There are 3 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2015 Audi S3 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Fault water pump/thermostat causing overheating and breakdowns. Known issue in other models with the same motor, yet no recall issued for the A3/S3 models with the 2.0 motor
THE VEHICLE ENGINE LOST IGNITION POWER WHILE DRIVING, STRANDING THE VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC. INVESTIGATION BY THE DEALER REVEALED THAT COOLANT ENTERED THE ENGINE HARNESS VIA ELECTRONIC COOLANT VALVES AND PROGRESSED TO THE GRAY T14 CONNECTOR. COOLANT WAS FOUND AT THE VALVE CONNECTOR SOURCE AND IN THE ENGINE HARNESS CONNECTOR. THE COOLANT CAUSED THE VALVE TERMINAL, AND THE NEIGHBORING TERMINAL WHICH PROVIDES POWER TO ALL COILS TO CORRODE AND BREAK. AUDI RELEASED A TSB FOR THIS ISSUE (2045122) BUT ONLY CONSIDERS THIS AS A INTERMITTENT START PROBLEM. THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND ON THE A8 MODELS PROMPTING RECALL NUMBER 16V619000. THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO EARLY MODEL AUDI S3S AND MAYBE OTHERS.
2015 AUDI S3 WATER PUMP FAILED JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 52K MILES REQUIRING $1500 IN REPAIRS. THE WATER PUMP HAD BEEN LEAKING THROUGH THE WEEP HOLE FOR SOME TIME. LEAK WAS DISCOVERED WHILE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN GARAGE. I WOULD EXPECT MORE FROM A QUALITY PERSPECTIVE FROM A LUXURY BRAND LIKE AUDI. THE MECHANIC THAT COMPLETED THE REPAIR SPECIALIZED IN AUDI AND VOLKSWAGENS AND TOLD ME HE REPLACES 2-3 WATER PUMPS A WEEK ON AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN CARS WITH THIS SAME ENGINE. LIKE I SAID, I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED BETTER QUALITY THAN A PLASTIC WATER PUMP ON A CAR LIKE AUDI.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.