Car Defect Radar
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Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated October 26, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.
Confirm 3 recalls before you buy.

Ask the seller for proof the repair was completed, or run the free VIN check. Recall repairs are done at no cost by a dealer.

Recalls

3 total · 3 to confirm

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

Airbags recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 18V427000 · Jun 2018

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag with an alternate remedy part, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R7. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V382, 17V032 and 18V004 and includes vehicles that may have had their air bag previously replaced under one of those campaigns.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 18V004000 · Jan 2018

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Audi mailed an interim owner notification March 02, 2018. When parts to perform the recall repair become available, Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69U1. Note: This recall has been superseded by 18V427.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 16V382000 · Jun 2016

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Owner complaints by system

21 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Minor
2

Most reports here involve rollaway.

rollaway 1sudden stalling 1
A recent report: The car throw a EPC warning light which cause the car to go n limp mode. With doing research ot has to do with the transmission. This cause the car to drive sluggish unable to reverse at times unable…
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The car throw a EPC warning light which cause the car to go n limp mode. With doing research ot has to do with the transmission. This cause the car to drive sluggish unable to reverse at times unable to take the car out of park at times. It also cause the car to randomly shut off when reversing or at times when im sitting at a light n i begin to drive the car can randomly shut off at times. Which in my open is unsafe because what if the the person behind me isnt payimg attention and i get rear ended. Ive reached out to Audi dearlership is was told a part was discontiued and to bring it in for them to further diagnostic it. Ive had the codes read and im getting the symptoms of the code i pulled but told that part was discontiued. So i feel like if thats the case Audi should have did a recall on the car.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11744229 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Minor
1

Most reports here involve sudden stalling.

sudden stalling 1
A recent report: AUDI A8 2011 - ISSUE REGARDING ON/OFF SWITCH WE HAVE A NEW A8. THE ON/OFF SWITCH IS NEXT TO THE GEAR SHIFT LEVEL ON THE CONSOLE BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS. OUR DOG - A 16 LB BICHON - CLIMBED BETWEEN THE…
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AUDI A8 2011 - ISSUE REGARDING ON/OFF SWITCH WE HAVE A NEW A8. THE ON/OFF SWITCH IS NEXT TO THE GEAR SHIFT LEVEL ON THE CONSOLE BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS. OUR DOG - A 16 LB BICHON - CLIMBED BETWEEN THE SEATS FROM THE BACK TO SIT ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. AS THE DOG CROSSED THE CENTER CONSOLE HE STEPPED ON THE ON/OFF BUTTON SHUTTING OFF THE CAR WHICH CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS SHE WAS ON A LOCAL ROAD AND NOT GOING FAST BUT IF SHE HAD BEEN TRYING TO TURN OR IF SHE HAD BEEN ON A ROAD WITH A HIGHER SPEED LIMIT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A CRASH. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AND THE ON/OFF SWITCH SHOULD NOT BE OPERABLE WHILE IN DRIVE - ONLY IN NEUTRAL OR PARK. THIS MAY IMPACT OTHER AUDI CARS AS WELL. *TR

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10386686 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Minor
2

Most reports here involve loss of steering.

loss of steering 1
A recent report: AUDI 2011 A6, VIN [XXX] HAD A CATASTROPHIC STEERING FAILURE ON FEB 24, 2016. FORTUNATELY THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE FRONT WHEELS AND STEERING WHEEL FROZE. AUDI AND THE…
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AUDI 2011 A6, VIN [XXX] HAD A CATASTROPHIC STEERING FAILURE ON FEB 24, 2016. FORTUNATELY THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE FRONT WHEELS AND STEERING WHEEL FROZE. AUDI AND THE LOCAL DEALER DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AS A RANDOM FAILURE OF THE STEERING RACK WHICH THEY REPLACED. IF THIS STEERING FAILURE HAD OCCURRED ON THE ROAD AT ANY SPEED SERIOUS DAMAGE AND INJURY INCLUDING LOSS OF LIFE COULD HAVE OCCURRED. AUDI REFUSED THE RETURN THE FAILED STEERING RACK TO ME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *TR

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10839131 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Worth reading
12

Most reports here involve airbags deploying unexpectedly. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 1 mention an injury.

airbags deploying unexpectedly 1airbags not deploying 1
A recent report: 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…
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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?

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11717713 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
1

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 1
A recent report: REAR SEATBACKS (RIGID PLASTIC) IS OPEN AT THE TOP ON PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE SEATS. THIS IS AN AUDI DESIGN DEFECT AND SAFETY CONCERN TO REAR SEAT PASSENGERS IN AN ACCIDENT. VELCRO ADHESIVE DOES NOT…
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REAR SEATBACKS (RIGID PLASTIC) IS OPEN AT THE TOP ON PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE SEATS. THIS IS AN AUDI DESIGN DEFECT AND SAFETY CONCERN TO REAR SEAT PASSENGERS IN AN ACCIDENT. VELCRO ADHESIVE DOES NOT WORK. THE CONNECTORS AT THE TOP WERE EITHER MISSING OR NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10873612 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Minor
3

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 3
A recent report: RECALL HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED-RECALL 6902. NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM COMPANY. NHTSA# 26V382. CAN'T SELL IT. AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. PASSENGERS DEAD OR INJURED COULD SUE ALL. NEEDS RESOLUTION…
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RECALL HAS NOT BEEN PERFORMED-RECALL 6902. NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM COMPANY. NHTSA# 26V382. CAN'T SELL IT. AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. PASSENGERS DEAD OR INJURED COULD SUE ALL. NEEDS RESOLUTION IMMEDIATELY.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10934371 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 21 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2011 and 2026, roughly 1 a year, which is fewer than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.

How does it compare with other years? The 2011 has 21 complaints on file, more than the 2010 (17) and fewer than the 2012 (59). Of the 11 model years of the Audi A6 we cover, the 2019 has the most (114). Older model years have had longer to collect complaints.