— Audi is recalling more than 8,300 A3 cars after reports the engines can stall.
The 2017-2018 Audi A3 Cabriolet and sedan engines can experience a knocking condition because of incorrect engine control unit software that can misread the flywheel rotation when starting the engines. This will cause the system to adjust the air and fuel mixture and lead to engine stall.
The automaker started receiving complaints in April and May about new A3 cars losing power, and those complaints greatly increased once the weather got hot.
Audi says the engine air/fuel mixture is not strong enough. During engine start-up or low RPM, the system misinterprets things and causes a "knocking" condition which can cause the car to lose power when beginning to move from a stop or from a slow roll to acceleration.
Audi says the car can quickly be restarted and although a stalling condition is dangerous, no crashes or injuries have been attributed to the software. A driver will see a red "Engine Stop While Driving" light if the problem occurs.
The Audi A3 recall will begin September 29, 2017. Dealerships will reprogram the engine control unit software to keep the cars from stalling.
Audi can be contacted at 800-253-2834, and to learn more about the recall, ask about recall number 24DF.
CarComplaints.com has owner-reported complaints about Audi A3 cars and many other Audi models.