2012 Audi A6: problems, recalls and reliability
8 recalls and 59 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (17% of complaints); the 2010 and 2011 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 59 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Nov 2022
“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.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Feb 2022
“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.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Jul 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Feb 2021
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2020
“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.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Nov 2019
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Oct 2019
“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”Owner report · Power Train · Oct 2019
“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.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Aug 2019
“Takata recal....this was taken to dealer in 2015 for the recall and fixed. Recently the air bag warning light came on and remained on. I took it to the dealer and was told the recall was for the ocd, not the module....they found a "faulty control module". The module is part of the ABS system. The ABS module and the airbag control model communicate together. I believe this should be a part of the recall on the airbag system. The module has been reset for now.....to replace.....that part costs $1456.00”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2019
Recalls - 8 campaigns
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 and Audi A7 vehicles. The affected vehicles have a fuel hose in the engine compartment that may degrade and leak fuel.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the under hood fuel pump and fuel hose, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BZ.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Audi A6 and A7 vehicles. The fuel line has a compression point that can weaken, potentially resulting in a fuel leak.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-888-237-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AR.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 vehicles manufactured March 28, 2011, to March 25, 2013, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles manufactured January 25, 2011, to March 19, 2013. In vehicles with heated and cooled seats, the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS), used to enable the front passenger air bags, may malfunction and prevent the passenger-side air bags from deploying in a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D1.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL 2012 AUDI A6 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 8, 2011, THROUGH MAY 26, 2011. DUE TO A PROBLEM IN THE STITCHING PROCESS OF THE CURTAIN AIR BAG, THE SEAM OF THE AIR BAG MAY NOT BE STITCHED PROPERLY.
Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY ALL OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND/OR RIGHT CURTAIN AIR BAG FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact A6 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Audi A6 reliable?
NHTSA has 59 owner complaints and 8 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Audi A6. The most complained-about area is air bags (17% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 Audi A6 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 69,000 miles or less.
Does the 2012 Audi A6 have open recalls?
8 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.