Selling a junk Audi A3
Any A3 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Audi A3
NHTSA has 928 owner complaints on file for the Audi A3, model years 2001 to 2022, the 293rd-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (339, 37%), transmission and drivetrain (125, 13%), fuel system (117, 13%). 29 complaints involved a crash, 9 a fire, and 22 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 61,918 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (140). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Audi A3 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 2 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 7 | Speed control | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 140 | Air bags | 3 | 0 | 4 | 71,580 |
| 2007 | 63 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 3 | 65,000 |
| 2008 | 46 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 3 | 27,500 |
| 2009 | 66 | Air bags | 10 | 0 | 5 | 75,000 |
| 2010 | 60 | Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 5 | 50,611 |
| 2011 | 51 | Air bags | 0 | 3 | 4 | 58,500 |
| 2012 | 48 | Air bags | 1 | 4 | 4 | — |
| 2013 | 25 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2015 | 136 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 2 | 65,000 |
| 2016 | 115 | Air bags | 5 | 2 | 3 | 65,500 |
| 2017 | 75 | Air bags | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2018 | 47 | Air bags | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2019 | 15 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2020 | 19 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2022 | 12 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 6 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Audi A3 recalls
NHTSA lists 18 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (7), fuel system (3), driver assistance (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2015 model year, fuel system (campaign 24V110000, Feb 2024): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwag…
- 2022 model year, driver assistance (campaign 22V823000, Nov 2022): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank…
- 2019 model year, tires (campaign 22V815000, Oct 2022): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, G…
- 2022 model year, equipment (campaign 22V806000, Oct 2022): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 AUDI A8, A6 Allroad, E-TRON Quattro, 2022 S3, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 Avant, Q8, Q7, Q3, E-TRON Sportback Quattro, S5 Cabriolet, E-TRON GT, S5 Sportback, A7,…
- 2022 model year, air bags (campaign 22V652000, Aug 2022): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3, A3, and RS3 vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been folded incorrectly.
What a Audi A3 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk A3 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car after an accident 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Audi models
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Audi A3 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same A3 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Audi A3 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Audi A3?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Audi A3 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.