The 2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 151,878 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS19V4740002019-06-19138,896 affected
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…
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.
SEATS19V0950002019-02-133,326 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A3 sedan and RS3 vehicles. The latching pins for the center rear seat head restraint may be missing.
Consequence
In the event of a crash, the head restraint may detach and cause injury to the vehicle occupants.
Remedy
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the head restraints, replacing any that are missing pins, free of charge. The recall began on March 7, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72I8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The fuel hose quick connector may detach from the fuel supply line in the engine bay, resulting in a fuel leak.
Consequence
A fuel leak in the engine compartment can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the fuel line connection, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 11, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BK.
SEATS18V8030002018-11-14169 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf and Golf R vehicles, and Audi A3 Sedan and RS3 vehicles. The rear seat frame head restraint guide sleeves may be incorrectly welded to the seat frame.
Consequence
If the guide sleeves are incorrectly welded, in the event of a crash, the rear seat head restraints may have reduced stability, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners, and dealers will inspect the guide sleeves for incorrect welds, replacing the rear seat frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. …
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING17V5080002017-08-168,383 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet and A3 Sedan vehicles. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) software may misinterpret the flywheel rotation on engine start-up as a "knocking" condition, and the adjusted air/fuel mixture may result in an engine stall.
Consequence
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24DF.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
1
TIRES
1
WHEELS
1
Total complaints12
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, a bystander alerted the contact that there was fuel leaking from the rear passenger's side near the fuel tank. The contact drove the vehicle to a gas station and was unable to refuel the vehicle. The check engine…”
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact stated while driving in a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the battery was drained, and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact jumpstarted the vehicle. The battery was replaced. Several unknown warning lights were…”
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer…”
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable…”
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated…”
“The contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v198000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v474000 (air bags). The contact stated that audi grapevine (located at 1260 e state hwy 114, grapevine, tx 76051, [REDACTED]) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2018 audi a3. The contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 19v474000 (air bags). After contacting the dealer (audi of tyson, 8598 leesburg pike, vienna, va) and the manufacturer, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were not…”
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 2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.