Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2009 Audi A3, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags22
- Power train15
- Service brakes8
- Electrical system5
- Engine5
- Electronic stability control (esc)4
- Exterior lighting2
- Structure1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Service brakes, air1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2009 Audi A3 failed the safety check 1.78% of the time — 30% less often than the average 2009 passenger car (2.52%). Median odometer at inspection: 111,094 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2009 Audi A3 cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 petrol (92 kW, 123 hp), 1.8 petrol (118 kW, 158 hp) and 1.6 petrol (75 kW, 101 hp), out of 6 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 petrol | 92 kW 123 hp | 1,570 |
| 1.8 petrol | 118 kW 158 hp | 543 |
| 1.6 petrol | 75 kW 101 hp | 323 |
| 2.0 diesel | 103 kW 138 hp | 121 |
| 1.9 diesel | 77 kW 103 hp | 89 |
| 2.0 petrol | 147 kW 197 hp | 84 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
2,777 first registered in 2009 are on Dutch roads; 39% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €32,528.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,541
- Band onvoldoende profiel1,173
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld741
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen717
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm637
- Veer gebroken of gescheurd542
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt474
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af414
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
18,211 cars built in 2009 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 2,437 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 24,427 of these cars first registered in 2009 took their annual MOT test. 62% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2009 the figure was 59%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 17.1% | 16.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.4% | 18.7% |
| Brakes | 9.3% | 10.1% |
| Tyres | 8.4% | 7.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.1% | 5.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.1% | 5.4% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
844 of these cars first registered in 2009 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 234,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
607 2009 cars are on the New Zealand register; 74% arrived as used imports, 24% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 9.6–11.3 L/100 km (about 21–25 mpg US), CO₂ 221–260 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| A3 · Station wagon: Small · Premium gasoline | 10.8 | 8.2 | 9.6 |
| A3 quattro · Station wagon: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.0 | 8.9 | 10.0 |
| A3 · Station wagon: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.8 | 8.0 | 10.1 |
| A3 quattro · Station wagon: Small · Premium gasoline | 12.8 | 9.5 | 11.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2009 Audi A3.
| 2018059 30 Jan 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2016629 14 Dec 2016 | Brakes On certain vehicles, a fault within the antilock brake system (ABS) may cause the module to fail during ABS and/or electronic stability control (ESC) activation… |
| 2016065 9 Feb 2016 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inf… |
| 2009278 29 Sept 2009 | Fuel System On certain Audi A3 Quattro, TT Quattro and TT Quattro roadster, the closing force of an internal spring of the fuel tank ventilation valve is not adequate enoug… |
| 2009249 20 Aug 2009 | Powertrain On certain Audi A3, TT, TT Roadster, and Volkswagen EOS, Golf wagon, GTI, Jetta and Jetta wagon equipped with a Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), the wiring harness o… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.
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.
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.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND AUGUST 2009. THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED. WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH. IN ADDITION, THE "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL" INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Audi told its dealers about the 2009 Audi A3: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011285 | This TSB Provides information when parking assistance provides false warnings. |
| 11011282 | This bulletin provides information when speaker rattles, vibrations, or audio interference is noted. |
| 11011240 | This bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the VAS 611 015 PICO-NVH tool |
| 11009983 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11009941 | This bulletin provides diagnostic information regarding the locking system. |
| 11009928 | This bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds. |
| 11009356 | This bulletin provides informaion regarding zirconium inserts in the bake piston for vehicle equipped with ceramic brakes. |
| 11009351 | This bulletin provides information regarding the general approach to brakes rubbing. |
| 11009347 | This bulletin provides information when there are vibrations and rotational steering wheel vibrations. |
| 11009313 | This bulletin provides guidance in order to provid informaiton regarding preparatoin when calling the Audi Technical Assistnce Center (TAC). |
| 11007345 | This bulletin proves information when the bluetooth does not work, adaption channel deactivated. |
| 11007315 | This bulletin provides information vibrations and rotational steering wheel vibrations. |
| 11007305 | This bulletin offers information about the basic information needed for technical requests for gaerbox complaints. |
| 11007264 | This bulletin proves information when the bluetooth does not work, adaption channel deactivated. |
| 11007234 | This bulletin provides information vibrations and rotational steering wheel vibrations. |
| 11007224 | This bulletin offers information about the basic information needed for technical requests for gaerbox complaints. |
| 11005935 | This bulletin provides informaiton when there are speaker rattles, vibrations or audio interference in the sound system. |
| 11005865 | This bulletin provides information when there are noises/vibration from the front of the vehicle while in dynamic mode. |
| 11005848 | This bulletin provides Audi technicians with information to prepare for contact to the Technical Assistance Center (TAC). |
| 11003026 | This bulletin provides informationw hen there are optical concerns with the tail lights. |
| 11003024 | This bulletin provides informaiton when there are speaker rattles, vibrations, or audio interference.A1 |
| 11002981 | This bulletin provides information when there are speaker rattles, vibration or audio interference. |
| 11002957 | This bulletin provides informationw hen there are optical concerns with the tail lights. |
| 11002955 | This bulletin provides informaiton when there are speaker rattles, vibrations, or audio interference.A1 |
| 11002912 | This bulletin provides information when there are speaker rattles, vibration or audio interference. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Diesel Fuel Injector Line Leakage
VEHICLE STALL/LOSS MOTIVE POWER
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation