2009 Audi A3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 66 complaints
66
Total Complaints
70,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
10
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

41,800 25th Percentile
70,000 Median Mileage
92,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
22
POWER TRAIN
13
SERVICE BRAKES
8
ENGINE
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1

Severity Assessment

10
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PROBLEM IS BLINKING HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. AT NIGHT IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED AND RESULTS IN A FLASHING EFFECT AS BRAKES ARE USED. CONSIDERED UNSAFE TO BE FLASHING LIGHTS AT NIGHT. HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES BUT THEY SAY IT IS WITHIN SPEC AND ALL 2009 AUDI A..."
"PROBLEM IS BLINKING HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. AT NIGHT IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED AND RESULTS IN A FLASHING EFFECT AS BRAKES ARE USED. CONSIDERED UNSAFE TO BE FLASHING LIGHTS AT NIGHT. HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES BUT THEY SAY IT IS WITHIN SPEC AND ALL 2009 AUDI A..."
"BRAND NEW 2009 AUDI A3 WITH 200 MILES COMPLETELY FAILED IN THE HIGHWAY IN LAS VEGAS, NV. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. I AM TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE LANE AT AROUND 60/65 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION (DSG) STARTED MAKING CHUNK NOISES AND THE C..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28