2007 Audi A3: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
52 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
62,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2007 model year. Data snapshot: . 23 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 32 of 52 complaints (61.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 11 | 21.2% |
| Engine operation | 2 | 3.8% |
| Braking behavior | 1 | 1.9% |
| Fuel system concerns | 1 | 1.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 32 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 9 |
| Power Train | 7 |
| Engine | 4 |
| Suspension | 2 |
| Tires | 2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 |
| Electrical System | 1 |
Air Bags: 32; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 9; Power Train: 7; Engine: 4; Suspension: 2; Tires: 2; Vehicle Speed Control: 2; Electrical System: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 3 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 6 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 5 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 5 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 3 |
| 150,000 and above | 1 |
Under 25,000: 3; 25,000 to 49,999: 6; 50,000 to 74,999: 5; 75,000 to 99,999: 5; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 1
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (6). 29 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
2007: 1; 2009: 6; 2010: 3; 2011: 2; 2013: 1; 2016: 8; 2017: 9; 2018: 19; 2019: 2; 2020: 1
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 11 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10188151 · 2007-04-17 (April 17, 2007)
(1) HOWL, HUM CHOPPING NOISE. BALANCE AND ALIGNMENT WITHIN SPEC PER AUDI DEALERSHIP. (2) EXTREMELY NOISY. UNEVEN WEAR ACROSS EACH TIRE. UNEVEN WEAR TIRE TO TIRE. POOR WEAR AT 10,000 MI (3) SEARS IS THE PIRELLI DEALER IN THIS AREA AND IS THE PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR TIRE ADJUSTMENTS. THEY (RYAN) STATE THE TIRES ARE WEARING POORLY AND UNEVENLY. THEY CAN'T GET PIRELLI TO PRE-AUTHORIZE THE REPLACEMENTS. IF THEY REPLACE THE TIRES BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY'RE DEFECTIVE, AND PIRELLI BELIEVES THE TIRES ARE NOT DEFECTIVE, SEARS WON'T BE REIMBURSED FOR THE …
Owner-reported narrative. 8,213 miles reported. Look up ODI 10188151 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10276420 · 2009-07-11 (July 11, 2009)
I HAVE AN '07 AUDI A3 2.0TDI SPORTBACK WTIH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. I DON'T KNOW IF I AM QUALIFIED TO FILL UP THIS FORM SINCE MY CAR IS OVERSEAS (IN THE PHILIPPINES). I JUST WANT TO SHARE MY TROUBLES WITH MY AUDI'S DSG TRANSMISSION. WHEN I HAD ABOUT 18,000KM IN THE CLOCK, MY DSG STARTED TO MAKE SOME GRINDING NOISE AND DIFFICULTY IN SHIFTING GEARS. I BROUGHT IT TO MY GARAGE TO HAVE MY DSG INSPECTED. THE MECHANICS FOUND OUT THAT THE CIRCLIP HOLDING THE CLUTCH PACK OF THE DSG FLEW OFF. THE FIX WAS DONE BY REPLACING THE CIRCLIP OF THE CLUTCH …
Owner-reported narrative. 19,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10276420 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10278152 · 2009-07-24 (July 24, 2009)
CAR HAD OCCASIONAL LEAKS HAD TAKEN IN FOR FIX. FIXED BUT STILL HAD OCCASIONAL LEAKS. GOING AROUND CORNERS AT LOW SPEED, OCCASIONALLY CAR WOULD JERK WHEN THE GAS WAS APPLIED LIKE IT HAS HITTING THE WRONG GEAR. HAD BLINKING PRNDS LIGHT WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. CAR STARTED ROUGH NEXT DAY WITH ENGINE ICON FLASHING. TOOK CAR FOR SERVICE, AUDI TECH FOUND LOOSE BOLTS IN TRANSMISSION PAN CAUSING FLUID LOSS AND SMALL METAL PARTICLES IN PAN. ROAD TEST FOUND "HARD SHIFT IN REVERSE AND 1ST". REPLACED TRANSMISSION. CONCERNED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE COUL…
Owner-reported narrative. 36,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278152 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10279143 · 2009-08-03 (August 3, 2009)
DSG TRANSMISSION IN A 2007 AUDI A3 2.0T 62,000 MILES MAKING SIGNIFICANT "CLANKS" AT MISCELLANEOUS TIMES (WHILE DRIVING, WHILE STOPPED, WHILE STOPPING, WHILE ACCELERATING) AS WELL AS NOT STAYING IN GEAR, POPPING OUT OF GEAR RANDOMLY, HESITATING TO ENGAGE ONCE IN GEAR AND WHEN ENGAGEMENT DOES OCCUR (UNDER THROTTLE OR NOT) I GET A CLANK AND A VIOLENT JERK OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. OTHER TIMES THE CAR WILL REV ITSELF UP TO 2000+RPM'S AND THEN ENGAGE GEARS AFTER SITTING AT A STOP AND ATTEMPTING TO IDLE DOWN DRIVEWAY. IT'S SCARY SOMETIMES AND I REALLY H…
Owner-reported narrative. 62,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10279143 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10281989 · 2009-08-27 (August 27, 2009)
FAILURE OCCURS WHEN ENGINE IS WARM (I.E. DURING WARM WEATHER 65 F+ AND/OR AFTER ENGINE HAS HAD TIME TO WARM UP AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE). THE VEHICLE LURCHES AND CLUNKS INTO 1ST GEAR WHEN DOWNSHIFTING, TYPICALLY WHEN PULLING TO A STOP OR DRIVING AT PARKING LOT SPEEDS. ALSO, VEHICLE LURCHES INTO REVERSE AND SEEMS TO HAVE DELAYED SHIFTS WHEN ACCELERATING. ALL OCCURS WHEN TRANSMISSION IS IN AUTO OR MANUAL MODE. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10281989 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10282482 · 2009-08-31 (August 31, 2009)
2007 AUDI A3 DSG TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE HESITATES ON ACCELERATION FROM STOP, 2-3 SEC. DELAY IN ACCELERATING. UPON DECELERATING TO STOP AND RESTARTING, TRANSMISSION DELAYS SHIFTING INTO 1ST FOR APPROX. 1SEC CAUSING A SEVERE CLUNK AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO 1ST WHILE ENGINE REVS ARE HIGHER THAN IDLE. THIS PROBLEM HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY IN THE LAST 5000 MILES. THESE ISSUES CAUSE NEAR MISSES MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AND INCREASE THE ODDS OF REAR END COLLISIONS WHEN CARS FOLLOWING DON'T HESITATE. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 44,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10282482 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10286273 · 2009-10-05 (October 5, 2009)
MY CAR WAS OKAY FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR SO THAT I OWNED IT. STARTING ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF 2009, MY DSG TRANSMISSION STARTED ACTING FUNNY. WHEN I WOULD LET OFF OF THE BRAKE, THE CAR WOULD SIT FOR A SPLIT SECOND AND THEN JUMP FORWARD QUICKLY AS IF I HAD BLURPED THE THROTTLE. SOMETIMES IT DOES IT TWICE BEFORE ROLLING SMOOTHLY. IT FEELS LIKE THE CLUTCH IS ENGAGING TOO STRONGLY AND THEN LETTING OFF. ALSO, WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS LIKE IT HOLDS ON TO THE GEAR A LITTLE TOO LONG AND MAKES MY CAR JUMP FORWARD RIGHT BEFORE A STOP. I…
Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10286273 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10318555 · 2010-03-10 (March 10, 2010)
MY 2007 AUDI A3 HAS SEVERE, UNBEARABLE TIRE NOISE REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE ON THE TIRES. I REPLACED MY 1ST SET OF PIRELLI P6 ALL SEASONS WAY BEFORE THEIR TREAD WAS WORN OUT DUE TO THE ROAD NOISE ONLY TO FIND THAT THE NOISE WOULD SOON RETURN AFTER APPROX. 7500 MILES ON THE REPLACEMENT SET. I CANNOT REPLACE TIRES EVERY 7500-10000 MILES. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10318555 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
09V377000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly
Reported: 2009-09-30 (September 30, 2009)
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2010 AUDI A3, TT, AND TT ROADSTER PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 AND AUGUST 26, 2009. THE CLOSING FORCE OF AN INTERNAL SPRING OF THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE IS NOT ADEQUATE ENOUGH TO HOLD THE VALVE CLOSED UNDER EXTREME DRIVING CONDITIONS POSSIBLY ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK.
Consequence: IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AUDI DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE WITH AN IMPROVED VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 16, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA campaign record ↗16V079000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module
Reported: 2016-02-10 (February 10, 2016)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA campaign record ↗18V082000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module
Reported: 2018-01-30 (January 30, 2018)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
NHTSA campaign record ↗