Problems · by component
2006 Audi A3 power train problems
37 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Audi A3 cite power train, 30% of all 123 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
37
30% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“LOSS OF POWER AT ANY TIME WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR WILL LOSE POWER WHILE IN MOTION, ON A HIGHWAY, JUST DRIVING DOWN A STREET OR TURNING. ALMOST REAR ENDED SEVERAL TIMES.”
“RANDOM LOSS OF POWER, THE TRANSMISSION WILL RANDOMLY SLIP WHILE THE CAR IS IN REVERSE FROM A PARKED POSITION. IT WILL ALSO SLIP RANDOMLY WHILE IN FORWARD MOTION AND DURING TURNING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT RESULTING IN BEING REAR ENDED. PLEASE HELP! LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS 1/15/2017.”
“2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN JUST A FEW DAYS. I WANT TO START DOCUMENTING EVERY TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. I WAS PULLING INTO FAST MOVING TRAFFIC FROM A SIDE STREET. I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND THE CAR HESITATED PUTTING ME INTO THE WAY OF ON COMING TRAFFIC AT 50 MPH. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE I WAS ACCELERATING TRYING TO REACH 50 MPH COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED ONLY GOING ABOUT 10 MPH.”
“FROM A STOPPED POSITION ON A SIDE STREET IN A LEFT HAND TURN LANE I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE THEN IMMEDIATELY HAD A LOSS OF POWER IN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ONTO A MAJOR STREET. THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD THEN HESITATED. IT IS REALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT CAN SURPRISE PEOPLE AND CAUSE CARS TO CRASH INTO ME. IT HAS DONE THIS A FEW OTHER TIMES. I FEEL GIVEN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.”
“NO ACCIDENT HAS HAPPENED YET, BUT IS ONE JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND AFTER A ROLL STOP. THE ACCELERATOR HAS TO BE COMPLETELY DEPRESS AND WAIT A FEW SECONDS IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO START ROLLING. IF I WOULD NEED TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AFTER A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION THERE IS A GREAT RISK OF A CRASH SINCE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO EQUALIZE THE SPEED OF INCOMING TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO AFFECT MANY, MANY OF THESE VEHICLES YEAR AND MODEL ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FROM OWNERS FORUMS. OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BRAND NEW AND AUDI HAVE DISREGARDED THE COMPLAINTS. ACCORDING TO OWNER'S FORUMS THE MECHATRONIX UNIT INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION IS AT FAULT, AND A SIMPLE SOFTWARE REFLASH FROM AUDI WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE IGNITION PROBLEM RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN GM VEHICLES.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND THE SELECTOR LEVER ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE SIDE, THE ENGINE STALLED, AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V333000 (POWER TRAIN). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.”
Showing 6 of 37 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.