On March 22, 2026, my Check Engine light came on while driving my 2022 Audi A3. Prior to this, I had been noticing a slight jerk when accelerating from a stop. Because Audi dealerships charge approximately $250 just to read diagnostic codes, I went to Discount Auto Parts, where they retrieved code P27F500 — indicating the gear shift lock solenoid is stuck in the open position. I then contacted my Audi dealership and asked directly whether this required a software update or if the gear selector was physically failing. They refused to give me a straight answer. I separately spoke with an Audi service technician who confirmed that the 2022 Audi A3 is well known to have this exact issue. My own research confirmed that this defect is widespread across both Audi and Volkswagen vehicles sharing the same platform. My vehicle is only 3 years old with no history of abuse or neglect. Repair estimates for this known manufacturer defect range from $1,500 to $2,000, which is unacceptable for a defect that appears to be a manufacturing issue, not owner caused damage. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this as a potential safety defect and consider requiring Audi to issue a recall or provide repairs at no cost to affected owners.
The worst 2022 Audi A3 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical4
- Airbags3
- Transmission2
- Driver assistance1
- Engine1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical4
- Airbags3
- Transmission2
- Driver assistance1
- Engine1
- Seat belts1
Recalls 6
Back over prevention: display function
- What is wrong
- 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 or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298 and Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.
Recall number 22V823000 · Recall details
Equipment: electrical: infotainment: video (TOUCH)screen/monitor/unit
- What is wrong
- 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, A6, A5 Sportback, A5 Cabriolet, A4, A4 Allroad, A3, S8, SQ7, SQ8, S6, and S4 vehicles. The infotainment main unit may become damaged internally when the vehicle is shut off, resulting in an inoperative rearview camera display the next time the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- An inoperative rearview camera display reduces the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the infotainment main unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91Ei.
Recall number 22V806000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- An incorrectly folded air bag can tear, prohibiting it from deploying properly during a crash, increasing the risk of an injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 13, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69DZ.
Recall number 22V652000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Audi S3 and A3 sedans. The retention force of the seat belt tensioner on the driver and front passenger seats may be inadequate to properly restrain the occupants during a crash.
- Risk
- Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 15, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 68i2.
Recall number 22V515000 · Recall details
Child seat: vehicle latch anchor
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2022 A3 Sedan and S3 Sedan vehicles. The child seat anchorage fitting sleeves are incorrectly marked with a different symbol than the one described in the owner's manual. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
- Risk
- An incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage may cause confusion during child seat installation, resulting in a child seat being improperly secured and increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace all four fitting sleeves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May24, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72M7.
Recall number 22V224000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8 and S8, 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, A4 Sedan, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, RS6 Avant, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RSQ8, SQ7, SQ8, and S3 Sedan vehicles. A software error may prevent the rear-view image from initially displaying when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rear-view camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 9, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Audi's number for this recall is 91CR.
Recall number 21V825000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2022 Audi A3 840
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Diagnosed and confirmed malfunction of the vehicle’s AEB system that resulted from failure or malfunction...
- This bulletin provides information when there are creaking/squeaking noises from the front end on uneven...
- This bulletin provides workshop information when the immobilizer cannot be adapted after the loss of keys.
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides information when DTCs P00B700, P011600, or P268100 is stored; engine temperature...
- This bulletin provides information regarding the current top concerns being addressed by the Audi Digital...
- This bulletin proides service information when there is a prompt to take over the steering wheel (hands...
- This bulletin provides information when the starter battery is discharged or malfunctioning.
- This bulletin procides information when there are leaks in the area of the front end/engine...
- This bulletin provides information for all gasoline engines when the MIL is on; DTC P240700 is stored
2022 Audi A3 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl Hybrid | FWD | 29 | 38 | 32 |
| 2.0L 4‑cyl Hybrid | AWD | 28 | 36 | 31 |
What 2022 Audi A3 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I get an error message that says: Selector Lever Malfunction. Currently the car is still drivable it is an issue with the transmission/gear shifter for transmission. This could cause serious injury if the transmission decided to stop working/communicating with the sensor while driving. Currently it states that it is safe to drive, however I could be on my way home and have it switch without warning. Based on research online, this error has effected many people with the same exact year, make, and model as my car. Where this could effect the transmission it could cause serious safety issues for myself and any other drivers on the road it if suddenly decides to change from, Okay to drive and Not okay to drive. It did not cause an incident with me, however there is large potential that it could cause an incident. I feel this should be investigated to prevent possibly injury or even worse, death if it impacts the operation of the vehicle while someone is driving.
I was driving my car on a city street when it all of sudden stopped. The car died without warning. I was about to complete a left hand turn into a shopping center parking lot. Thankfully there was not traffic headed towards me at the time or my son and I could have been hit. There wasn't any traffic nearby behind me. Should there have been, we likely would have been struck from the rear.The way the car just put us down like that is very dangerous. I am being told it may be an alternator issue.
Installed two brand new batteries. The new batteries won't stay charged. The car cut off suddenly while I was driving. Many codes started flashing rapidly. The brake makes a clicking when trying to restart the car. The car wouldn't start.
Car intermittently doesn’t go into park and rolls
While driving the alternator failed. The battery also failed. Multiple instances at the dealer trying to repair.
The contact owns a 2022 Audi A3. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 22V652000 (Air Bags) and 22V823000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2022 Audi A3. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2022 Audi A3. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V515000 (Seat Belts) and 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the front and rear seat belts had malfunctioned. The seat belts would lock in position not enabling the passenger to release themselves from the seat belts. The seat belts sometimes fail to tighten and secure the passenger while seated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Compare the 2022 Audi A3
Other model years
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Questions about the 2022 Audi A3
Is the 2022 Audi A3 reliable?
Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2022 Audi A3, fewer than a typical A3 model year.
What is the 2022 Audi A3 year score?
The 2022 Audi A3 scores 88 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Audi A3: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2022 Audi A3?
Electrical system, with 4 complaints. Next is airbags (3).
How many recalls does the 2022 Audi A3 have?
6 recalls, covering back over prevention, equipment and air bags.
What gas mileage does the 2022 Audi A3 get?
Official estimates for the 2022 Audi A3 range from 31 to 32 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD) gets 29 city and 38 highway.
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