The 2017 Audi S3 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 164,770 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 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 BAGS17V1960002017-03-2211,618 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Audi A3 and S3 Sedan vehicles. In a lower-speed crash situation, the air bag control unit software may deploy the passenger frontal air bag improperly if the front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with…
Consequence
If the air bag deploys with more force than intended, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q3.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Transmission failed after going over a small pothole at 20mph, after which engine revved up than slammed into high gear and jerked the car forward, car has been towed to dealership for inspection, transmission light came on”
“Transmission failed after going over a small pothole at 20mph, after which engine revved up than slammed into high gear and jerked the car forward, car has been towed to dealership for inspection, transmission light came on”
“I have contacted audi dealerships in my area with regard to manufacturer recall number 69by nhtsa recall number 21v198. But they say they do not have the parts to fix the recall and have no idea when they can fix it”
“The contact owns a 2017 audi s3. The contact received nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags). The owner contacted a local dealer to set up a recall appointment. The contact set the appointment and was told by the dealer that the parts would be ordered and that the dealer would contact the…”
“The contact owns a 2017 audi s3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue and the contact was notified that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer…”
“The contact owns a 2017 audi s3. The front passenger seat air bag warning light failed to illuminate whether there was a passenger seated in the seat or not. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags). The dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that…”
“Under normal driving conditions, highway speed of 65-75, the car vibrates. I attempted to reach out to other drives and this seems to be a common issues all across the board. Not local and not select year. Under further homework, many others have complained about this online. Many others show the…”
“After purchasing a 2017 audi s3 I immediately encountered horrible chattering of the wiper blades in my very first drive in the rain. I have subsequently taken my car to the audi dealership to address this issue 10+ occasions. This chattering and skipping of the wiper blades is so bad that I and…”
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 S3 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.