2015 Audi S3 airbags problems

The 2015 Audi S3 has 29 airbags complaints filed with NHTSA — 41% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

Airbags complaints

41%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Airbags complaints by year

S3 airbags complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

21V198000AirbagsMarch 22, 2021 · 153,152 units

Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Audi S3 Sedan, A3 Sedan, 2016-2018 A3 Etron, 2017-2020 RS3 Sedan, and 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction and switch off the passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied.

Consequence

A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and update the PODS control module, free of charge. Owners letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BY.

19V474000AirbagsJune 19, 2019 · 138,896 units

Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.

Consequence

A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.

What owners report

“MY CAR'S PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT ABRUPTLY DEVELOPED A SENSOR FAILURE. THE "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" LIGHT IS LIT, SIGNALING THE AIRBAG WON'T DEPLOY DESPITE A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE SEAT. THIS IS DANGEROUS. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ISSUED IN JUNE 2018 ON 140K AUDI CARS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM, MY MODEL…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Airbags · September 5, 2018

Common questions

How many airbags complaints does the 2015 Audi S3 have?

NHTSA has 29 complaints about the 2015 Audi S3 airbags — 41% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2015 Audi S3 airbags?

Yes — 2 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the airbags: 19V474000, 21V198000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.