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What 13 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Audi RS 3

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (13)Airbags (5)Fuel system (4)Electrical system (2)Engine (2)Lane Departure (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)Driver assistance (1)Seat belts (1)Seats (1)Speed control (1)

1 of 13 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters

Dec 15, 2017Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11054885

Working with the data? Download all 13 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Audi RS 3 verdict →