contact to latch the front passenger’s seat belt latch at all times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. Parts distribution disconnect.”
The recall being referenced in the complaint affects more than 153,000 vehicles. With this recall, it’s clear that the passenger side air bag isn’t providing the protection a luxury car should. In fact, with these defects in mind, it might have been better for customers to buy something a little cheaper. They could have had a safer vehicle and some extra spending money for a rainy day. All they got now is an expensive death trap.
Problems with the Vehicle Speed Control
Another issue comes down to safety as well. There are a ton of complaints about the vehicle speed control system in the 2020 A3.
Here’s one more NHTSA complaint. “The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently come to a complete stop as the brake, air bag, and seat belt warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that while her husband was driving the vehicle 35 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently as the steering wheel locked. The vehicle hit a railing and the airbags did not deploy upon impact. Her husband did not receive any medical attention after the accident. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The contact also stated that the ECM module was defective and would not properly track her vehicle’s mileage. Prior to the accident, the contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they offered no assistance for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure prior to the accident and was offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.”
Besides merely having safety-related concerns, the A3 has some mechanical defects worth looking at too. In fact, there have been lawsuits alleging that Audi didn’t disclose that the water pump module was defective. It would fail prematurely and lead to an overheating engine. When not repaired immediately, the engine would fail, making the A3 a pricey lawn ornament. However, at least it is safer when it isn’t on the road being a menace.
Your Lemon Law Legal Rights
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.
Complaint Data
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 25, 2022 |
| State | OR |
| Description | As of october 25, 2022, the manufacturer (audi) continues to not provide a solution to recall number 69by / nhtsa recall number 21v198, stating that parts are still not available. |
| Category | Air Bags, Seat Belts |
| Date | Sep 05, 2022 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | The passenger occupant detection system has permanently failed and causes my passenger airbag to be off at all times including when a passenger is seated in the vehicle. The seatbelt sensor also goes off when no one is in the seat. Audi dealership said this is an audi issue and the parts are not in stock. This is a huge safety issue. |
| Category | Wheels |
| Date | Jun 16, 2022 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Our vehicle was purchased new a year and four months before the tires were considered completely "dry rotted" out by the audi technician. The vehicle has 35, 737 miles on it, but it was all highway commuting driving. The tmps never sparked an issue until the tires got down to 10 psi only 10 miles before we were on our way to the dealership for this routine 30k maintenance appointment. The tech said that the tmps would not show an issue because the faulty tires were all worn down with dry rot equally. So it was a 1: 2 punch of faulty tires with a terrible design to the tmps. To make it worse, we were supposed to have the car in for this maintenance plan 3 weeks before, but audi called to tell us they were canceling our appointment because they were double booked. In fact, the only reason this car was even able to be seen at this appointment on this day three weeks later was because our other audi was scheduled for routine maintenance the day of this appointment and we asked to push back our other audi so this one could be seen since it was too much of a delay. So our safety kept being put at risk by a design flaw with the vehicle that did not show an issue when it should have, faulty tires given to us by audi, and then a large delay in service we were supposed to receive (nd a delay in service on our other vehicle as well). Also they were unable to fix the other recall on the vehicle because audi ran out of parts for it, so we are at risk still for that recall issue. It is unknown when they will address this. Also interestingly enough, we have maintenance and repair plans for everything on this vehicle, and of course, this just happened to be the one thing not covered conveniently. We submitted to audi that this is unacceptable, and they refused to help us. The mechanic included a video of the damage to the tires that we will submit with this. The link for this is https://asr. Autonation. Com/1upfbpuqwb we will also download it and submit it in case this link is delete |
| Category | Air Bags, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 09, 2022 |
| State | NM |
| Description | Supposedly the recall parts for the pods system can't be replaced because audi is not manufacturing the necessary part!! There is no schedule or estimated time for when the parts will become available. Now I am afraid to drive my car knowing my passenger is not safe! This requires immediate attention as I cannot risk my passengers' lives every time they are in my car. We have been trying to resolve this for months and the service center says they cannot do anything until the parts somehow magically become available. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | May 02, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) 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 and biener audi (795 northern blvd, great neck, ny 11021) were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Mar 16, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact stated that the front passenger's side air bag alarm would chime intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made the dealer aware of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer informed the contact to latch the front passenger's seat belt latch at all times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Jan 14, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000. Parts distribution disconnect. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Dec 13, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 mph with a passenger seated in the passenger's seat, the "air bag off", "malfunction, air bag off" warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and the warning light remained illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags). The dealer also informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 9,500. Vin tool confirms parts not available. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Nov 17, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | Nothing has happened (yet), but audi has still not come up with a fix for this problem since march 2021. This is real safety concern for front passengers in the 2020 audi a3 autos. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Oct 25, 2021 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Airbags have had a recall since march 2021. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Aug 23, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms part not available. |
| Category | Electrical System, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Aug 17, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 audi a3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently come to a complete stop as the brake, air bag, and seat belt warning lights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that while her husband was driving the vehicle 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently as the steering wheel locked. The vehicle hit a railing and the airbags did not deploy upon impact. Her husband did not receive any medical attention after the accident. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The contact also stated that the ecm module was defective and would not properly track her vehicle's mileage. Prior to the accident, the contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they offered no assistance for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure prior to the accident and was offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 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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