NHTSA vehicle safety data
2021 Audi S3 Recalls & Complaints
The 2021 Audi S3 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign on file as of October 21, 2026. try.vin has no NHTSA owner complaints on file for the 2021 Audi S3. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Audi dealer.
NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2021 Audi S3. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.
Seat Belt Locking Retractor Malfunction/FMVSS 208
NHTSA #21V606000 · Seat Belts — Rear/Other — Retractor · NHTSA notice
Reported August 5, 2021 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Potentially affected: 45,496 vehicles
Repair completion: 98.51% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)
Manufacturer campaign 69CR, 69CS · Owners notified August 27, 2021
Defect description
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Safety consequence
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Other Audi S3 model years
Check your 2021 Audi S3 VIN
Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Audi S3 at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
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