Recalls & safety ratings

2018 AUDI RS3

Every NHTSA recall campaign covering the 2018 AUDI RS3, and the crash-test ratings for the body styles that were tested.
  • 1
    Recalls
  • 13
    Owner complaints
  • 1
    Investigations

Sourced from NHTSA recall and safety-rating data — last checked 5 September 2026.

1 recall campaign

A campaign usually covers only part of a model year's production, so it may not apply to a particular car. Check the VIN to be certain.

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

NHTSA campaign 21V198000 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Summary

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.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

NHTSA crash-tests vehicles and rates them out of five stars. More stars mean a safer car. Ratings are per body style, so a model can appear more than once below.

2018 Audi RS3 4 DR AWD

Overall
Not rated

Frontal crash

Not rated
Driver
Not rated
Passenger
Not rated

Side crash

Not rated
Driver
Not rated
Passenger
Not rated
Pole
Not rated

Rollover

10.9% chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash.

  • Electronic stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: Optional
  • Lane departure warning: Optional

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