66 of the
2,209 complaints filed about the Audi A6
are about the other systems —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
The factory-installed mechanical water pump module suffered a severe internal seal and housing failure. This allowed pressurized engine coolant to migrate directly into the engine's vacuum control system and vacuum lines, damaging crucial emissions and vacuum tubing. This defect poses a severe safety risk as coolant entering the vacuum grid can cause sudden loss of engine power, erratic braking assist, and localized engine overheating while operating the vehicle at highway speeds.
NHTSA complaint #11757339 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Audi A6 produces a strong mold and mildew odor from the HVAC/air conditioning system. The smell occurs consistently after the air conditioning is turned off and persists when entering the vehicle. The issue appears to originate from mold growth on the evaporator coil or dampers, likely caused by moisture accumulation and inadequate condensate drainage in the HVAC system. The vehicle was inspected and treated at an authorized Audi dealership; however, the treatment did not resolve the issue and the odor returned. Online owner forums and communities document the same problem across multiple Audi models and model years, suggesting this is a systemic design or manufacturing issue rather than an isolated incident. A passenger in the vehicle — a minor child with a documented mold allergy — has experienced allergic reactions as a result of exposure to the vehicle's air conditioning output. This constitutes a health and safety concern. The mold contamination in the HVAC system poses a risk to vehicle occupants, particularly those with respiratory conditions or mold sensitivities. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether a defect exists in the HVAC/evaporator system design across Audi vehicles, and whether a safety recall or technical service bulletin is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11738142 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Shortly after purchasing in 2025 I began having occasional issues with the door locks. Eventually the issue would self resolve but now I have experienced at least 2 times in last month being locked inside the vehicle and unable to exit without climbing into the passenger seat. I have not taken it in for repairs yet due to cost concerns but I am worried about this dangerous situation.
NHTSA complaint #11733922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a recall out for “2016 Audi A6 vehicles” the recalls are “fuel system rail” as well as “coolant pump”. Both recalls are vin specific and what I find to be devastating is that both recall risk pertains to possible fire! I have the exact issues with my vehicle I even have the epc light coming on and the code is “fuel rail system” I also have an ongoing issue with my coolant system. I have documentation that I’ve paid out of pocket to take care of these issues, however being that there is no current open recalls under my vin number I do not believe mechanics know exactly what to do to fix the issues. The vehicle is misfiring, shutting off and the EPC code is stating “fuel system rail” along with the coolant leaking. I have a [XXX] daughter and to be such an expensive vehicle, I thought I would feel safe and valued. I’ve worked as a service BDC manager for years and at other dealerships when a situation like this would occur, we still wanted them to bring the vehicle into the dealership and if it was in fact relatable to the recall we would take care of it, regardless to it being “vin specific”. There is a such thing as “silent recall”. I really hope that you all can take this as an emergency case and help with such terrible situation. Thank you so much. I can be reached at [XXX] my name is [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11727798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
February 27, at approximately 1:20am my vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway after sitting for about 9 hours. The fire originated near the gas tank. The fire department was called, there is a fire report being conducted. Audi was notified.
NHTSA complaint #11723814 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a manufacturing defect involving the dashboard on my 2022 Audi A6. The dashboard has begun bubbling and warping, particularly near the area close to the windshield. This defect appears to be common among Prestige‑trim Audi A6 vehicles, as other owners have reported similar dashboard warping. The warping causes the dashboard material to rise upward, which reflects additional glare and partially obstructs visibility through the lower portion of the windshield, especially in certain lighting conditions. This reduces my ability to clearly see hazards low on the road ahead, creating a potential safety risk. Additional Details: - The vehicle has not been modified. -The issue has progressively worsened over time. - The defect appears to affect normal forward visibility and could distract the driver. Audi has not issued a recall for this known problem, despite multiple similar complaints from other owners (Effected Models per online research: ETron, R8, A6, A7, A8, Q7, Q8). I am asking NHTSA to investigate this dashboard defect as a potential manufacturing defect and safety hazard due to obstructed visibility and distracted driving caused by glare/reflection from the warped dashboard surface.
NHTSA complaint #11719386 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2011 Audi A6 seems to be overlooked compared to the rest of the Audi’s yet the Audi has so many different issues such as timing chain such as water pump, such as brake issues, such as rack pinion yet there hasn’t been anyone investigating this in particular make a model it needs to be done for safety reasons. Additionally, I was never contacted for the airbags cars registered DMV and nobody has bothered to inform me of the New airbag issues. What other issues are there brought to one’s attention?
NHTSA complaint #11717713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was driving on the highway, all of a sudden showed a sign of transmission malfunction and started decelerating which I could safely navigate the vehicle to the side of the road, got the vehicle towed to repair shop which they reported a transmission code P17F900- parking lock mechanical malfunction with codes P074700 and p077700 I am just out of warranty for this vehicle as I crossed 48000 miles. They have issued bulletins regarding this problem but no recall or extended warranty on that part this I deem as dangerous
NHTSA complaint #11707005 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear electronic child safety lock on my 2019 Audi A6 does not function as intended. When activated, the lock does not reliably engage or disengage, allowing the rear door to be opened from the inside when it should be locked. We only began using the child safety lock after having a baby, at which time the malfunction was discovered. This creates a potential child safety risk, as the rear door may be opened from the inside when the child safety lock is expected to prevent this. The vehicle has not been modified, and the issue occurs under normal operating conditions. The dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the repair would require replacement of the rear door latch/actuator but declined coverage due to the vehicle being out of warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11706496 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was traveling at ~65mph on the freeway when the sunroof spontaneously exploded. It was louder than a gunshot—I nearly lost control of the vehicle. The explosion occurred in the outward direction. There was no evidence of impact of preexisting damage. Internet research suggests this is not an uncommon occurrence.
NHTSA complaint #11698392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car has had multiple issues with warning lights and malfunctioning systems. Including : 1.Child locks 2.Every single component of the ADAS 3. Emergency services being activated at least a few times a month - this is an SOS for emergency 911 service. The repeated, continuous and mostly false warning lights are a driving distraction that can easily cause an accident. I have photos of all warning lights coming on in the vehicle. The dealership has repeated stated that they couldn't reproduce the problem even though pictures were provided and the car is still under the original warranty period. The latest attempt to fix the vehicle was to replace the sensors on the front of the vehicle. This solution was only attempted after the 4th report of the problem to the dealership where the car was serviced under the original manufacturers warranty
NHTSA complaint #11638013 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Frequent motor mounts failure, and leakage of hydraulic fluid from both left and right mounts. Motor mounts failure have occurred about three times in the last four years. After some online research and reading, found out that other newer Audi owners are having a similar issues with their mount amounts at low mileage just like myself.
NHTSA complaint #11632423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car was purchased in 2019, brand new from Audi dealership. Last service showed a serious issue: REPLACE WATER PUMP VACUUM LINES WITH SOLENOIDS AND VACUUM RESERVOIR. Dealership claims out of warranty and wants to charge $5000. VW settled class action lawsuit with consumers due to faulty water pump, and there is a Technical service bulletin dated 11/21/2023 that states the water pump leaks coolant and needs to be repaired. Consumer should have been made aware that vehicle was at risk of faulty water pump that could have been replaced at time of bulletin issue because it would have been under the 4 year mark.
NHTSA complaint #11609166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The backup camera intermittently does not engage, instead only displaying the stock car silhouette, without any camera footage of the current surroundings. This prevents the driver from being able to see anything behind the car and presents a safety hazard when backing up. It presents an additional distraction hazard because it requires the driver to either manually engage the camera using the vehicle's MMI, or to put the car in another gear and then again in reverse to engage the camera. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to have the dealership find and fix the problem over three years, I was told a software update was performed, which is the same fix for a current recall for other models with the same problem. I have only had the car back from the dealership for a week now, but I have not yet experienced the problem with the backup camera.
NHTSA complaint #11561422 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear view camera on the vehicle stops working intermittently. I have provided photographs of this to the Dealer. Their scanning of fault codes noted that the "right environmental camera faulty B127D04: Rear environmental camera faulty." The ticket also notes they found multiple sporadic faults for B127F04. Although they have admitted to finding faults with the camera, they refuse to fix this because they could not duplicate the exact behavior at the time it was in their shop. By definition, this is an intermittent issue. Audi had other model years recalled for this same issue. I believe this is a serious safety threat as one can't see things behind you and a person or vehicle could be hit. Audi is aware of this issue and is refusing to repair it under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11530148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car literally stopped working while driving. All electrical components shut down. Unable to put the car into neutral to push it to safety. Had a hard time getting the vehicle towed because the parking break engaged somehow and we were unable to disengage it. Hazard lights did not work at all! Extremely unsafe situation to be in, especially if on a highway or expressway with vehicles traveling nearby at high speeds.
NHTSA complaint #11518492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Multiple warnings indicating to contact dealer (Lane departure, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, etc) then 1 minute later transmission failure and engine failure imminent.... pull over immediately and contact dealer. I turned into a road off main highway within a minute of the last two warnings and as I turned, my center MMI went blank then my electronic dash went blank, transmission went into neutral and the engine died all within a few seconds. Fortunately I was able to coast to a stop in the parking lot.
NHTSA complaint #11501591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.