The 2017 Audi A3 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 414,409 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Volkswagen 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…
Consequence
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers 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. …
AIR BAGS21V1980002021-03-22153,152 affected
Defect
Volkswagen 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.
Consequence
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy
Dealers 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.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
16
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
15
1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12
ENGINE
9
1injuries
POWER TRAIN
6
SEATS
4
1injuries
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
3
1crashes1injuries
SEAT BELTS
3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
Total complaints75
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Recall campaign 20yf; description- suction jet pump I was not made aware of the recall until fuel began gushing out of my passenger side rear. The audi dealership was aware of the recall in july of 2025 when I had routine maintenance at the service department, however it was not addressed. Fast…”
“While driving at highway speeds, a warning light appeared as well as an alert indicating the car was limited to no more than 4000rpm. After coming to a stop, a strong smell of gasoline was noticed in the passenger compartment. Continued driving home uneventfully but the strong smell of gas…”
“In august 2025, my 2017 audi a3 (vin [xxx] ) experienced repeated stalling, strong gasoline odors inside the cabin, and a check engine light immediately after audi completed recall-related service. The safety issue was later confirmed by the dealership to be caused by a failed suction jet pump…”
“In august 2025, my 2017 audi a3 (vin [xxx] ) experienced repeated stalling, strong gasoline odors inside the cabin, and a check engine light immediately after audi completed recall-related service. The safety issue was later confirmed by the dealership to be caused by a failed suction jet pump…”
“In august 2025, my 2017 audi a3 (vin [xxx] ) experienced repeated stalling, strong gasoline odors inside the cabin, and a check engine light immediately after audi completed recall-related service. The safety issue was later confirmed by the dealership to be caused by a failed suction jet pump…”
“Car throws p2884 and the internal combustion motor will not start. The issue is gone into detail here: [xxx] recommendation is swapping out mechatronic unit for the upgraded unit. Since the unit is prone to failure this really should be a recall. It happens on all cars 2016/2017 years right around…”
“Passenger airbags, and emergency braking have been failing, I would have to be aware in advance if my vehicle needs to be checked, my safety and my passengers safety is in danger because incase I need to brake quickly but dont have the reaction time to do so I will crash since emergency brake…”
“Passenger airbags, and emergency braking have been failing, I would have to be aware in advance if my vehicle needs to be checked, my safety and my passengers safety is in danger because incase I need to brake quickly but dont have the reaction time to do so I will crash since emergency brake…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
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…
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
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…
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2017 Audi A3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.