2018 Audi A6 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (2) · Power Train (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Audi A6 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail 2019-01-16 · campaign 19V035000 · 74,881 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Q7, A6 and A7 vehicles, and 2015-2018 Audi A8 vehicles. The left and right fuel rails may leak fuel.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase risk of a fire.
Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the left and right fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 24DP.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2018-06-04 · campaign 18V370000 · 139,249 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (702)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-22 · TSB_2020552_15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides service information regarding exterior glass cleaning.
Structure:body 2026-09-18 · TSB_2078648_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about billing for a broken sunroof glass panel.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Showing the 6 most recent of 702 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-12 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“february 27, at approximately 1:20am my vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway after sitting for about 9 hours. the fire originated near the gas tank. the fire department was called, there is a fire report being conducted. audi was notified.…”
2026-03-12 · Air Bags“audi is unable to correct the recall repairs despite several attempts by us to schedule. advised parts are no longer available and were not available during 2 previous attempts to repair.…”
2024-03-27 · Engine“2018 audi a6 3.0t diagnosed a coolant leak due to water pump failure at less than 43k miles on march 27, 2024. in july 2023 (at less than 39k miles), the vehicle's thermostat was replaced due to a coolant leak. these are substantial failures in terms of risk to engine damage and cost to consumer, within a time and mileage period where a consumer s…”
2023-12-29 · Engine“the main water pump failed earlier than expected at 48000miles. dealer mentioned that water pump should not fail so early…”
2023-12-08 · Engine“coolant leak, warning light signified an issue with the cooling system. took vehicle to audi dealership service department; they confirmed there is a big coolant leak with the coolant pump and thermostat. vehicle inspected by audi sewell dealership for repairs. symptoms appeared approximately 11/19/23, 2 weeks days prior to taking into the deal…”
2023-10-17 · Engine · 52,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 audi a6. the contact stated that the epc and engine warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was notified of an unstated recall. the contact called the local dealer and was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired…”
2023-10-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the epc light came on in my vehicle and i noticed i started to lose gas faster than normal. took it to a shop to get diagnosed, they stated that my vehicle was under a recall (recall #24dp). i called audi and they said i do not fall under the warranty even though the website said 2016-2018 audi a6 were under recall. they would not provide any help …”
2023-06-30 · Engine“2018 audi a6 3.0t, vin [xxx] at 38,637 miles, audi dealership diagnosed that vehicle requires water pump replacement due to water pump failure, causing vehicle to leak coolant. the vehicle has previously displayed a low coolant warning light prior to water pump failure diagnosis. my research has found that in october 2022, a class action suit wa…”
2022-02-14 · Unknown Or Other“while driving at 60mph on the freeway, the glass sunroof on my 2018 audi a6 randomly exploded/shattered. glass shards flew into the cabin. there was no apparent “rock” or outside influence on the glass to cause it to shatter. the remaining glass remnants on the sunroof were angled up as if to suggest an explosion. …”
2020-11-02 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 11,800 mi“at slow speed and particularly when starting from stationary, such as stopped to wait to turn left, the car stalls for 2-3 seconds, suggesting that it isn't getting fuel. once moving, the car runs fine. i have taken the car to the audi dealer twice. the problem remains. the car only has 14,800 miles on it. it's been happening since i bought the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.