2019 Audi A6 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
114 owner complaints analyzed
7 distinct recall campaigns
1,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2019 model year. Data snapshot: . 17 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 83 of 114 complaints (72.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and battery issues | 67 | 58.8% |
| Steering behavior | 30 | 26.3% |
| Transmission and shifting | 22 | 19.3% |
| Braking behavior | 20 | 17.5% |
| Engine operation | 4 | 3.5% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 83 |
| Engine | 32 |
| Power Train | 15 |
| Steering | 12 |
| Unknown Or Other | 11 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | 6 |
| Service Brakes | 6 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 5 |
Electrical System: 83; Engine: 32; Power Train: 15; Steering: 12; Unknown Or Other: 11; Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings: 6; Service Brakes: 6; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 5
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 16 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 16; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (16). 97 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 21 |
| 2023 | 51 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 9 |
2019: 6; 2020: 5; 2021: 6; 2022: 21; 2023: 51; 2024: 13; 2025: 3; 2026: 9
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 67 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 30 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 22 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11431540 · 2021-09-02 (September 2, 2021)
I was slowing down to stop at a traffic light when a message was displayed on the instrument panel that says "Electrical System Malfunction" with a yellow battery icon. A few seconds later the same "Electrical System Malfunction" with a red battery icon. Then the vehicle came to a complete stop and was inoperable. There was almo smoke coming from the hood near the positive battery terminal. The smoke had an electrical smell to it. I had no opportunity to pull over and was stuck in the middle of a very busy road right at the stop line of the tra…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11431540 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11438559 · 2021-10-28 (October 28, 2021)
I was driving on highway. There was a message "Electric system malfunction" with a yellow battery icon. A few seconds late the same message " electic system malfunction" with a red battery icon then the vehicle completely stoped on the highway .
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11438559 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11350427 · 2020-08-20 (August 20, 2020)
CAR HAS A LANE KEEPING ASSISTANT WHICH IS AGGRESSIVE. CAR DOESN'T ALLOW YOU TO PASS PARKED VEHICLE SUCH AS A UPS DELIVERY TRUCK, PEDESTRIANS OR BICYCLISTS WITHOUT TRYING TO STEER YOU BACK TOWARD THE OBJECT, VEHICLE OR BICYCLIST YOU'RE TRYING TO PASS BY PULLING TO THE LEFT TOWARD CENTER ROADWAY LINES. ALMOST STRUCK A UPS TRUCK AFTER CAR ABRUPTLY STEERED CAR BACK TOWARD THE STOPPED TRUCK, ALSO OCCURED TWICE WHILE PASSING BICYCLISTS AND ONCE WITH A PEDESTRIAN. I ALSO HAD TROUBLE MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEED, SIGNAL LIGHTS DID N…
Owner-reported narrative. 5,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 11350427 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11395583 · 2021-02-10 (February 10, 2021)
AUGUST 25, 2020 TRAVELING WB ON I-90 [MASS TURNPIKE] PASSING AND 18 WHEEL TRACTOR TRAILER WITH AN UNMARKED WHITE BOX TRAILER. TRUCK 'WEAVED' TO THE LEFT INTO MY DRIVING LANE AS I WAS OVERTAKING IT. I SWERVED TO THE LEFT TO AVOID CONTACT OF MY 2019 AUDI A6 PREMIUM PLUS AT ABOUT THE A PILLAR AND THE REAR WHEEL AREA OF THE BOX TRAILER. IN MY EVASIVE ACTION THE CAR'S LANE KEEPING ASSISTANT ACTIVATED AS I WAS ABOUT TO CROSS THE LINES ON MY LEFT SIDE TO AVOID THE TRUCK, THE CAR TOOK CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND AGGRESSIVELY STEERING THE CAR BACK AT TH…
Owner-reported narrative. 6,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11395583 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11486347 · 2022-09-26 (September 26, 2022)
Today, car showed electrical problem then leading to steering problem, transmission problem, all sensors shutting off, all thro flashing one by one alarms and messages on dash and then coming to a complete halt. It would not allow me to come out and locked me in. I could see that the locks were kicking in so took a micro second gap between unlock and auto lock to get out of the car forcefully. I have had situations when in traffic light, the car wouldn’t move back from neutral to drive unless I tried couple of times, but this was horrible in…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11486347 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11494080 · 2022-11-18 (November 18, 2022)
Multiple warnings indicating to contact dealer (Lane departure, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, etc) then 1 minute later transmission failure and engine failure imminent.... pull over immediately and contact dealer. I turned into a road off main highway within a minute of the last two warnings and as I turned, my center MMI went blank then my electronic dash went blank, transmission went into neutral and the engine died all within a few seconds. Fortunately I was able to coast to a stop in the parking lot. Flatbed towed to dealer …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11494080 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11186086 · 2019-03-12 (March 12, 2019)
AUDI WESTMONT LEASED ME A BRAND NEW 2019 A6 LAST NOVEMBER 12, 2018. THEY CLAIM "ALL" OF AUDI'S 2019 A6'S COME WITH "SUMMER TIRES" ON THEM AND GETTING AN "ALL SEASON" OR "WINTER" TIRE IS NOT POSSIBLE UNLESS I PAY ANOTHER $2,690.83 FOR FOUR MORE "WHEELS AND WINTER TIRES". I DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR TWO MONTHS ON THEIR "SUMMER TIRES" BRIDGESTONE TURANZA T005 SUMMER TIRES. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITH LESS THAN ONE INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, I TOTALLY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE BRAKING. MY WIFE REFUSED TO RIDE AGAIN WITH ME WITH THE TIRES TH…
Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11186086 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11253328 · 2019-09-05 (September 5, 2019)
MY 6 WEEK OLD AUDI A6 WAS TOTALED WHEN I WAS DRIVING 20 MPH! I LOOKED DOWN TO CHECK MY ODOMETER, AND WITHIN THAT TIME, NO WARNING SIGNALS , BRAKES, ETC. ALERTED ME! THIS CAR HAD ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES! THAT MORNING I WAS ON A TREE LINED DRIVE TO THE TENNIS COURTS! NO ALERTS! HIT A TREE AND ALL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED! TREMENDOUS IMPACT FOR 20 MPH! I WAS ALL BANGED UP, CAR TOTALED! I AM STILL IN DISBELIEF...THOUGHT I HAD THE WORLD'S SAFEST CAR. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD A PROBLEM???
Owner-reported narrative. 750 miles reported. Look up ODI 11253328 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11299645 · 2020-01-15 (January 15, 2020)
I ACQUIRED THIS CAR (2.0T) TWO NIGHTS AGO AND ON THREE OCCASIONS (SO FAR) THE ENGINE COMPLETELY STALLS WHEN THE CAR COMES TO A STOP. NOT THE TYPICAL AUTO ON/OFF FEATURE FUNCTION. I HAVE TO RESTART THE IGNITION AND PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AGAIN. ONCE, EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. SO FAR, THE ONLY CONSISTENT SCENARIO IS WHEN I AM ON THE SECOND LEG OF A TRIP. FOR EXAMPLE, I GET IN THE CAR AT MY OFFICE, DRIVE TO A STORE OR DAYCARE. GET BACK IN THE CAR, START UP, DRIVE A COUPLE OF MILES AND THE CAR SHUTS DOWN AT A COMPLETE STOP. VERY UNNERV…
Owner-reported narrative. 150 miles reported. Look up ODI 11299645 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11329769 · 2020-06-19 (June 19, 2020)
AT A STOP LIGHT THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF COMPLETELY REQUIRING YOU TO RESTART THE CAR. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND HAPPENS WHEN THE AUTO ON/OFF IS ON OR OFF. LEADS TO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHEN IN CITY TRAFFIC OR STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ON HIGHWAY. TWO TRIPS TO AUDI AND THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES ON THE ENGINE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. MAKES FOR VERY NERVOUS DRIVING WHEN EVERY STOP LIGHT MAY CAUSE YOUR CAR TO STALL. MOST RECENT ISSUE THE CAR WOULD RE-START AND IMMEDIATELY STALL, AND THEN STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11329769 at NHTSA ↗