10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,767 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #6

Jan 032020

A3

  • 70,000 miles
My son was driving my 2011 Audi A3 tdi to the gym at night when he called me the car would not accelerate and had a warning light come on. I told him to google it and he found out it was a glow plug indicator. I told him to continue driving it in the limp mode. The car died while moving and my son was able to coast into a parking lot. This could of been a different story on a busy interstate. I had to pick him up and had the car towed in the morning. To find out this car is notorious for catastrophic high pressure fuel pump failure and that is exactly what happened. When I say catastrophic, metal is shredded and goes into the injectors and contaminates everything that carries fuel. It is about a 7K to 8K repair. I have used nothing but low sulfur diesel. It's ridiculous a recall hasn't been issued to prevent this issue. Since this happened I have found complaints scattered throughout the internet.

- Prestonsburg, KY, USA

problem #5

Nov 222015

A3

  • 50,100 miles
I was at the tail end of a 400 mile trip-all freeway driving. After exiting the freeway, the car was slowly losing power. The glow plug light came on. Car stalled after 1/2 mile. I tried to restart it. It would not start. The glow plug and check engine light were on. Towed to dealership to find the high pressure fuel pump send metal into my fuel system and engine. I have just over 50,000 miles on the car. The repair is covered due to the faulty part. Audi should have to take the car back because they knew about this problem. Instead of doing a recall, they allowed the car to be driven and now my engine is affected. I tried to arrange a trade-in at a local Subaru dealership and they offered me low blue book minus $10,000. My car is not only undesirable, but worthless.

- Temecula, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 022015

A3

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Audi A3. While driving at various speeds, the headlights suddenly shut off and the service vehicle sensor light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that a fuse panel had overheated and melted. The contact also indicated that the vehicle experienced fuel leaking within the engine compartment. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 75,000.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #3

Sep 242014

A3

  • 42,000 miles
The vehicle started loosing power and stalling. The engine light came up. I took the car the dealer. They diagnosed the problem as a high-pressure fuel pump that has disintegrated and damaged the entire fuel system.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #2

Sep 012014

A3

  • 61,000 miles
I was driving along the NY state thruway in albany at 65-70 miles an hour. I realized I was unable to accelerate and saw that the glow plug light was flashing. I slowed down and tried to move over to the right, but as I slowed, the car stalled and I was in the middle lane. I was in the middle lane with cars passing me on either side and I was unable to restart my car. It was so scary. I couldn't get out, I was alone. I didn't know what to do, I felt my life was in danger, unable to get out of my car. I got myself together enough to call aaa. They called the police to help me with traffic. I was pushed to the side of the road dodging cars and trying not to get hit. Aaa came 1 hour later; it was 12:00pm, hot and humid on the labor day holiday! they towed me to the nearest Audi dealer which was 20 miles away. I had to pay for the extra miles. I am 3 hours from home with no idea what I am going to do. My daughter had to come pick me up and drive me back home. Now my car is in albany and I am in Massachusetts. I don't know what is wrong with my car or how I am going to get my car back. This was a very scary, unacceptable incident!

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

problem #1

May 072014

A3

  • 48,500 miles
Car stalled due to debris clogging the fuel line and fuel could not get to the engine. I am told cavitation occurred, resulting in metal shards damaging the fuel delivery system. Entire fuel system needed replacement after the tank. Dealer challenged warranty coverage for the $10K repair, saying the standard service on the fuel filter did not appear to have been performed. The warranty goes to 50K miles, car was at 48.5K miles. The owner's warranty booklet did not have the same service as the dealer said should have been done--it was a less frequent interval.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA