2003 Audi A3 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2003 Audi A3, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags150.0%
- Powertrain (other)150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS) AND THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR SO THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A TIME FRAME OR A SPECIFIC DATE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THE GEAR SHIFTER LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DISPLAYING ERRONEOUS READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .