2021 Audi A3 problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid

Is 2021 a good year for the Audi A3?

Complaint volume is fairly even across this nameplate, so the model year is a weaker signal here than it is on many cars. Read the components below rather than the totals.

Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.

This retrieval holds 7 of the nameplate’s model years. 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 are absent, which means no records came back for them — not that they were clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.

What do owners report on the Audi A3?

Across every Audi A3 year, not the 2021 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.

• Air Bags — 55 reports
• Fuel System — 21 reports
• Power Train — 16 reports
• Electrical System — 11 reports

Which other Audi A3 years should you compare?

← 2018 Audi A3 · 2024 Audi A3 → · All Audi A3 years

If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Audi A3 page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.