2020 Audi A3 Problems

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.

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.

Car has 50,000 miles and vehicle has a bulletin on the vehicle from Audi, where the vehicle goes into limp mode and only shift through certain gears, rendering the vehicle, unable to drive and creating a safety hazard due to the fact that it can’t drive at Highway speed and or jolt and skips gears. Code for the P173600 known issue by Audi, went into mode while merging onto freeway and a lost control of vehicle.

The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunction warning light was displayed, and the vehicle failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission mechatronics had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 17,525.

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.

At 70,000 miles with only one owner, it develops transmission problems, making it unsafe to drive and control the car; control of the car is lost. Here is the link from the Dealer [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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

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.

Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires. •The first occurred in 2022 at just under 7,000 miles and caused the vehicle to fail PA state inspection. Continental covered 50% of the replacement cost after I submitted a warranty claim. •The second bubble appeared in June 2025 on the front passenger tire. At that point, I replaced all four tires out of safety concerns and disposed of the Continentals. The vehicle is in excellent condition, lightly driven, and is not exposed to potholes, curbs, or harsh use. I work remotely, so mileage is extremely low. Both tire failures were from normal road use and developed without any impact or external damage. I contacted Continental again in June 2025 with a full explanation and referenced my prior case. They refused to offer any goodwill or further investigation, stating that I had already disposed of the tires. ⸻ Why This Matters: Experiencing two identical sidewall failures within 13,000 miles on different tires under light driving conditions suggests a potential design or manufacturing defect. I’m reporting this in the interest of safety and awareness, as a sidewall failure at highway speed could be far more dangerous.

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.