What breaks most · 1994 to 2019 model years
Audi A6 problems by year
Owners have filed 1,325 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi A6 across model years 1994 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1999 for electrical system complaints, 2000 for electrical system complaints and 1998 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 2015 and 1995.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 2015, 1995
- Complaints on file
- 13251994 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999215 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5767 fires · 56 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 74kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 112Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 51 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 20 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 128 | 6 | 10 | Fuel system (29) | |
| 215 | 12 | 9 | Electrical system (37) | |
| 147 | 4 | 4 | Electrical system (36) | |
| 110 | 10 | 7 | Engine and cooling (18) | |
| 83 | 5 | 4 | Engine and cooling (15) | |
| 65 | 1 | 7 | Fuel system (16) | |
| 34 | 1 | 4 | Fuel system (5) | |
| 88 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (42) | |
| 63 | 3 | 4 | Air bags (38) | |
| 52 | 4 | 4 | Air bags (31) | |
| 68 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (47) | |
| 19 | 0 | 4 | Air bags (16) | |
| 17 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (11) | |
| 18 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (11) | |
| 39 | 0 | 8 | Air bags (13) | |
| 36 | 2 | 6 | Air bags (15) | |
| 19 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (5) | |
| 10 | 1 | 4 | Engine (3) | |
| 18 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (6) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (4) | |
| 2 | 1 | 7 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 1999 Audi A6
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
37 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 14% |
31 | 5 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 12% |
26 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 11% |
24 | 2 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
19 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
17 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
15 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Audi A6 |
| Fuel System, Other | 7% |
15 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Smoke erupted through vent system. Pulled car to side of road and family of 4 evacuated. Within 90 seconds, the dash erupted into flames. Interior/dash etc. Was totally destroyed. Motor compartment untouched by fire. Seems to have occurred in electrical system. Have pictures of fire and fire dept response.
-
First the car ran hot no temp have came on had to replace motor .....the cooling fan broke made of plastic and cut my serpentine belt into ......then the car flooded and ruined the comfort control module had to replace this now the front axel is broke and the boots fell apart and the ball joints are no good......
-
I am experiencing an issue with my vehicle that was recalled by the factory audi ag but my vehicle was not listed as one of the recalled vehicle. I am afraid of getting stranded due to an improper fuel reading. Please address this accordingly, thank you.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Audi A6 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 1998 carry the most filings on the Audi A6. The 1999 alone has 215 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Audi A6 problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 37 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi A6 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi A6 complaints that include mileage is about 74,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.