2020 AUDI S3 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
1
Owner Complaint
1
Recall
14
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2020 AUDI S3
The 2020 AUDI S3 has received a total of 1 safety complaint filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER, AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY. 14 technical service bulletins have been issued by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problem area is the Unknown Or Other (1 complaint).
Recalls for the 2020 AUDI S3
NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 2020 AUDI S3, potentially affecting up to 306,304 vehicles.
Recall 21V198000 — AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
| 153,152 vehicles 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.
View full details →Recall 21V198000 — AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY
| 153,152 vehicles 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.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2020 AUDI S3
1 complaint has been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 AUDI S3. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
1) Sunroof exploded while merging onto highway from a rest stop (I believe I was still on the on ramp at the time) - Vehicle in the process of being fixed so probably not available for inspection but the collision shop has pictures 2) Fortunate I didn't freak out and was able to process the situation and not get into a collision. 3) not sure 4) The collision shop is inspecting the sun roof, but probably just to figure out what needs to be fixed. 5) Nope, just an explosion. Luckily I had the Sun curtain closed so none of the glass rained down on me.
Safety Rating for the 2020 AUDI S3
The 2020 AUDI S3 received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2020 AUDI S3
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. has issued 14 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2020 AUDI S3. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB_2061028_7 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin provides information when there are no services in the MMI and the SOS LED does not turn green after PDI.
A9624142076068_1 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This TSB provides information when the message "High beam assist and/or traffic sign recognition currently unavailable - camera view restricted due to surroundings".
A1924602074320_1 — STRUCTURE:BODY
This bulletin provides information when the DTC P218100 malfunction in cooling system is logged.
A9223372056963_2 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
This bulletin provides information on repairing the corrugated hose for the windshield washer system.
A4023622061464_5 — STRUCTURE
This bulletin provides information for when a cracking noise is heard from the front end when changing direction.
A9023222032113_7 — EQUIPMENT
This information bulletin contains a background on the outside air temperature reading.
A9022592063038_2 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
This informational bulletin explains why the version information pops-up.
A4020192061464_1 — EQUIPMENT
This bulletin addresses a cracking noise from the front end when changing direction.
A4020192061464_1 — SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING
This bulletin addresses a cracking noise from the front end when changing direction.
A4020192061464_1 — SUSPENSION
This bulletin addresses a cracking noise from the front end when changing direction.
Showing 10 of 14 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2020 AUDI S3
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the AUDI S3
- 2015 AUDI S3 — 69 complaints
- 2016 AUDI S3 — 21 complaints
- 2017 AUDI S3 — 10 complaints
- 2018 AUDI S3 — 7 complaints
- 2019 AUDI S3 — 2 complaints
- 2020 AUDI S3 (current)
- 2021 AUDI S3 — 0 complaints
- 2022 AUDI S3 — 5 complaints
- 2023 AUDI S3 — 0 complaints
- 2024 AUDI S3 — 4 complaints
- 2025 AUDI S3 — 0 complaints