2012 Audi A6

59 complaints on file, page 1 of 3.

1. Filed Jul 28, 2025Failure Jul 28, 2025Ridgewood, NJBody

   Dear Highway Safety Authority Officer I am writing to formally request an investigation into a potential safety concern involving structural rust on the engine subframe (engine cradle) of the Audi A6, particularly in models from 2012 There have been growing concerns among owners and independent mechanics regarding excessive and premature rust and corrosion affecting the structural integrity of the engine mounting frame. In some cases, this corrosion could potentially compromise the stability of the engine or the safety of the vehicle during operation. Given the importance of this component to both drivability and crash safety, this issue merits further inspection. I am bringing this to your attention in hopes that your office will investigate whether this represents a broader manufacturing or design defect, and if a recall or safety advisory might be warranted. For your reference, the vehicle in question is: Make/Model: Audi A6 Model Year: 2012 VIN : [XXX] Description of issue: Extensive rust to the frame and some cracks I am happy to provide additional documentation or photographs to assist in the review process. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Ensuring the structural safety of vehicles on the road is of utmost importance, and I appreciate your diligence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

   NHTSA complaint 11676688
2. Filed Jan 21, 2024Failure Jan 20, 2024Plymouth, MNSteering

   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
3. Filed Dec 30, 2023Failure Dec 27, 2023Bellflower, CAFuel/propulsion system

   Good morning, For the past couple of weeks, I've been getting the run around on whether the issue I'm having with my vehicle is an active recall. I recently took my vehicle to Eurocode Tuning (Torrance, CA), and the mechanic instructed me to take my vehicle to the dealer because the issue I am currently experiencing (fuel leak in the injection system) is listed as a recall. I contacted the Audi dealership in Long Beach CA via phone at (562)610-4000, the service representative stated that he found no active recall on my vehicle. Once again contacted Eurocode Tuning and they stated to have them run a diagnostic on the vehicle and they will see its the fuel leak in the injection system. And they are required by law to fix the recall. The following morning I took my vehicle into McKenna Audi ( Norwalk, CA) and one of the service representatives reiterates that my vehicle has no active recall. I stated that I was well aware of that, however, the issue I was having was listed as a recall on the web and I was informed by the repair shop as well. I proceeded to show him the information I got offline and my failed smog that was done on my vehicle. He proceeded to show me the breakdown on his computer that it was no active recall and the only thing that they were looking into was issues regarding the turbo. He stated what I was talking about was an extended warranty and my vehicle is well past that warrant. He then proceeded to say if a diagnostic is done on my vehicle I will be responsible to pay it and any repair done on my vehicle. So I walked out and decided to contact you. I am just trying to determine whether my vehicle could be repaired under the recall. I'm extremely frustrated and concerned for my safety because the recall did state the risk of a fire. Sincerely a confused, frustrated Audi owner [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

   NHTSA complaint 11562753
4. Filed Sep 19, 2023Failure Aug 29, 2023102,000 milesTorrance, CAFuel system, Gasoline

   The contact owns a 2012 Audi A6. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The contact stated that the fuel odor became stronger while driving 65 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled into a parking lot and opened the hood. The contact stated that he noticed that the fuel odor was coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the check engine warning light illuminated. The mechanic determined that the check engine warning light had illuminated due to low pressure on the fuel rail, and the contact was informed that the supercharger needed to be removed for a more thorough inspection of the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V019000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

   NHTSA complaint 11545382
5. Filed Dec 20, 2022Failure Nov 30, 2022Parkville, MDFuel/propulsion system

   My car almost overheated on the high on thanksgiving night thank god my brother was behind me driving and took me to go get antifreeze my coolant was leaking and i think my water pump messed up almost a accident cause i was in the middle lane and my vehicle was slowing down on the highway at night

   NHTSA complaint 11498311
6. Filed May 27, 2022Failure May 19, 2021Longview, TXElectrical system, Power train

   This needs to be heavily looked into. I see countless reports online and on NHTSA about "coolant" leaking onto components/wiring. Whatever it is, is definitely frying the electrical system. My info screen will state: "Transmission Malfunction: You can continue driving" and it'll go away a minute later, them beep again with the same message- then beep again- then go away- then come back again. etc etc etc. I recently a year or so ago got some coolant leak that was dripping on transmission wires below. I've seen this complaint too many times. Audi needs to investigate this issue and if this is a countless issue we need to be issued a proper TSB / recall. Here's some links to best help direct this issue: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/obdii-code-p2753-anyone-2886141/page2/ https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/transmission-fluid-cooler-control-circuit-error-2886938/ https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/help-p2753-issue-2999672/ The codes I get occasionally are: TCU Code: 12448 and OBDII Code: P2753

   NHTSA complaint 11466406
7. Filed Apr 4, 2022Failure Mar 25, 2022Ridgewood, NJEngine

   Greeting, I drove my car for a minor body repair and paint job at Midland Park Auto Body located at 158 Godwin Ave, Midland Park, NJ 07432 on March 22 2022. There were no signs on the dashboard for any services or repair when I dropped of the car. Warren the owner called me to let me know that the paint job was completed by had some bad news for me. The car would not start. He thought it was the starter that had malfunctioned. We decided to have the car inspected by Jack Daniels Audi of Paramus Service Center located at 16-01 McBride Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410. I have had this car serviced there since I bought the car from them. James a senior technician called Warren and told him that the engine was shot. He was surprised and shocked that the engine ceased working. The was enough oil in the engine, car had been serviced regularly with them. They told me it would cost about $25,000 to replace the engine. They also told me that they would ask Audi Corporate to see if they can assist me with. It has been about 4 days , there has been no response from Audi. I started to search on the internet to see if other consumer had experienced this problem. I found several. Did Audi know if their engines were malfunctioning ? What would happen if this car stopped when I was driving on a highway? This is very serious . Hope to hear from your team soon.

   NHTSA complaint 11459608
8. Filed Feb 1, 2022Failure Feb 1, 2022120,000 milesZephyrhills, FLFuel system, Gasoline

   The contact owns a 2012 Audi A6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a fuel odor was detected. Upon inspection, the contact noticed there was a fuel leak coming from the fuel line connector. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN and quoted a price for the fuel line replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

   NHTSA complaint 11449706
9. Filed Oct 9, 2021Failure Jul 8, 2021Orange, CAAdaptive cruise control

   My ACC is not working - I bought the car like that, and the dealer knew about it but did not tell me about it and bought the case as is... I did everything to try to fix it and changed the parts but still not working.

   NHTSA complaint 11436167
10. Filed Feb 24, 2021Failure Feb 23, 2021122,080 milesLOS Angeles, CAAir bags, Electrical system, Unknown or other

    I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO REPAIR FOR 2 RECALLS ON 2/22/21, THE NEXT DAY 2/23/21 THEY CALLED ME TELLING ME THAT I HAVE TO PAY $ 550.00 FOR THE REPAIR. ACCORDING TO DOWNTOWN AUDI TECH THE ECU OF MY VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER, BEFORE TAKING THE VEHICLE TO REPAIR THE RECALLS IT WAS IN GOOD CONDITION SINCE I CHANGED THE OIL AND CONNECTED MY SCANNER TO RESET THE MAINTENANCE MESSAGE ON THE VEHICLE DASHBOARD. THIS IS ABSURD THAT THEY WANT TO SCAM THEIR CUSTOMERS. NOW THEY WANT TO GIVE ME THE VEHICLE WITHOUT REPAIRING THE RECALLS AND WITH LIGHTS ON ON THE DASHBOARD OF MY VEHICLE, THIS IS NOT ETHICAL OR PROFESSIONAL.

    NHTSA complaint 11397718
11. Filed Nov 19, 2020Failure Nov 1, 2019110,000 milesEvansville, INAutomatic emergency braking, Service brakes

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, A MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATING THAT THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO D. PATRICK AUDI LOCATED AT 200 N GREEN RIVER RD, EVANSVILLE, IN 47715, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11375394
12. Filed Aug 11, 2020Failure Nov 20, 2018100,000 milesTroy, NYFuel/propulsion system

    I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE & NOTICED A FUEL SMELL. WHEN I GOT TO MY DESTINATION SHORTLY DOWN THE ROAD (~1 MILE) I INSPECTED MY ENGINE FOR THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL & FOUND FUEL LEAKING DOWN THE FRONT OF MY ENGINE FROM UNDER THE SUPERCHARGER. AFTER DISASSEMBLING THE TOP OF THE ENGINE I FOUND THE INJECTOR SUPPORTS TO BE THE OLD RECALLED PARTS (VERIFIED WITH ENGRAVED PART NUMBERS). I THEN CALLED THE AUDI DEALER THAT SUPPOSEDLY PERFORMED THE RECALL AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION. THEY WERE VERY DISMISSIVE & ADVISED ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN. AFTER A FEW DAYS (4-7) THEY ADVISED ME THEY WOULD BE HAVING A REPRESENTATIVE FROM AUDI COME LOOK AT IT. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT AUDI MULTIPLE TIMES FOR A LOANER VEHICLE WITH NO RESPONSE. AFTER MULTIPLE DAYS OF REACHING OUT, I SHOWED UP TO THE DEALER & WAS GIVEN A LOANER VEHICLE DUE TO THE KINDNESS OF ANOTHER ADVISOR. THE RECALL: 24AP FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM LEAK. IN THE AUDI NOTIFICATION TO THE NHTSA THEY SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT THE INJECTOR SUPPORT BEING REVISED UNDER "DESCRIPTION OF REMEDY" STATING " IMPLEMENTATION OF REINFORCED FUEL RAIL RETAINING BRACKET" & RECEIVED AN UPDATED PART NUMBER WHICH CHANGED FROM 06D133036H TO 06D133036K. I AM WORRIED MORE PEOPLE COULD HAVE THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL ISSUE DUE TO THE LACK OF CRAFTSMANSHIP SHOWN AT THAT DEALER. THE ISSUE COULD BE SWIFTLY COVERED UP IF THE CUSTOMER DOES NOT HAVE THE MECHANICAL INCLINATION TO VERIFY CORRECT WORK IS BEING PERFORMED ON THEIR VEHICLE.

    NHTSA complaint 11348634
13. Filed Apr 30, 2020Failure Apr 24, 2020117,000 milesOrlando, FLElectrical system

    WAS TOLD BY AUDI SOUTH ORLANDO THAT A WATER VALVE SEAPED COOLANT THROUGH THE CONNECTOR UP THROUGH THE WIRING AND INTO THE TRANS CONTROL MODULE CAUSING IT TO BURN OUT CAUSING A 14,000.00 CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

    NHTSA complaint 11322857
14. Filed Apr 9, 2020Failure Aug 1, 2019124,000 milesSpringboro, OHElectronic stability control (esc), Steering

    WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY STEERING SYSTEM FAULTED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING. RACK COMPLETELY FAILED. VERY VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. CAR ONLY HAS 124K MILES.

    NHTSA complaint 11320629
15. Filed Mar 23, 2020Failure May 6, 201420,031 milesFresno, CAPower train

    SHIFTS ROUGH FROM START THROUGH FIRST SET OF GEARS. FROM A STANDSTILL, UNDER NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, NO MATTER WHAT SETTING THE CAR IS IN, THE TRANSMISSION HUNTS FOR THE CORRECT GEAR AND ROUGHLY SHIFTS FROM 1-2 OR 2-3. THIS ISSUE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SETTLED BY THE CVT CLASS ACTION BUT AUDI IS REFUSING TO REPAIR/REPLACE. I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE SINCE 05-06/2014 AND FOR 9 TIMES SINCE UNTIL CPO WARRANTY AND EXTENDED WARRANTY LAPSED, NOW THEY FEEL THE PROBLEM WHEN BEFORE THEY COULD NOT AND DETERMINE THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACEMENT FOR $12,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11319084
16. Filed Mar 13, 2020Failure Mar 8, 2020122,000 milesJersey City, NJElectrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system

    RAN OBD READER MYSELF AND AT MECHANIC AND FOUND THE FOLLOWING; P0456 EVAP EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM (VERY SMALL LEAK) | LEAK DETECTED AND P190F00 COOLANT PUMP FOR CHARGE PRESSURE COOLER | ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION IN LOAD CIRCUIT. MECHANIC INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDS A SOFTWARE UPDATE REGARDING THE P0456 CODE AS NO LEAK WAS FOUND. ALSO THAT ONLY AUDI PERFORMS THIS UPDATE. REGARDING THE P190F00 CODE INFORMED ME THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL RECALLS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AS IT HAS BEEN CAUSING SOME SEVERE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ENGINE SHAKING, LOSS OF POWER, SQUEALING, WHINING NOISE NEAR OR AT TIMING BELT AREA AT START UP, DELAYED REACTION AT ACCELERATION ( TAKES A WHILE TO REACH DESIRED SPEEDS), TEMP GAUGE LOWERING DESPITE WARM UP, WARMING OF VEHICLE TAKING LONGER, UNABLE TO DRIVE OVER 30-40MPH AND RPM WON'T GO ABOVE 2000-2500 RPMS. ACCELERATION IS NOT AS RESPONSIVE AS IT SHOULD BE.

    NHTSA complaint 11317923
17. Filed Mar 5, 2020Failure Oct 7, 201998,000 milesHouston, TXPower train

    COOLANT MIGRATION INTO THE WIRING HARNESS. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN ON THE INTERSTATE CREATING UNSAFE CONDITION. DEALER STATED THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH A COOLANT VALVE FAILING. CREATES FIRE HAZARD BY ALLOWING COOLANT INTO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH CAN THEN DESTROY THE ECU ON THE VEHICLE

    NHTSA complaint 11316250
18. Filed Mar 4, 2020Failure Feb 25, 202089,900 milesWest Covina, CAEngine

    I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A RECALL REGARDING THE AFTER-RUN COOLANT PUMP ON DECEMBER 10TH TO 27,2019. THEY PERFORMED THE RECALL SERVICE. THEY CHARGED MY EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE SERVICE REPAIR. AT THE END OF JANUARY 2020 THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON AND ON 2/10/2020 THE AUDI DEALER INDICATED THAT THE AFTER-RUN COOLANT PUMP WAS DEFECTED BECAUSE IT WAS PLASTIC AND IT CAN CRACK EASILY WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY REPLACED IT.THEY SUGGESTED THAT I HAVE A FLUSH OF THE FLUIDS AND I TOLD THEM I WOULD LOOK OUTSIDE OF THE DEALER FOR THESE SERVICES. ON 2/23/2020 THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALER IS INDICATING THAT THERE WAS A BUILD UP OF DEBRIS AND IS CAUSING THE COOLANT PUMP TO MALFUNCTION. HOWEVER, THEY ARE STATING THAT THIS IS DUE TO MY NEGLIGENCE OF NOT FLUSHING THE FLUIDS. I ASKED WHY THE FLUID WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHANGED THE TWO TIMES THEY REPLACED THE COOLANT PUMP? THEY SAID THEY DO NOT FLUSH THE SYSTEM THEY ONLY PUT BACK WHAT WAS LOST DUE TO THE CHANGE OF PART. I TOOK MY CAR FOR A SECOND OPINION AND THE NEW MECHANIC CALLED THE AUDI DEALER TO GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. HE EXAMINED THE CAR AND REMOVED ALL PARTS IN QUESTION. HE INDICATED THAT THE AFTER-RUN COOLANT PUMP HAS A FILTER BAG THAT HAS BROKEN OPEN AND EXPELLED PELLETS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM. HE WILL NOW HAVE TO REPAIR THE ENTIRE COOLING SYSTEM TO ENSURE THAT THESE PELLETS ARE CLEARED OUT. HE INDICATES THIS IS BAD DESIGN ON THE MANUFACTURE AND THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE THE DEALER NOR HIM CAN WITH 100% CERTAINTY GET ALL THE PELLETS OUT. THESE PELLETS CAN STAY STUCK IN ANY COMPONENT OF THE COOLING SYSTEM AND DISLODGE AT ANY TIME AND CAUSE THE DAMAGE TO OCCUR AGAIN. CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COOLANT PUMP RECALL EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ALREADY REPLACED IT ONCE?

    NHTSA complaint 11316135
19. Filed Dec 13, 2019Failure Oct 15, 2019164,000 milesKeisterville, PASteering

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 AUDI A6. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START THE FOLLOWING DAY AND THE MESSAGE "STEERING MALFUNCTION DO NOT DRIVE" WAS DISPLAYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. AUDI OF CLARKSBURG (1 STONEYBROOK RD, CLARKSBURG, WVA) AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 164,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11288818
20. Filed Aug 17, 2019Failure Aug 1, 201963,000 milesWestport, CTPower train

    I JUST HAD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WHICH APERANTLY IS A BAD MECHATRONIC DEVICE. THANK GOD NOTHING BAD HAPPENED DURING DRIVING, HOWEVER WHEN I TALKED TO AUDI CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT ACOMMON PROBLEM AND THEY DONT WANT TO FIX IT. THE CAR IS 60K AND ALWAYS WAS TAKEN CARE IN DEALERSHIP SHOPS, ON TIME. USED ONLY 30 MILES A DAY AND ALWAYS KEPT INDORR BOTH AT MY WORK AND AT HOME. WHEN READING ONLINE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I LEARNT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND AUDI APPARENTLY NOT TRYING TO COVER OR SOLVE IT. I AM ATTACHING DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM FROM A WEBSITE (HTTPS://WWW.ECUTESTING.COM/COMMON-FAULTS/AUDI/AUDI-S-TRONIC-0B5-GEARBOX-MECHATRONIC-PROBLEM/) "THIS S-TRONIC TRANSMISSION UNIT FITTED TO HIGH PERFORMANCE AUDI'S, WITH THE 0B5 DL501 DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG), IS A VERY COMMON FAILING MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT. INTERNAL COMPONENT BREAKDOWN OF THE S-TRONIC MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT WILL CAUSE A MULTITUDE OF SYMPTOMS ON THE VEHICLE BEGINNING WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE EPC (ELECTRONIC POWER CONTROL) AND PRNDS WARNING LIGHTS. THE RUNNING SYMPTOMS THAT A FAULT WITHIN THIS MECHATRONIC...AS THE S-TRONIC/0B5 GEARBOX MECHATRONICS FAILURE ADVANCES, THESE SYMPTOMS PROGRESS FURTHER INTO CRITICAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE: STICKING IN GEAR, DEACTIVATION OF HALF OF THE GEARS, NO REVERSE OR GEARS ABOVE FIRST. TYPICALLY, WHEN DEALING WITH THESE AUDI S-TRONIC GEARBOX PROBLEMS, MAIN DEALERSHIPS AND SPECIALISTS WILL SEEK TO PURCHASE AN EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR KIT DIRECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER, WHICH WILL ALSO INCUR CODING FEES. THE GLARING PROBLEM WITH THIS METHOD IS THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT HAS NOT YET RESOLVED THE ROOT CAUSE OF FAILURE AT FACTORY LEVEL, MEANING THAT ALL REPLACEMENTS AND REPAIR KIT COMPONENTS STILL HAVE THE UNDERLYING DEFECTS THAT WILL CAUSE MALFUNCTION, USUALLY OUTSIDE THE SHORT ONE-YEAR MANUFACTURER WARRANTY."

    NHTSA complaint 11244691