SENSE OF DELAY IN SHIFTING GEARS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM NOT MOVING TO MOVING, SPEEDING UP, OR SLOWING DOWN. *TR
2007 Audi A3
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2007 Audi A3 do not stand out strongly from 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
23 reports with mileage · 29 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 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
52 reports2007 AUDI A3 DSG ISSUES. MY TRANSMISSION HAS VERY HARD SHIFTING ON OCCASION. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY. ALSO AT TIMES THE TRANSMISSION WILL GET STUCK IN BETWEEN SHIFTS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT IS LIKE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS A LOSS OF POWER FOR 10- 20 SECONDS. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING AS THERE IS NO POWER AT ALL. I AM WORRIE…
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2007 AUDI A3 DSG ISSUES. MY TRANSMISSION HAS VERY HARD SHIFTING ON OCCASION. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY. ALSO AT TIMES THE TRANSMISSION WILL GET STUCK IN BETWEEN SHIFTS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT IS LIKE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS A LOSS OF POWER FOR 10- 20 SECONDS. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING AS THERE IS NO POWER AT ALL. I AM WORRIED THAT AT SOME POINT IT MAY STAY THIS WAY LONGER, DISABLING THE CAR COMPLETELY. I NOW ALSO HAVE AN EXTREMELY LOUD RATTLE COMING FOR THE TRANSMISSION AREA. I BELIEVE THE HARD SHIFTING HAS CAUSED THE FLYWHEEL TO START FAILING. *TR
ON MY WAY TO WORK IN MY 2007 AUDI A3-ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOSE POWER AND MY CAR STOPS ACCELERATING AND SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL. I SEE THAT THE P D N S LIGHTS ARE FLASHING SO I ATTEMPT TO RESTART MY CAR. IT STARTS TO GO AGAIN AND THEN SPUTTERS FORWARD WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. LUCKILY I WASN'T FAR FROM HOME AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART M…
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ON MY WAY TO WORK IN MY 2007 AUDI A3-ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOSE POWER AND MY CAR STOPS ACCELERATING AND SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL. I SEE THAT THE P D N S LIGHTS ARE FLASHING SO I ATTEMPT TO RESTART MY CAR. IT STARTS TO GO AGAIN AND THEN SPUTTERS FORWARD WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. LUCKILY I WASN'T FAR FROM HOME AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART MY CAR AGAIN AND GET IT HOME WHILE THE CAR REVVED LIKE CRAZY GOING LESS THAN 20MPH. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY AUDI/VW'S EXPERIENCE THIS IN THEIR VEHICLES. THESE ARE ALL CHARACTERISTIC OF A FAULTY MECHATRONIC UNIT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CAR'S DSG. *TR
ENGINE WARNING LIGHT APPEARS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL ON AND OFF. DEALER STATES ITS A "INTAKE RUNNER MOTOR". THIS STARTED WITHIN 10,000 AFTER WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 55K. DEALER SUGGESTS REPLACEMENT BEFORE FAILURE. *TR
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 M…
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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
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 F…
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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. IT DOES THIS IS REVERSE ALSO. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE PARKING AND ALSO HAS CAUSED ME TO GO TOO FAR INTO THE CROSSWALK AT A STOP LIGHT. IT DOES THIS ALL OF THE TIME, NOT JUST WHEN THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IS COLD. *TR
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 INCREA…
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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
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…
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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
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 …
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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 HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE AND EAR ON IT. *TR
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…
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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 COULD OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE HARM TO MYSELF OR OTHERS. *TR
Official recalls
318V082000 · 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.
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.
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