There are 1 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2016 Audi S3in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
VERY SIMILAR TO THE RECALL FOR THE 2017-2018 AUDI A3, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE CAR. THE CAR STARTS NORMALLY, SHIFTS INTO GEAR (DRIVE OR REVERSE) ACCELERATES NORMALLY, BEFORE THE ENGINE DIES (RPM GAUGE DROPS TO 0). THE CAR FORCES ME TO PUT IT IN PARK BEFORE STARTING NORMALLY WHEN PUSHING THE START/STOP BUTTON. IT HAS HAPPENED 15+ TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE MECHANIC AND NO ERROR CODES APPEAR. WE HAVE TESTED TO SEE IF IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE GAS TANK IS BELOW HALF (WHICH WOULD INDICATE A FUEL PUMP ISSUE) HOWEVER, IT HAS HAPPENED ON A FULL TANK AS WELL. IT IS NOT BAD GAS-- I HAVE FILLED UP AT A VARIETY OF GAS STATIONS SINCE THIS ISSUE BEGAN. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS IT POTENTIALLY COULD HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC, SINCE IT DIES WHILE IN MOTION AND REQUIRES THE CAR TO BE IN PARK BEFORE IT WILL START BACK UP. I'VE SEEN SEVERAL FORUMS ONLINE ABOUT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND I'M ESPECIALLY CONCERNED BASED ON THE EXACT SAME RECALL FOR THE 2017-2018 A3.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026