Audi TT Problems: 3 Known Issues (Explained)

The Audi TT offers one of the most alluring designs in an Audi car. It comes either as a sports car or a convertible, and it’s much acclaimed for its 2-door body style.

Mind you, like every other vehicle, the Audi TT also has a few problems.

In this article, we didn’t only discuss the problems of the car, we also delve into its resale value to make you know if it is worth it or not.

Check also: The best and worst year for Audi TT.

1. An Issue With the Driver Side Airbag

A major issue with the Audi TT is a fault with the side airbag. Impressively, the vehicle features both frontal and side airbags.

Quite a number of owners have complained about how loose and broken the area of the safety bag appears within a short while.

The airbag system works with an inflator and a sensor. Before the inflator pumps out the bag, it would have received a crash signal from the crash sensor.

Sometimes, a fault with the airbag system makes the bag inflator act uncoordinated. When this happens, it may attempt to force its way out of its chamber, leading to a crack around the area.

This could be very risky if abandoned till the airbag forcefully pops out.

For the Audi TT, many owners have complained that the plastic housing on both sides of the driver’s seats keeps pulling away from the seat.

Because this is the area that houses the side airbag, the issue has become a concern to several ride owners.

Mind you, NHTSA has issued a recall for the 2016–2017 Audi TT models to rectify this issue.

2. Mechatronic Control Unit Failure

The mechatronic unit is responsible for the smooth operation of the gearbox. Its role is to work with the electronic signals received from the vehicle and transform them into hydraulic power required for the operation of the gear.

Sometimes, the mechatronic unit could become weary or faulty. The truth is, their average lifespan is around 120,000 miles. However, a fault with the transmission system could also affect the mechatronic unit.

It’s quite unfortunate that the average mileage with this complaint on Car Complaints is just 40,375 miles. This indicates that there’s an underlying fault with the transmission system of the vehicle.

Common faults of the transmission system include internal high-pressure hydraulic leaks, external low-pressure leaks, and TCU failure. When there’s a fault with this unit, you could experience incorrect gear changes or stalling of the vehicle.

3. Problem With the Electrical System

Another issue with this car is the various issues with the electrical system. The electrical system of a car controls almost all the units of the vehicle.

So, it requires functioning effectively; otherwise, there’ll be a series of abnormalities with the car.

For the Audi TT, several owners have also complained about the instability of their headlights. It’s either the headlight flickers or turns off at will.

This is a result of an electrical issue with the vehicle, and it is most common with the old models, especially the 2005 version.

Many owners of the Audi TT have also complained about different issues with the electrical system of the car.

This does not only affect the exterior lights; it also causes a series of abnormalities with the instrument clusters.

As revealed by some aggrieved owners, it’s either the instrument cluster gives inaccurate information or fails to display.

Note that while the flickering headlight is common with the 2005 model, the instrument panel failure is most prominent with the 2003 version.

General Pros and Cons of the Audi TT

To have a quick glimpse of the Audi TT, check its pros and cons below.

Pros

• It offers a posh and attractive cabin.
• Audi TT works with zippy turbocharged engines.
• Its fuel economy is quite impressive.

Cons

• The convertible model comes with a small trunk.
• Its coupe model has a less spacious rear seat.

The convertible Audi TT is among the popular cars without back seats, so there’s enough room.

What Do the Reviews Say?

The Audi TT may not be as fast as many notable sports cars, but it offers a decent and comfy ride without a huge price tag for its base model.

The Audi TT is a safe, almost sensible coupe that’s always been decent to drive, but a long way from, well, heroic levels of sporting ability.

Source: TopGear

Similarly, Consumer Reports also notes this about the car:

This sculpted coupe is more about style and technology than outright performance. Even so, it’s still pretty entertaining to drive, with nimble handling and a dash of steering feedback to the driver.

Source: ConsumerReports

Aside from its impressive overall performance, the Audi TT has also been acclaimed by many critics for its reliability.

In fact, it stands atop the iSeeCars list of sports cars with the best reliability, with a score of 9/10.

Earning the top spot is the Audi TT, The front-wheel drive Audi TT is an elegant, usable sports car: it has a hardtop, it has refined road manners, it is relatively quiet and comfortable and gets better fuel economy.

Source: iSeecars

Talking of fuel economy, the 2023 Audi TT gets an EPA estimated 23/30 city/highway drive, with a combined 25 mpg. That’s a little lower than the 2023 BMW Z4 and slightly higher than the 2023 Ford Mustang.

As impressive and reliable as this sports car looks, it, however, has a few issues, which are most common with some of its models, but not all.

The 2016 and 2017 Audi TT Roadster and Coupe model years are often considered the worst for many recalls and customer complaints.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall for the 2016-2017 Audi TT models due to a driver’s front airbag that could explode in a crash.

Source: CopilotSearch

What’s the Resale Value for Audi TT?

The Audi TT can serve as a good investment; it doesn’t depreciate in value as much as several other cars. In fact, CarEdge claims that the vehicle will depreciate by only 28% after five years.

The truth is, the vehicle may not even depreciate up to that degree, it may also exceed the set depreciation rate.

It all depends on how well it’s used and how many mileages it has covered.

Here are the resale values for different Audi TT models:

Source: Edmunds

What’s the Best Audi TT Model Year?

Based on user complaints and reviews, the 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011 Audi TT model years have remained the best so far.

This is because, unlike the others, they have little to complaints on both NHTSA and Car Complaints.

Mind you, unlike the 2015 and the 2014 models that have no record of complaints on the platforms, as of the time of writing this article, the others have very few complaints, which are not even serious ones.

It’s noteworthy that the Audi TT is one great car with genuine leather seats.

Final Thoughts

The Audi TT has remained a notable sports car since 1998 till the present. It comes either as a 2-door coupe, 3-door hatchback, and 2-door roadster.

While it offers both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, critics have particularly praised its standard all-wheel drive as it offers a confident and comfortable ride in all weather.

Based on its body style, this car does not boast a spacious rear seat in its coupe design. However, it does well to compete with several other notable sports cars, including the BMW Z4, the Mazda Miata, and the Ford Mustang.

Check problems for all Audi models.

Sources

Here Are the Audi TT Years To Avoid | Copilot Search

Most Reliable Sports Cars | iSeeCars

Audi TT Reviews | TopGear

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ⓘ  The information in this article is based on data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall reports, consumer complaints submitted to the NHTSA, reliability ratings from J.D. Power, auto review and rating sites such as Edmunds, specialist forums, etc. We analyzed this data to provide insights into the best and worst years for these vehicle models.