Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2001 Audi A6 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I was driving about 67 on the open highway and was struck from behind by another vehicle. I lost control of my car and careened into a guard rail. I went unconscious and when I woke I was badly injured. All the air bags in car had deployed except for the driver's airbag. As a consequence, I sustained severe damages to my ribs and neck. I am lucky to be alive.
AIR BAG LIGHT ON
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 AUDI A6. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BODY, INCLUDING MINOR HEARING LOSS IN THE LEFT EAR. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CONTROL MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON COUPLE OF MONTHS AND I CHECKED WITH LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THEY TOLD ME THE COMPUTER SAYS THE SIDE DRIVER'S AIRBAG HAS A PROBLEM AND IT WON'T DEPLOY WHEN I HAVE AN ACCIDENT. I DIDN'T FIX IT AT THAT TIME. AFTER 6 OR 8 MONTHS, I WAS DRIVING AND STOPPED ON SIGNAL. ALL OF SUDDEN, THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT. I GOT INJURED FROM THE AIR BAG ON MY LEFT ARM. AFTER THAT, I COULD SEE SOME SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE CABIN AND SMELLS SOMETHING IS BURNING. RIGHT NOW, THE CAR IS IN AUDI DEALER TO BE INVESTIGATED. *TR
THE CONSUMER WAS GOING ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN SHE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE A PULLED IN FRONT OF VEHICLE B AND STOPPED SHORT, FORCING VEHICLE B TO REAR END VEHICLE A. IN THE PROCESS, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. OWNER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT HIT AT THE RIGHT ANGLE TO ACTIVATE THE AIR BAGS. *AK THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS FLASHED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, THE POWER UNIT BENEATH THE FLOOR BOARD WAS SOAKING WET AND HAD SHORTED OUT, THE CONSOLE UNDER THE GEAR SHIFT WAS SO HOT THAT IT COULD NOT BE TOUCHED, THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK. *SC *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
CONSUMER STATED VIA E-MAIL I FUMANI SHISANA WHILE DRIVING ON JUNE 3 2004 HIT A PATCH OF WATER IN THE ROAD. VEHICLE STARTED SLIDING FROM SIDE TO SIDE UNCONTROLLABLY. TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT SLID OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE GRASS ON DRIVER'S SIDE. CONSUMER REMOVED SAFETY BELT AND JUMPED OUT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER'S DOOR. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. WHILE REACHING INTO THE VEHICLE TO RETRIEVE CELLULAR PHONE CONSUMER NOTICED FLAMES EMERGING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE INDICATOR LIGHT. THEN, VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. CONSUMER NARROWLY ESCAPED WITH HIS LIFE. REPORTED INCIDENT TO THE POLICE AND VOLKSWAGEN AUDI. VOLKSWAGEN AUDI SEEMED TO ACT QUIT SLOWLY ON TAKING ACTION TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH IN A RAIN STORM VEHICLE SWERVED AND LOST CONTROL, CAUSING IT TO CRASH HEAD ON INTO A WALL. UPON IMPACT, NONE OF THE SIX AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. TWO WEEKS LATER, CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE AIR BAG ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. DRIVER SUSTAINED NECK AND BACK INJURIES. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN VERY COLD SNOWY WEATHER MY AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHED THEN STAYED ON. THIS OCCURRED 3 TIMES DURING THE WINTER MONTHS AND HAS NOT REOCCURRED DURING WARMER MONTHS. AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR THE LIGHT WENT OFF. ACCORDING TO THE DRIVERS MANUAL THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY WITH LIGHT ON. ACCORDING TO ODI 756137 WITH SAME SYMPTOMS INDICATES NO AIRBAG WILL FUNCTION EVEN WITH AIRBAG LIGHT OUT AFTER THE INTERMITTENT LIGHT FLASHING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER 2 TIMES, BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE PROBLEM AND WOULD NOT REPLACE ANYTHING. DEALER TOLD ME UNLESS THERE IS A SOLID FAILURE OR THEY CAN DUPLICATE IT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN GETTING RUN AROUND. CALLED AUDI CUSTOMER SERVICE (REF# 40192796), BUT HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING. *AK
THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS HIT AT 40 MPH RESULTING IN INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *MR *JG *NLM
WHILE DRIVING AIR BAGS DEPLOYED PREMATURELY. CONSUMER DID NOT HIT ANYTHING IN THE STREET. CONSUMER SUSTAINE D SOME INJURIES TO ARM AND LEFT HAND. *AK
REAR PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT A CRASH.*AK
FOLLOW-UP INFO TO ODI NUMBER: 756137 - I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE PART REQUIRED TO FIX THIS DEFECT IS ON NATIONWIDE BACKORDER - THIS SUGGEST THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD - THE CAR WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO THE OWNER UNTIL THE REPAIR IS MADE SUGGESTING THAT THE MFR UNDERSTANDS THE SEVERITY OF THIS ISSUE - THIS IS A BASIC SAFETY COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE AND VEHCILES ARE APPARENTLY SHIPPING WITH THE AIRBAG INOPERATIVE!!! NO SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
SINCE PURCHASED, AIR BAG LIGHT HAS INTERMITTENLY FLASHED INDICATING AN AIR BAG RELATED PROBLEM - DEALER INDICATES AIR BAG CONTROLLER MUST BE REPLACED AND THAT AIR BAG HAS BEEN NON-FIUNCTIONAL ALL THIS TIME (SINCE PURCHASE) - AIRBAG CONTROLLER PART IS NOT STOCKED AT DEALER AND REQUIRES 7 DAYS TO OBTAIN - THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM AS THEN PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE WHEN CAR IS RETURNED FOR SERVICE - AS IT IS, CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN (NO AIRBAG) SO MUST BE LEFT AT DEALER - SERVICE TECH MENTIONED THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON OTHER AUDI'S SUGGESTING THIS COULD BE WIDESPREAD AND VERY DANGEROUS AS OCCUPANT HAS NO IDEA AIRBAG IS NOT FUNCTIONAL. *AK
FRONT CRASH AT 25-30 MPH, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE $ 14000. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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