Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

Vehicle recall R/2018/061

Audi A3 recall: Starter motor may malfunction and overheat

DVSA recall R/2018/061 names the Audi A3. It was launched 7 March 2018. It covers vehicles built 1 March 2011 to 30 November 2011.

Recall data updated

Recall
R/2018/061
Launched
7 March 2018
Issued by
AUDI
Manufacturer reference
27F8
Vehicles
5,208 across the lines below

What can go wrong

On vehicles with diesel engines and stop/start system the starter motor may be permanently activated because the return spring in the solenoid switch is bent or broken. If the permanent current supply to the starter motor is not noticed overheating of the component with local scorching damage and a vehicle fire is possible.

The fix

Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the solenoid switch.

Models and build dates

As listed in the DVSA recall file. Vehicle numbers are DVSA figures for each line.
ModelBuiltVehicles
Audi A31 March 2011 to 30 November 20115,208
Is a specific car affected? A recall lists models and build dates, not individual vehicles, so these pages cannot tell you whether one car is included. Enter the registration on the DVSA vehicle recall checker on GOV.UK, or give the vehicle identification number (VIN) to the manufacturer or one of its dealers. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof that any recall work was done.

Other recalls for these models

  • R/2018/040 Passenger airbag may not deploy as intended 6 February 2018, Audi A3
  • R/2017/311 Rear hub carriers not manufactured to correct standard 17 November 2017, Audi Q2, Audi A3
  • R/2017/190 Abs/esc system may fail 20 June 2017, Audi A3
  • R/2018/338 The mounting for the head restraint is not correctly welded to the outer backrest frame for the rear seat 30 November 2018, Audi Q2, Audi A3
  • R/2019/066 Possible discrepancy in the manufacturing process of the centre rear seat head restraint 27 February 2019, Audi A3
  • R/2019/263 The camshaft adjuster belt pulley may break or the housing bolts may come loose 9 August 2019, Audi A3

More on these models

Found one you might buy?

A recall is one part of the picture. See how often it fails its MOT at each age, or what the VetTheCar Buying Report tells you about a specific car.

See an example Buying Report Free car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA vehicle recall records (RecallsFile.csv), recalls launched 1992 to 2026. Recall data updated 22 September 2026.

Recall wording is DVSA's, with capitals and punctuation tidied and American spellings such as tire, center and windshield given in British English. We list a recall when its make and model match a car or van family with at least 1,000 DVSA MOT tests from 2022 to 2025, and when the maker of the vehicle issued it.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Methodology · Data sources