The 2015 Audi S3 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 292,048 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 71 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
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.
AIR BAGS19V4740002019-06-19138,896 affected
Defect
Volkswagen 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…
Consequence
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy
Audi 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.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
29
1crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
6
POWER TRAIN
6
SEAT BELTS
5
ENGINE
4
SEATS
4
WHEELS
2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
Total complaints71
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I am reporting a safety remedy denial by audi of america (case #[xxx]) regarding a failed suction jet pump and charcoal canister in my 2015 audi s3. This failure resulted in a fuel leak and strong fuel odor near the exhaust, creating an immediate fire hazard. ​ although audi issued a…”
“Gas pump shuts off and stops pumping fuel into my car with a loud hissing noise before it shuts down the pump. I can not properly fill my vehicle with gas. This is not a single incident it is an ongoing problem.”
“Unable to refuel car. Gas pump keeps clicking off and fuel backs up spilling out of fuel port. Mechanic tested fuel system and reported fuel tank has faulty jet pump seal. Mechanic says a recall was effected for certain audi models with this issue due emissions dangers and fire risk.”
“Gear shift micro switch this is a documented issue recalled for vw and audi vehicles between 2015-2019. Vw recalled all and still is fixing the issue in cars from those years, yet audi decided to just offer an extended warranty to those cars for that specific issue. Who is responsible vw or audi.…”
“Gear shift micro switch this is a documented issue recalled for vw and audi vehicles between 2015-2019. Vw recalled all and still is fixing the issue in cars from those years, yet audi decided to just offer an extended warranty to those cars for that specific issue. Who is responsible vw or audi.…”
“Tail lights stopped working, the wire harness in the vehicle is known to get sheared due to a pinch point at the trunk hinge, this pinch point over a period of time will result in damage to the wire harness that controls the rear taillights as well as the opening and closing functions of the…”
“When driving, without and more importantly, with, a passenger in the front passenger seat, the passenger occupant detection system (pods) light goes on and indicates that the passenger air bag has been deactivated. I looked on line and saw that audi has already recalled certain 2015-2019 audi a3…”
“The evap suction pump stopped working resulting in refueling issues. Fuel accumulates in the evap system and spills outside the vehicle”
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 2015 Audi S3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.