IllustrationTAKATA RECALL UNABLE TO OBTAIN REPLACEMENT PART. HAVE BEEN ON WAITING LIST FOR 8 MONTHS, AND UNABLE TO OBTAIN ANY ESTIMATE OR PROMISE OF REPAIR. ONE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER TOLD US 2 - 3 YEARS.
2006 Audi A3
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most A3 years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Audi A3 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 26.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all A3 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
30–25K
1525–50K
2250–75K
1975–100K
12100–150K
4150K+
75 reports with mileage · 48 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
123 reportsTAKATA RECALL. AUDI REFUSES TO REPAIR THE TAKATA RECALL ISSUE FOR U.S. MILITARY STATIONED OVERSEAS. WE ARE A U.S. MILITARY FAMILY STATIONED IN GERMANY WITH A 2006 AUDI A3 REGISTERED WITH LOCAL MILITARY BASE VEHICLE REGISTRATION SERVICES. OUR 'AMERICAN SPECIFICATION" AUDI IS PART OF THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL THAT HAS IMPACTED M…
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TAKATA RECALL. AUDI REFUSES TO REPAIR THE TAKATA RECALL ISSUE FOR U.S. MILITARY STATIONED OVERSEAS. WE ARE A U.S. MILITARY FAMILY STATIONED IN GERMANY WITH A 2006 AUDI A3 REGISTERED WITH LOCAL MILITARY BASE VEHICLE REGISTRATION SERVICES. OUR 'AMERICAN SPECIFICATION" AUDI IS PART OF THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL THAT HAS IMPACTED MILLIONS OF VEHICLES WORLDWIDE. I HAVE SPOKEN IN PERSON TO SEVERAL LOCAL DEALERSHIPS HERE IN GERMANY TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR COMPLETED. RESULT: THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. I HAVE ALSO USED ONLINE CHAT SERVICES WITH AUDI USA TO GAIN CLARIFICATION ON THE PROCESS. RESULT: THEY HAVE CONFIRMED IN WRITING THAT AUDI GERMANY WILL NOT BE FIXING ANY AMERICAN SPECIFICATION VEHICLES WITH THE TAKATA RECALL ISSUE (SEE ATTACHED SCREENSHOT OF CONVERSATION). AUDI USA CURRENTLY HAS A NOTICE ON THEIR WEBSITE (HTTPS://WWW.AUDIUSA.COM/ABOUT/TAKATA): "I'M IN THE MILITARY OVERSEAS WITH MY VEHICLE. WHAT CAN I EXPECT? OVERSEAS MILITARY PERSONNEL WILL RECEIVE NOTICES LIKE U.S. CUSTOMERS, AND BE SIMILARLY DIRECTED WHEN TO SCHEDULE THE REMEDY SERVICE WITH THEIR AUTHORIZED AUDI DEALER." THIS IS CLEARLY FALSE AND MISLEADING (SCREENSHOT ATTACHED). THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF U.S. SERVICEMEMBERS AND FAMILIES IN GERMANY WITH AMERICAN SPECIFICATION VEHICLES SUCH AS OURS. WE WANT TO FIX THIS RECALL ISSUE. PLEASE HELP US.
WHEN CHANGING FROM HIGHWAY DRIVING TO STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, CAR TRIES TO SHIFT UP AND DOWN FREQUENTLY VERY HARSHLY, THEN ALL GEARS FLASH AND CAR ENTERS LIMP MODE. HAVE TO RESTART ENGINE TO ALLOW IT TO ALLOW CAR TO DRIVE NORMAL. THIS REPEATS UNTIL ABLE TO DRIVE IN FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC. CAR DRIVES NORMAL UNDER ALL OTHER DRIVING CON…
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WHEN CHANGING FROM HIGHWAY DRIVING TO STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, CAR TRIES TO SHIFT UP AND DOWN FREQUENTLY VERY HARSHLY, THEN ALL GEARS FLASH AND CAR ENTERS LIMP MODE. HAVE TO RESTART ENGINE TO ALLOW IT TO ALLOW CAR TO DRIVE NORMAL. THIS REPEATS UNTIL ABLE TO DRIVE IN FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC. CAR DRIVES NORMAL UNDER ALL OTHER DRIVING CONDITIONS.
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL. MANUFACTURER HAS FAILED TO REMEDY.
TAKATA RECALL. DEALER SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE PARTS
TAKATA RECALL - AUDI DEALERSHIPS ARE EITHER DENYING THAT THERE IS A RECALL OR REFUSING REPAIR ON THE BASIS OF AIRBAG UNAVAILABILITY. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING DEALERSHIPS REGARDING THIS RECALL FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR WITH NO SATISFACTION. ROCKVILLE AUDI, BRYAN WEBSTER, CHECKED THE AUDI RECALL SITE AS LATE AS 10…
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TAKATA RECALL - AUDI DEALERSHIPS ARE EITHER DENYING THAT THERE IS A RECALL OR REFUSING REPAIR ON THE BASIS OF AIRBAG UNAVAILABILITY. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING DEALERSHIPS REGARDING THIS RECALL FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR WITH NO SATISFACTION. ROCKVILLE AUDI, BRYAN WEBSTER, CHECKED THE AUDI RECALL SITE AS LATE AS 10/30/2017 AND SHOWED ME ON THE SCREEN THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE, AND DENIED REPLACEMENT. SILVER SPRING AUDI (MILE ONE) (ORIGINAL SELLING DEALER) ACKNOWLEDGED RECALL BUT INDICATED REPEATEDLY THAT THEY COULD NOT OBTAIN A REPLACEMENT FROM TAKATA AND THEREFORE COULD NOT COMPLY WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THE RECALLED AIRBAG. THIS HAS EFFECTIVELY DENIED ME THE USE OF MY CAR FOR 12 MONTHS.
TAKATA RECALL, WE WERE NOTIFIED OF A RECALL ON OUR AIRBAGS AND WERE NEVER CONTACTED AGAIN NOT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT IF THERE WAS A FIX.
LOSS OF POWER AT ANY TIME WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR WILL LOSE POWER WHILE IN MOTION, ON A HIGHWAY, JUST DRIVING DOWN A STREET OR TURNING. ALMOST REAR ENDED SEVERAL TIMES.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE …
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TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM AUDI RELATED TO THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL THAT TOLD ME TO IMMEDIATELY SCHEDULE A TEMPORARY FIX WITH THEM. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP (AUDI OF DES MOINES, IOWA), AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO PARTS TO DO THE FIX AND DO NOT HAVE ANY ETA ON WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE.
Official recalls
418V082000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Jan 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 & remedy
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.
16V079000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Feb 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 & remedy
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.
09V377000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Sep 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 & remedy
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.
06V293000 · Air Bags:side/window
Aug 7, 2006
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DURING PRODUCTION OF THE AIR BAG, EITHER THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG INFLATION MODULE MAY LEAK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT INFLATE AS DESIGNED INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO A SEAT OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-822-2834.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.