Research · complaint index
Audi S3 years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 9 model years of the Audi S3 by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. 2015, 2016 stand out with at least twice the typical complaint rate.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | Typical |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 7 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0.3 | 1 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0.4 | 1 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | Typical |
| 2017 | 9 | 1 | 1.6 | 2 | 0 | Typical |
| 2016 | 14 | 1 | 2.3 | 3 | 0 | Most complaints |
| 2015 | 53 | 4 | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | Most complaints |
- 20242 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
- 20230 complaints · 1 recallFewest complaints
- 20220 complaints · 7 recallsFewest complaints
- 20201 complaints · 1 recallFewest complaints
- 20192 complaints · 1 recallFewest complaints
- 20185 complaints · 1 recallTypical
- 20179 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
- 201614 complaints · 3 recallsMost complaints
- 201553 complaints · 2 recallsMost complaints
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 11, 2026
Fewest complaints for their age: 2022, 2023, 2020, 2019.
About this comparison
What Audi S3 years have the most complaints?
Adjusted for years on the road, 2015, 2016 drew at least twice the typical rate of NHTSA owner complaints among the 9 model years compared.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.