2018 Audi Rs3 problems
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Common 2018 Audi Rs3 problems
The Audi RS3 2018 has been known to have several common problems, primarily related to fuel pumps, electrical issues, and engine performance.
Firstly, there have been reports of faulty fuel pumps, particularly in the earlier models. These fuel pumps, located in the fuel tank, can cause the car to cut out at idle or run rough. To check for this issue, it is recommended to listen for a distinct hissing noise coming from the engine while starting the car
Secondly, the Audi RS3 2018 is prone to certain electrical issues, similar to the Audi A3. These issues include a faulty infotainment system that can freeze without any reason, power window regulators with plastic clips and hooks that have been known to break, and problems with the backup camera or exterior lighting.
Thirdly, there have been reports of engine performance issues, such as the engine cutting off during driving, which is a very serious problem. This can be due to the 5-cylinder turbocharged engine cutting off or going through oil very quickly, especially when the car is driven hard. Regular maintenance is crucial to prevent these issues from arising.
Fourthly, the top mounts of the Audi RS3 2018 have been known to send out knocking sounds, especially at the rear end. This issue has led to several owners taking their cars to Audi dealerships for top mount replacements at no charge. However, there have been no reports of Audi issuing a recall for this part as it does not present a threat to safety.
Lastly, the Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor is a known problem with many VAG cars, including the Audi RS3 2018. This sensor is responsible for the level of air that should join the combustion process in order for the engine to run properly. The MAF sensor can be taken care of in two different ways: by cleaning the entire MAF or by replacing the sensor if cleaning does not work.
In summary, the Audi RS3 2018 has several common problems related to fuel pumps, electrical issues, engine performance, top mounts, and the MAF sensor. Regular maintenance and timely replacement of faulty parts can help prevent these issues from becoming major problems.
What is the most common problem with the Audi RS3?
The most common problems are related to the fuel pump and electronic issues with the top mounts and the MAF sensor. Most of the issues with the RS3 can be corrected with timely and complete maintenance before any issues arise.
Is the Audi RS3 reliable?
That said, the RS3 comes with its own faults. The most common issues are associated with the engine, fuel pump, and electronics issues with the top mounts and with the MAF sensor. Most of these issues can be corrected with timely and thorough maintenance before problems arise.
Is the RS3 a good daily car?
The Audi RS3 handled the task with ease, munching through motorway miles and carving through Normandy's tight and twisty B-roads with a smile on the face of all on board (especially mine). It's not only a brilliant daily driver, I thought, but an exceptional grand tourer, too.
What to look out for when buying RS3?
On the test drive check that all gears engage cleanly, and watch for other common issues including faulty Haldex clutch system pumps. These are highlighted by repeatedly illuminating the traction control light. Leaks around the bevel boxes or drive shafts should be replaced under warranty on later cars.
Is the Audi RS3 reliable?
That said, the RS3 comes with its own faults. The most common issues are associated with the engine, fuel pump, and electronics issues with the top mounts and with the MAF sensor. Most of these issues can be corrected with timely and thorough maintenance before problems arise.
Is the RS3 a good daily car?
The Audi RS3 handled the task with ease, munching through motorway miles and carving through Normandy's tight and twisty B-roads with a smile on the face of all on board (especially mine). It's not only a brilliant daily driver, I thought, but an exceptional grand tourer, too.
Why have Audi stopped making the RS3?
While the current RS3 has been around for a couple of years, Audi took it off sale entirely in early 2023 due to supply constraints, making its return highly anticipated. Final pricing won't come for a while yet, but expect a hike over the £50,900 starting price of the original.
Is an Audi RS3 expensive to run?
Yearly servicing might not cost much more than any other Audi A3, but you can expect to spend far more on consumable parts, particularly if you regularly make full use of the RS3's performance. The wide, 19-inch tyres are costly and brake parts won't be cheap, either.
2018 Audi Rs3 car problems categorized by type of issue
After analyzing all complaints sent to the NHTSA and researching popular Audi Rs3 problems, we found that the most common problems with these 2023 model year vehicles are:
- Air bags problems
- Fuel/propulsion system problems
- Engine problems
- Electrical system problems
- Lane departure problems
The graph below shows statistics for all 2018 Audi Rs3 vehicle components and the number of complaints received.
2018 Audi Rs3 complaints
The NHTSA has received 11 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2018 Audi Rs3.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-01-11
- VIN: WUABWGFFXJ1
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: For several months each time I refuel my vehicle, I experience fuel spit back and refueling shutoff at any rate of fuel delivery. I have also experienced a strong fuel odor in my garage immediately after refueling which persists for a week or more. I am concerned that a fuel leak near a hot exhaust pipe could cause a fire or an explosion. At home, such an event could cause the complete loss of the structure, loss of life to the occupants therein, and loss of the vehicle. Also adjacent homes are vulnerable to a spreading fire. I have not yet had the vehicle inspected by the vehicle manufacturer, Audi, but will soon. There were no indicator lights or any warning of a failure until the issue evidenced several months ago. I had hoped this would turn out to be a temporary problem due to an issue with a specific refueling station pump, but this has not turned out to be the case.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-09-13
- VIN: WUABWGFF2J1
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: Water pump failure at 27,500 miles. Causing coolant leak that progressively got worse. The seal or pump itself failed and is letting coolant escape
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-10-23
- VIN: WUABWGFF3J1
- Components: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: The suction pump located in the fuel tank failed, causing fuel to back up into the evaporation canister and out of the vent tube in the rear passenger wheel well, which is a potential fire hazard. This is the exact same part a recall was issued for in NHTSA campaign numbers 16V647 VW and 16V647 Audi
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-03-16
- VIN: WUABWHFF0J1
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS
- Summary: Unknown if passenger airbag actually works. Airbag warning light on, passenger seat belt warning on. "Passenger airbag off" illuminated constantly. Causes every electrical system to occasionally report failure.
AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-03-01
- VIN: WUABWGFF5J1
- Components: AIR BAGS
- Summary: The contact owns a 2018 Audi RS3. The contact stated that the passenger air bag off warning light had remained illuminated with an occupant seated in the passenger’s side seat. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact then received another notification that stating that the recall was placed on hold due to a shortage of parts. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
SEAT BELTS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-03-04
- VIN: WUABWGFF5J1
- Components: SEAT BELTS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
- Summary: Audi pre sence kicked in on an empty street at 30mph. It was daylight on a straight road. The seat belts tightened up with no warning and the car applied hard breaks. Luckily there was no one behind me at the time or I would have definitely been rear ended.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-10-15
- VIN: WUABWGFF5J1
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE
- Summary: The vehicle has frequent intermittent failure of the airbag systems, safety systems, and blind spot monitoring systems. I receive frequent "Safety system: malfunction! See owner's manual." as-well as "Audi pre sense: currently restricted. See owner's manual." messages appear on my dashboard. I have contacted Audi Service departments numerous times and have been told that they wont take a look at the issue and while knowing it exists, have said they cant do anything to help. I have been advised that my airbags do not work and as such I should not have any passengers in the vehicle. This is not just dangerous, but insulting and comical for spending so much money on a vehicle, with the purpose of transporting multiple individuals. I fear for my safety all whilst having no viable options for a fix or any recourse. This has been going on for years now.
AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-03-22
- VIN: WUABWHFF8J1
- Components: AIR BAGS
- Summary: The Passenger Occupant Detection System does not work correctly, and it fails to activate when detecting a passenger in the passenger front seat. This problem has been on going through Audi since 2018, and they have yet to remedy it. No fixes or remedies have been available and this round of recalls was issued March 22, 2021 but no remedy has been made which is a failure on the manufacturer.
AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2020-10-28
- VIN: WUABWGFF8J1
- Components: AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION
- Summary: IN MAY OF 2018 THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR THE PODS RECALL, ONLY PROMPTING SAFETY SYSTEM AND AIRBAG MALFUNCTIONS TO HAPPEN WITH INCREASED OCCURRENCE. FROM MAY OF 2019 TO APRIL OF 2020 THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN SOMETHING LIKE FOUR TIMES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, AGAIN ONLY MAKING THE ISSUE WORSE. OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS THE VEHICLE HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT ALMOST ALWAYS HAS "SAFETY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" "PRE SENSE: CURRENTLY RESTRICTED" AND AN AIRBAG DASH LIGHT WHENEVER THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. THE CARS AIRBAGS AND OTHER SAFETY SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK. AUDI HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THIS ISSUE. ALL DESPITE COUNTLESS SERVICE VISITS, AND COUNTLESS TIMES BEING TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG OR IT HAS BEEN FIXED. EVERY-TIME I HAVE GOTTEN THE VEHICLE BACK IT IS EVEN WORSE, AND MORE UNSAFE. THE LAST ATTEMPT TO FIX IT (10/27/2020), UPON GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK THE MOMENT A PASSENGER SAT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ALL THE AIRBAGS BECAME DISABLED AND THE DASH LIT UP. THE ISSUE HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE STATIONARY. IT HAPPENS BOTH WITH JUST THE DRIVER AS-WELL AS WITH PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE. SOMETIMES IT IS INTERMITTENT, WHILE OTHER TIMES IT PERSISTS THROUGHOUT THE DRIVE.
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2017-11-26
- VIN: WUABWHFF6J1
- Components: POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE
- Summary: I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM 800 FT ABOVE SEA LEVEL TO OVER 5000 FT ABOVE SEA LEVEL, THIS DRIVE IS ABOUT 40 MINS ON A 30% INCLINE. THE CAR JERKED AND THERE WAS ALSO A POWER LOSS. AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE CAR SMELLED HOT BECAUSE THE CAR IS UNDER A LOT OF LOAD PULLING IT UP THE HILL FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TIME, CHANGE IN WEATHER, PRESSURE ETC ETC. THIS CAR IS TURBO CHARGED AND HAS A WASTEGATE TO REGULATE THE AMOUNT OF BOOST (POWER). THE PLASTIC TUBE THAT SUPPLIES VACUUM PRESSURE DOES NOT HAVE ANY HEAT PROTECTION. IT GOT PLIABLE, AND THE VACUUM PRESSURE CAUSED THE TUBE TO COLLAPSE. THIS CAUSED THE POWER LOSS AND CHANGE IS BOOST. I AM NOT SURE IF ANY OTHER DAMAGE HAPPENED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE PLASTIC TUBE. I CONTACTED AUDI, THERE IS NO TSB OR RECALL AT THIS TIME. THIS MOVEMENT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE SURPRISE AND THE JERK FEELING AS IF THE CAR WAS HIT FROM BEHIND. I BELIEVE BOOST CUT OFF, THEN 1/10 OF A SEC. IT WAS BACK ON. HERE ARE PCS OF THE DAMAGED TUBE.
SEATS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2017-11-01
- VIN: WUABWHFF6J1
- Components: SEATS
- Summary: I HAVE A 5YR OLD DAUGHTER WHO SITS IN THE BACKSEAT ON A BOOSTER. THE BOOSTER MEETS ALL SAFETY STANDARDS, AND IS ONE WITHOUT A BACK OR HEAD SUPPORT. THE TYPICAL BOOSTER SEAT THAT MANY PARENTS HAVE FOR THIS HEIGHT AND WEIGHT OF THEIR CHILD. IF YOU LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM, THERE IS NO LOCKING POSITION AT THE NORMAL POSITION OF THE HEADREST. MANY OTHER MANUFACTURES LIKE SUBARU, PORSCHE, ETC HAVE A LOCKING POSITION IN THE NORMAL POSITION FOR THE HEADREST. JUST WITH NORMAL SITTING AND BEING A KID, THE HEADREST POPS UP INTO THE FIRST LOCKING POSITION. HAPPENS EVERY DAY. THIS CAUSES THE BACK OF HER HEAD TO REST IN A "POCKET" BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE SEAT AND THE BOTTOM OF THE HEADREST. I BELIEVE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT WHERE FORCE COMES UP AND OUTWARDS (LIKE A BAD REAR COLLISION), FRICTION WOULD CAUSE HER HEAD TO WANT TO STAY IN THIS POCKET CAUSING HER NECK GREAT PAIN AND EVEN DAMAGING HER NECK.
2018 Audi Rs3 recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 4 recalls for different components of the 2018 Audi Rs3.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
- 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.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Audi S3 Sedan, 2015-2019 A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, 2016-2018 A3 e-tron, and 2017-2019 RS3 vehicles. An improper electrical contact may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) to falsely detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger air bag.
- Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connector and reroute the cable, free of charge. The recall began September 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A3 sedan and RS3 vehicles. The latching pins for the center rear seat head restraint may be missing.
- Consequence: In the event of a crash, the head restraint may detach and cause injury to the vehicle occupants.
- Remedy: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the head restraints, replacing any that are missing pins, free of charge. The recall began on March 7, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72I8.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf and Golf R vehicles, and Audi A3 Sedan and RS3 vehicles. The rear seat frame head restraint guide sleeves may be incorrectly welded to the seat frame.
- Consequence: If the guide sleeves are incorrectly welded, in the event of a crash, the rear seat head restraints may have reduced stability, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners, and dealers will inspect the guide sleeves for incorrect welds, replacing the rear seat frame, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72H8 (VW) and 72H9(Audi).
Additional sources
More sources of information about 2018 Audi Rs3 problems:
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