Total Complaints
2 filings
AUDI A3 · model year
2003 AUDI A3
2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2003AUDIA3 carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2003 A3 is power train with 1 filings, followed by air bags (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2003 A3. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160526AIR BAGS
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS) AND THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR SO THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A TIME FRAME OR A SPECIFIC DATE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
20140203POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 AUDI A3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THE GEAR SHIFTER LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DISPLAYING ERRONEOUS READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
Mileage: 115,000
Compare 2003AUDIA3 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2003 AUDI A3 have?▼
The 2003 AUDI A3 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 AUDI A3?▼
The most-complained component for the 2003 AUDI A3 is POWER TRAIN with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS.
Is the 2003 AUDI A3 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.