2011 Audi A6 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jun 15, 2026 · 21 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other A6 years
Fewer complaints than other years 20th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Audi A6. That ranks 20th out of 32 A6 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (12 complaints, 57%), typically at around 61,500 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 injury. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.

Audi A6
Audi_A6_C9_IAA_2025 at IAA 2025. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2011 Audi A6 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags12 · ~61,500 mi
Electrical System3 · ~6,500 mi
Seats3 · ~62,000 mi
Engine2
Equipment1
Power Train1 · ~2,000 mi
Steering1
Unknown or Other1
Vehicle Speed Control1
Wheels1 · ~10,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags1257%61,500——
Electrical System314%6,500——
Seats314%62,000——
Engine210%———
Equipment15%———
Power Train15%2,000——
Steering15%———
Unknown or Other15%———
Vehicle Speed Control15%———
Wheels15%10,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 7 complaints
2011: 1201112012: 1201212013: 1201312016: 7201672017: 4201742018: 4201842020: 1202012026: 220262

n = 21 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2011 Audi A6 recalls (3)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJun 22, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V427000 · 237,947 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan, 2007-2008 RS4 Sedan, 2004 RS4 Cabriolet, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2005-2011 A6 Sedan, 2006-2011 A6 Avant, and 2007-2011 S6 Sedan vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag with an alternate remedy part, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R7. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V382, 17V032 and 18V004 and includes vehicles that may have had their air bag previously replaced under one of those campaigns.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJan 4, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V004000 · 10,166 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Audi A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles, ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet vehicles, and 2009-2011 Audi A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Audi mailed an interim owner notification March 02, 2018. When parts to perform the recall repair become available, Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69U1. Note: This recall has been superseded by 18V427.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleJun 1, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V382000 · 194,453 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2008 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Volkswagen is recalling model year 2004 Audi A4 vehicles originally sold, or registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The car throw a EPC warning light which cause the car to go n limp mode. With doing research ot has to do with the transmission. This cause the car to drive sluggish unable to reverse at times unable to take the car out of park at times. It also cause the car to randomly shut off when reversing or…

Electrical System · received Jun 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11744229

2011 Audi A6 seems to be overlooked compared to the rest of the Audi’s yet the Audi has so many different issues such as timing chain such as water pump, such as brake issues, such as rack pinion yet there hasn’t been anyone investigating this in particular make a model it needs to be done for…

Engine · received Feb 13, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11717713

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, WHEN HE CRASHED (T-BONED) ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES ON HIS 2 LOWER DISC AND REQUIRED SURGERY AND ALSO HAD BACK…

Air Bags · received Sep 29, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11361879

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 audi a6. The contact stated that nhtsa campaign number: 18v004000 (air bags) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The dealer (audi greenwich, 181 west putnam avenue, greenwich, ct 06830) stated that the parts were not available for the repair…

Air Bags · received Jul 31, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11114935

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI TACOMA…

Air Bags · received Jul 12, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11110954

Other Audi A6 years

← 2010 A6 · 2012 A6 →

See all Audi A6 problems by year, every Audi model, or the Audi VIN decoder.

Similar Audi models

Embed this 2011 Audi A6 badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Audi A6?

Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, seats problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 12 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2011 Audi A6?

Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2011 Audi A6 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other A6 model years, the 2011 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.