Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Audi RS3 problems

Owners filed 13 complaints about the 2018 Audi RS3 with NHTSA between Nov 2017 and Jun 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (5).

Complaints
13
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags5
  2. Fuel/propulsion system4
  3. Engine2
  4. Electrical system2
  5. Lane departure2
  6. Seat belts1
  7. Forward collision avoidance1
  8. Back over prevention1
  9. Power train1
  10. Vehicle speed control1
  11. Seats1
  12. Other / unknown2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20172
20180
20190
20201
20212
20224
20231
20241
20251
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

5 reports1 related recall
“Unknown if passenger airbag actually works. Airbag warning light on, passenger seat belt warning on. "Passenger airbag off" illuminated constantly. Causes every electrical system to occasionally report failure.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 20, 2022Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11490118

Fuel/propulsion system

4 reports
“Fuel tank may fail or charcoal canister within. Causing you not to be able to fill up the car and if it overflows it’ll spill. Coolant will also miraculously evaporate, even while car is sitting due to [XXX] water pump.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 13, 2026Unknown or other, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11743909

Engine

2 reports
“Water pump failure at 27,500 miles. Causing coolant leak that progressively got worse. The seal or pump itself failed and is letting coolant escape”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 22, 2023EngineODI 11561433

Electrical system

2 reports
“The vehicle has frequent intermittent failure of the airbag systems, safety systems, and blind spot monitoring systems. I receive frequent "Safety system: malfunction! See owner's manual." as-well as "Audi pre sense: currently restricted. See owner's manual." messages appear on my dashboard. I have contacted Audi Service departments numerous times and have been told that they wont take a look at the issue and while knowing it exists, have said they cant do anything to help. I have been advised that my airbags do not work and as such I should not have any passengers in the vehicle. This is not just dangerous, but insulting and comical for spending so much money on a vehicle, with the purpose of transporting multiple individuals. I fear for my safety all whilst having no viable options for a fix or any recourse. This has been going on for years now.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 20, 2021Electrical system, Air bags, Lane departureODI 11437552

Lane departure

2 reports
“IN MAY OF 2018 THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR THE PODS RECALL, ONLY PROMPTING SAFETY SYSTEM AND AIRBAG MALFUNCTIONS TO HAPPEN WITH INCREASED OCCURRENCE. FROM MAY OF 2019 TO APRIL OF 2020 THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN SOMETHING LIKE FOUR TIMES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, AGAIN ONLY MAKING THE ISSUE WORSE. OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS THE VEHICLE HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT ALMOST ALWAYS HAS "SAFETY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" "PRE SENSE: CURRENTLY RESTRICTED" AND AN AIRBAG DASH LIGHT WHENEVER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. THE CARS AIRBAGS AND OTHER SAFETY SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK. AUDI HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THIS ISSUE. ALL DESPITE COUNTLESS SERVICE VISITS, AND COUNTLESS TIMES BEING TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG OR IT HAS BEEN FIXED. EVERY-TIME I HAVE GOTTEN THE VEHICLE BACK IT IS EVEN WORSE, AND MORE UNSAFE. THE LAST ATTEMPT TO FIX IT (10/27/2020), UPON GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK THE MOMENT A PASSENGER SAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ALL THE AIRBAGS BECAME DISABLED AND THE DASH LIT UP. THE ISSUE HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE STATIONARY. IT HAPPENS BOTH WITH JUST THE DRIVER AS-WELL AS WITH PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE. SOMETIMES IT IS INTERMITTENT, WHILE OTHER TIMES IT PERSISTS THROUGHOUT THE DRIVE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 7, 2020Air bags, Lane departure, Back over preventionODI 11373622

Seat belts

1 report
“Audi pre sence kicked in on an empty street at 30mph. It was daylight on a straight road. The seat belts tightened up with no warning and the car applied hard breaks. Luckily there was no one behind me at the time or I would have definitely been rear ended.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 4, 2022Seat belts, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11455233
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.