The Used Car Index

2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet problems

NHTSA lists 87 complaints for the 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 1 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as AUDI A3 CABRIOLET.

At a glance

Complaints
87
With crash
1
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
5
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
138,896
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
702

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS3843.7%
ENGINE910.3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM910.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM89.2%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE78.0%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING55.7%
POWER TRAIN55.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER44.6%
WHEELS44.6%
SERVICE BRAKES33.4%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINESTORAGE1
TIRESPRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS1
VISIBILITYSUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
restraint or airbag3439.1%0.88
mechanical failure1618.4%0.77
loss of control1416.1%0.81
fluid or fuel leak66.9%0.91
electrical electronic55.7%0.74
visibility or lighting55.7%1.00
fire or overheating22.3%0.97
noise or comfort22.3%0.72
structural or corrosion22.3%0.47
unclear11.1%0.98
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate5664.4%0.84
low2731.0%0.64
high44.6%0.84

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 87 tagged complaints of 87 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

5 recalls.

19V474000

Date: 2019-06-19. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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 passenger air bag.

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V280000

Date: 2017-04-26. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Audi A3 1.8T FWD S tronic and 2.0T Quattro S tronic vehicles. The safety certification label has an incorrect vehicle production date. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."

Consequence: In the event of a vehicle safety recall, an incorrect production date may prevent owners from determining if the recall affects them, increasing their risk of injury or a crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install an overlay label containing the correct vehicle production date, free of charge. The recall June 23, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51F5.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V647000

Date: 2016-09-07. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Audi A3 sedan and A3 Cabriolet vehicles. Due to a problem with the suction pump inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system.

Consequence: As fuel accumulates in the EVAP system, it may leak out through the charcoal canister filter element. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298, Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 20Y6 and 20Y5. This recall has been fully superseded by recall 24V-110.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V824000

Date: 2015-12-08. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEATS.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, LLC (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet vehicles manufactured June 5, 2014, to April 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have a driver or front passenger seat whose cover may be incorrectly stitched, preventing the side air bag from properly deploying in the event of a crash.

Consequence: Improper side air bag deployment may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's and/or front passenger's seatback cover, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notices on February 4, 2016. The recall began on February 29, 2016 . Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74C9.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V229000

Date: 2015-04-17. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Golf, and GTI manufactured on February 17, 2014, to May 22, 2014, and Audi A3 manufactured on February 16, 2013, to April 23, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.

Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle will not start, or if the engine is running, it will stop and the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any affected fuel pumps, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi at 1-800-253-2834.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

RQ23007

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 fuel leak from the vehicle. This recall covered certain model year (MY) 2015-2016 V

Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Linked campaign numbers: 24V110.

Manufacturer communications

702 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT211
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM174
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING50
UNKNOWN OR OTHER49
SUSPENSION43
ENGINE41
STRUCTURE31
POWER TRAIN25

11038027

Date: 2026-09-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.

11038130

Date: 2026-09-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.

11038024

Date: 2026-09-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

This bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.

11038042

Date: 2026-09-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.

This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.

11038025

Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.

11038143

Date: 2026-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.

11038026

Date: 2026-09-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides infomraiton abou the Audi frequency analysis application, which is available in the App Store for Android and Apple phones.

11038033

Date: 2026-09-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

This TSB describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.

11036917

Date: 2026-08-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.

11036907

Date: 2026-08-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SUSPENSION.

This bulletin provides informaiotn when there are rattling/grinding noises reported from the front end.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
A3 CABRIOLET87

Same model, other years

All model years | All Audi models

Other Audi models, 2015

Sources

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