2009 Audi A3 Problems: Airbags (48 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2009 Audi A3 is Airbags (40% of 48 owner reports). There are 5 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2009 Audi A3?
19 of 48 filings named Airbags (40% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Transmission / driveline (12 reports).
There are 5 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Fuel system, and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2008 has 43 reports on file; this year has 48. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 5
- Fires 0
- Injuries 3
- Deaths 0
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 19 | 39.6% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 12 | 25.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 4 | 8.3% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 3 | 6.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 3 | 6.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 1 | 2.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 1 | 2.1% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 8 | 16.7% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 18V082000 was reported 636 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V333000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V377000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V079000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V913000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V082000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE09035 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE11023 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Transmission / driveline, Fuel system, and Airbags.
-
Recall campaign 09V333000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
- Remedy:
- VOLKSWAGEN WILL REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
-
Recall campaign 09V377000
Fuel system
- Report date
- Component:
- Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 16V079000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 16V913000
Safety recall 16V913000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
-
Recall campaign 18V082000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- 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.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2009 Audi A3?
Owners named Airbags most often — 19 of 48 reports (40%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2009 Audi A3?
NHTSA lists 5 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Fuel system, and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2009 Audi A3?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.