Audi A6 steering problems

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My power steering went out & then all of a suffen I was driving & my steering wheel would not move my wheels

NHTSA complaint #11746966 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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We are reporting serious safety-related faults involving my leased 2026 Audi A6, VIN [XXX] , and a same-model 2026 Audi A6 loaner provided by Audi Central Houston. Core safety issues: 1. My vehicle previously displayed a Park/rollaway warning indicating Park could not be engaged. 2. My vehicle has had repeated starting-system faults, including: “Engine start system: malfunction! Please contact Service.” 3. Our vehicle has been the subject of multiple repair visits at Audi Central Houston and is currently at the dealer, available for inspection. 4. After the third repair order, Audi Central Houston represented the vehicle was ready for pickup. Before we accepted return, the same starting-system malfunction reportedly recurred during Audi’s own test-drive/verification process. Audi added that April 30 recurrence to the still-open third repair order. 5. While our A6 remained at the dealer, Audi Central Houston provided a same-model 2026 Audi A6 loaner. That loaner displayed: “P not possible. Risk of rolling away! Please contact Service.” A photo is available. 6. Because the loaner warning stated Park was not possible and there was a risk of rolling away, we did not leave it parked unattended and returned it directly to Audi Central Houston. The apparent failed/malfunctioning systems involve Park engagement, electronic shift-by-wire, transmission control, parking interlock, starting-system control, electrical modules, software, gateway communication, or related safety-critical controls. Safety is at risk because a vehicle that cannot reliably engage Park may roll away and injure occupants, pedestrians, bystanders, or service personnel. Audi Central Houston has inspected/serviced vehicle. Audi of America/VW Group has been notified under Audi Case No. XXX. We request NHTSA investigate whether 2026 Audi A6 vehicles have a safety defect involving Park engagement, rollaway risk, starting-system malfunction, transmission/electronic controls, software, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA

NHTSA complaint #11735671 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Yellow battery indicator light came on while driving car in 35 degree weather after a week of sitting in garage (holidays). I pulled over, read the manual and it said this could cause battery light to illuminate. I called the dealership service to ask them, they said possible reason. I decided to drive across city to dealership, 25 minutes away. On HOV lane, red warning lights flashing to pull over then 5 seconds later everything went black. No electrical, no engine, car died. VERY DANGEROUS!! Read later that this has been happening on Audi A6 (& other models) for 2+ years. Towed to dealership and they have had 1.5 weeks and still not fixed.

NHTSA complaint #11636241 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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After heavy down pour, the car was driven while the streets were still very wet. The car was driven through a 2 - 3 inch puddle of water that lasted less than 1 second, which caused a splash to the passenger side of the car, (the middle of the street did not have an accumulation of water) and within 30 secs caused the power steering warning light came on. This was not a flooded street, just the normal accumulation of water on the side of a residential curbed street. The steering immediately started to stiffen up and required increased effort to turn the steering wheel. The first warning lamp was yellow and stated that continued driving was still allowed, but after about 3 min the lamp turned red, and the message indicated "Steering malfunction, Do not drive vehicle". This occurred on a street where the speed limit was 30 mph, so safety at that time was not a big issue, but if this had happened on street where increased speed and more turning was required, safety could be a big issue if this happened suddenly. I was able to get the car to a nearby shop within 5 min, and the next day moved the car to the Audi West Houston. Audi has identified the power steering rack as faulty is in the process of replacing the electric power steering rack assembly. This car is a 2019 AUDI A6 with only 41k miles.

NHTSA complaint #11587892 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Car flashed several warning signs, electrical system malfunction, steering malfunction, lane assist malfunction, and finally powertrain system malfunction where car was barely driveable at very slow speed, died and I luckily was able to pull over and coast into a parking spot.

NHTSA complaint #11571754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Car slowed down and shut off in the middle of the road.

NHTSA complaint #11569865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Vehicle suffered sudden and total loss of power steering. Had just driven the car 5-10 minutes prior, came out to leave and had a message stating do not drive vehicle, steering defective. At that point the steering wheel felt locked in place and the vehicle was effectively a brick. This issue just happened yesterday and has not been to the dealership yet for diagnosis but I am a former automotive service manager (German specialist) and have connected my car to the VCDS system in order to retrieve the system failure codes. Error code was for the power assist motor. I then did some quick research online and saw dozens of other complaints from owners with the same issue. Thankfully most fail upon start up but I did come across one or two that reported having the issue after turning a corner and suddenly losing all power assist. This is a known issue for Audi and they sent letters to owners around June of 2021 stating that the issue was being covered under a 10 year or 120k mile warranty. That's nice if your vehicle happens to fail while under warranty but now that the time period is it, the burden of repairing this potentially dangerous system defect is on the owner and costs in excess of $4,000 at the dealer. Audi also requires the new unit to be coded to the vehicle via their ODIS system which means owners don't have the option of going to many other sources for a repair. Few shops can afford the monthly fees Audi charges for the ODIS equipment.

NHTSA complaint #11566847 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The car couldn't start and stopped abruptly on the way through bunches of errors on the dashboard with check engine light and steering was firm and could not lock the Car or open the door Here are the warning list for 2019 Audi A6: Electrical system malfunction Electrical system malfunction Parking aid malfunction Transmission malfunction Rear spoiler malfunction Drive system: malfunction Traction control malfunction Tire pressure monitoring system malfunction Parking brake malfunction Automatic start/stop system malfunction Start/stop system malfunction

NHTSA complaint #11563358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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While driving the car, the steering column failed, making the car unable to steer. Mileage 81,312. The error message was Steering Malfunction, do not drive. and you could not turn the wheel. The independent service center confirmed and replaced the steering column. They stated they are doing 1-2 a week and Audi knows it's an issue as they are stocking the column. The repair cost me $5,000.00. There was no warning until it didn't work.

NHTSA complaint #11557040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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There is an issue with the power steering control module that causes a lot of error codes to populate. Many of the codes are generic and hard to diagnose, even with Audi certified diagnostic equipment/tools. When this code initially presented, ~9 months ago, there was a red steering wheel light on the dash. I found a company that repairs these modules with these specific codes (I’d imagine good business since this is a common issue); while I got power steering to work, there are codes that still recommend full replacement of the power steering module (Audi certified diagnostic equipment). This error in the module causes complete loss of power steering, with serious risk to safety of all passengers and other drivers, on and off the road. Because this module may communicate with other modules and systems, it may render other codes and faults with the abs and start/stop systems for example. I’ve taken this issue to an Audi dealer and they say I have to pay out of pocket for a whole replacement of the module and rack&pinion. I understand how to maintain a vehicle but this is a known issue for many other models/trims and years. I’ve read some reports that Audi had de-escalated this issue in other models (2012-2016) to avoid a larger number of vehicles being affected. While my vehicle is 2017, it’s out of the “covered recall” but I’m experiencing similar issues to the very same issue. PS. My car has been sitting for 9 months due to this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11549295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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This is my SECOND entry/complaint regarding the same EXTREMELY DANGEROUS steering malfunction. While driving my 2019 A6 (this time alone) in heavy rain the same warning message was displayed. The warning stated: steering malfunction, please stop the vehicle!. At which point the power steering locked-up & the engine powered down. As a result, I was unable to steer the vehicle. One again I was able to exit the highway safely. Being close to home with only a few turns, I was able to “limp” the car home, parked in my driveway and contacted Audi. Currently it’s at Nyack Audi awaiting service on Monday 9/11. This is a huge safety issue and needs to be addressed. Doing a bit of online research & reading countless Audi blogs, I found out this to be a common issue with other Audis while driving in the rain. Fist time this occurred was 6/16/22, driving a 2016 S6. Tracking # for that entry is 11543563

NHTSA complaint #11543573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Car reported an engine restarter issue (with battery symbol) and recommended to contact the dealer. Car next shut down automatic restart system, and air conditioning stopped working. Within a short period of time (same day), the car listed a red battery symbol and advised to stop the car. After doing so and contacting the Audi roadside, the car was listing a series of issues on multiple symptoms while also saying in the warning message "still okay to drive". These systems included steering, braking, and what seemed to be other sensors the car powers. Finally (and within 5 minutes of the previous message of being okay to drive), the warnings were continuous and started including the transmission. The car stopped accelerating (we were on the expressway) and we thankfully got to the side of the road. This was an enormously dangerous situation as the car became fully disabled and we were subject to limited options of relief from a major traffic area. Within 30 minutes of being disabled, no electrical charge was present in the car, including emergency flashers, making the situation more dangerous as it was nighttime, so we had to abandon the car and walk down the expressway to find a hotel. Could not even put the car in neutral for the tow. Service is initially reporting a failure of the restart generator. This appears to be an alarmingly common issue with Audis.

NHTSA complaint #11543607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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On my way to work, my car alerted me to an electrical malfunction and told me to call for service. When I called my Audi dealership, they told me to bring it in for service the following week. After asking if the car was safe to drive, they told me they wouldn't know unless they looked at the car. After pleading with them, they agreed to an appointment that day. On my way to the dealership - about 10 minutes into the trip on a highway, driving at highway speed, all electrical systems in the car started shutting down, and quickly - air conditioning, all safety features like lane keep assist, collision avoidance, etc. The steering became very heavy, the brakes were underperforming. After slowing down safely, the car shut down and was completely immobile and inoperable.

NHTSA complaint #11543147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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I went thru a puddle of water and the car steering wheel lock up

NHTSA complaint #11528123 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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Massive safety liability here. My 2019 Audi A6 was on the highway traveling at 75mph on 4/25/2023 at noon when with no prior warning, all of the electrical systems started failing rapidly. In the course of 90 seconds, there was an electrical malfunction warning, quickly followed by malfunction warnings for steering, brakes, and cascading shutdowns of all systems like the transmission, ABS, Collision Warning, Lane Departure, lights, hazard warning lights, instrument screens/clusters, HVAC, windows- literally everything. A complete failure of every component and safety system while driving highspeed is extremely dangerous. Had this happened at night, I would have been bricked in the middle of the road without headlights, hazard lights, airbags, etc. The car had to be towed away to the dealership and is available for inspection. The dealer is aware of this issue and called it a 48 volt starter/ alternator issue which is apparently systemic/ widespread with 2019-21 Audi 48 volt architectures; parts are generally backordered for months. Please take note: There is an extremely high risk that someone will be killed and seriously injured as a result of this defect. The vehicle is awaiting inspection and repair at an Audi dealership. It is under extended manufacturers warranty at 50,700 miles. No other diagnostics/ inspections/ or reports have taken place yet.

NHTSA complaint #11518884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The steering rack for my 2017 Audi A6 2.0T Premium Plus Quattro has failed at roughly 54000 miles. This is the same exact OEM part (OEM Part # 4G1423055EA) that is used in the 2016 A6, which has an extended warranty from Audi due to a lawsuit of 10 years and 125000 miles. My VIN is not included in this extended warranty even though the 2017 Audi A6 and 2016 Audi A6 are the same engines, use the same OEM steering rack parts, and are the same vehicle outside of minor exterior updates in the facelift model (2017). This part has failed and now I'm being charged $6323.77 by the Audi dealership to fix this issue. I am sure this is simply the same issue as it is the same exact part in the same engine. This extended warranty must include all future Audi vehicles that use the same steering rack that is problematic and was given an extended warranty to cover the replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11512676 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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While driving my family on a major Interstate, a myriad of warning ⚠️ lights appeared on my dash panel and my vehicle’s steering literally locked! I have had no previous warning lights or issues with this vehicle since it was purchased. This near fatal incident happened as a 18-wheeler was seeking to merge onto the Interstate and I couldn’t change lanes to allow the oncoming traffic to merge. This malfunction/failure caused me and my family to narrowly miss being fatally crushed by the merging 18-wheeler. After bringing the vehicle to a stop in a safe area off of the Interstate and locating the vehicle owner’s manual, I learned that the Electromechanical Steering Unit failed on my 2017 AUDI A6 (Mfg 6/16). Because all of the local AUDI dealerships were closed, I had to call and have the vehicle towed to my home. Upon further researching the issue in various AUDI forums, I realized this system failure was widely experienced by AUDI owners and that it may have even played a part in prompting AUDI to issue “Electromechanical Steering Unit Extended Warranty” letters to certain AUDI 2011-2016 vehicle owners (A6 owners included). I believe NHTSA should do its due diligence in seeking to reduce highway safety fatalities on our nations highways caused by vehicle safety defects/malfunctions by auto manufacturers and execute a mandate for AUDI to (1) issue a SAFETY RECALL for this issue, OR (2) extend the Electromechanical Steering Unit Warranty to include later model year vehicles. It appears that AUDI has not corrected the known issue on their own; thereby warranting NHTSAs regulatory intervention. I would like NHTSA to launch a defects/safety investigation to determine how many more AUDI owners are at risk of experiencing this life-threatening, correctable, and known issue. Please keep me informed on the results of my report.

NHTSA complaint #11505600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The car displayed a warning that the electrical system had a fault and to contact service. I then contacted service and they said to drive it to the dealer as it sounded like a known issue with the generator/starter and 48V system. On the way to the dealership, the warnings continued and then various systems began shutting down, including the steering and the transmission. I was going at a relatively slow speed on a side street at the time, which was fortunate, as the car locked up all four wheels and had no steering and the engine quit. Thankfully it was a side street. If this was a major street or highway, it quite likely could have caused a serious accident or injury. In contacting Audi USA, they do not have parts available to fix this issue, and the dealership confirmed that they are unable to fix the car at this time.

NHTSA complaint #11505390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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The electronic steering control module failed while the vehicle was stopped. A light came on the dash which stated something like ~"Do Not Drive Major Steering Malfunction" and the steering became almost impossible to turn. The vehicle was towed to an Audi Dealer and repaired at my significant cost. I am suspicious that there is a known defect which has not been acknowledged by Audi. I also own a 2014 Audi Q5 which I received a letter to extend the warranty for this specific issue (see uploaded information). The cover letter states this applies to Certain 2011-2016 Model Year Audi B8 (Q5) and C7 (A6) & D4 Vehicles. I contacted Audi Customer Care and they were unwilling to tell me any distinguishing attributes for why some 2016 A6 vehicles are included and my 2016 A6 is not. Audi told me that the VINs, PNs, Date of Manufacturer for covered vehicles is proprietary. My A6 has been babied and has never been in an accident or experienced any pothole or similar trauma, yet I had a major steering failure at ~48000 miles 6 months beyond my warranty period. And there is apparently a known defect in other similar Audi vehicles. Audi was very reluctant to discuss this issue with me and told me there is nothing I can do about it. As a minimum, I deserve an explanation on why my A6 with a known steering system defect in similar vehicles is not addressed in their safety and warranty campaign.

NHTSA complaint #11496814 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

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While out of town the car gave an electrical system fault with a yellow warning saying find a dealr soon. Then shortly after the warning went red and while driving all systems in the car started to shut down. Steering, transmission, throttle, dash, everything went crazy. Need to to cross 2 lanes of traffic to get off main road where there was no shoulder to pull onto a side road, very scary without power steering and the transmission putting itself into neutral. Easily could have caused an accident with my wife and 2 kids in yhe car. At that point the car was dead.

NHTSA complaint #11495939 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.