RoadVitals

2019 Audi A6 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
113
Latest Jul 8, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
12
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2019 Audi A6, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

84
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The central locking / electronic door lock system on my 2019 Audi A6 intermittently malfunctions, sometimes with a long beep sound and an error message appearing on the screen in front of my steering wheel. The affected system is available for inspection upon request. The issue does not happen all the time, but the door sometimes fails to unlock or appears to re-lock while I am trying to open it. In late April 2026, in the morning, I was leaving YogaSource in [XXX] . As I approached my vehicle in the parking lot, an unstable individual was approaching the area near my car. I attempted to enter the vehicle quickly for safety, but the central locking system malfunctioned. As I tried to unlock and open the door, the vehicle appeared to lock again and the door would not open. I was temporarily locked out of the vehicle during a potentially unsafe situation. The door eventually opened only after I pushed the door inward with force, locked and unlocked the vehicle again, and tried the handle again. This created a very concerning safety risk because I could not immediately access my vehicle when I needed to get inside quickly as the individual approached me. The problem has not yet been fully reproduced or confirmed by a dealer to my knowledge. I previously mentioned the central locking issue during service and asked whether there was a recall. I was told there was no recall and that a lock replacement would cost approximately $850. The issue I have been experiencing appears consistent with Audi Technical Service Bulletin XXX/5, which applies to 2019 to 2024 Audi A6 models and describes central locking / door lock concerns and related fault codes. Because the defect is intermittent, it may be difficult to reproduce, but it creates a safety concern because the driver may be unable to access the vehicle when needed. I tolerated this issue for a while now, but now I realize what a big safety concern it really is and I'm surprised that a recall has not been issued. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

NHTSA ID 11736719 · filed May 9, 2026

Shortly after purchasing in 2025 I began having occasional issues with the door locks. Eventually the issue would self resolve but now I have experienced at least 2 times in last month being locked inside the vehicle and unable to exit without climbing into the passenger seat. I have not taken it in for repairs yet due to cost concerns but I am worried about this dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID 11733922 · filed Apr 27, 2026
All 84 reports naming electrical

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

31
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

My 2019 Audi A6 was diagnosed with catastrophic internal engine failure on May 9, 2026 at Audi of Newton, Newton, NJ, at 93,645 miles. The vehicle required a full engine rebuild performed by REV Auto NJ at a cost of $12,000. The failure involved metal debris found in the engine oil, consistent with the documented EA839 3.0L V6 TFSI rocker arm needle bearing failure or piston skirt failure affecting this engine family. The EA839 engine used in this vehicle has a documented history of design defects: (1) Rocker arm needle bearings in early production engines were undersized and prone to disintegration, releasing metal debris into the oil supply and destroying camshaft lobes, balance shafts, and pistons. Audi silently revised the rocker arm part number three times (06M109417H -> 06M109417L -> 0P2109417), with the final revision featuring bearings twice the size of the originals - evidence of a known design defect. No recall was issued. (2) Audi of America issued a Piston Skirt Limited Warranty Extension in 2025 to 8 years/80,000 miles for EA839 piston failures. Independent engineering analysis by 034Motorsport, backed by laboratory testing, confirms that the EA839 piston design creates failure paths even under stock, unmodified conditions. Audi of America has not issued a safety recall for this engine failure pattern despite multiple documented failures across the A6, A7, A8, S4, S5, SQ5, Q7, and Q8 platforms sharing this engine. The failure mode - metal debris circulating through the lubrication system - poses a risk of sudden, complete engine loss while driving at highway speeds, creating an unreasonable safety risk to vehicle occupants and other motorists. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the EA839 3.0T engine for a potential safety-related defect and consider whether a recall is warranted across the affected model population. I have incurred $12,000 in repair costs for a defect that evidence strongly suggests is a design flaw, not a maintenance issue.

NHTSA ID 11749217 · filed Jul 8, 2026

I recently brought my 2019 A6 to Nyack Audi for an unrelated repair, after performing their complimentary inspection the service advisor told me my water pump was leaking coolant into the vacuum hose system; and the pump, PCV valve, sensors, solenoids and vacuum hose system need to be replaced, costing $6,186. My A6 was out of warranty at that point, so Audi would not pay for the $6,186 in repairs. Engine coolant purportedly leaks into the vacuum system and other electrical components, causing contamination of the vacuum system. Leaking coolant will cause an overheated engine and possible FAILURE of the (EA839)engine and even the turbocharger . Today I did some online research line research and discovered a class action lawsuit involving their 1.8 & 2.0 engine water pumps which failed prematurely for the same reason. A major class-action settlement (Zhao v. Volkswagen Group of America) was approved covering certain 2014–2021 Audi vehicles equipped with 1.8L and 2.0L engines. And now, there is a class action involving the 2.9 & 3.0 V6 engines; “the lawsuit alleges the water pumps are defective in Audi's 2.9-liter and 3.0-liter EA839 V-6s; these engines were available in nearly every Audi model on sale from the 2018 to 2024 model years. The lawsuit—Larr, et al., v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., et al. —has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey”. Apparently, Audi has know about this issue since at least 2018 and done nothing to try and resolve it. Please put the pressure of the federal government on Audi to settle the lawsuit, DO THE RIGHT THING and cover the cost of repairs. Also find a solution to prevent this from happening to other Audi owners. I can’t afford $6,186 for a repair, nor go purchase a different vehicle…..Rock & a hard place. Please help. Thank you .

NHTSA ID 11744302 · filed Jun 15, 2026
All 31 reports naming engine

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

15
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Car flashed several warning signs, electrical system malfunction, steering malfunction, lane assist malfunction, and finally powertrain system malfunction where car was barely driveable at very slow speed, died and I luckily was able to pull over and coast into a parking spot.

NHTSA ID 11571754 · filed Feb 13, 2024

The car gave me electrical malfunction warning while driving on the highway, then all the screens turned black, and the car completely shut down while driving. The steering was still working, although heavier than usual, and the breaking also worked. The car slow down to a complete stop at the shoulder of the highway. This was very concerning, and thankfully happened close on exit with a shoulder at the side in which I was able to park the car.

NHTSA ID 11568315 · filed Jan 28, 2024
All 15 reports naming powertrain (other)

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

14
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Electrical malfunction warning. Steering wheel got tight. Transmission failure warning. Then the the car began to stop. all types of various warnings were popping up on the heads up display. It is in the process of getting taken to the nearest dealer.

NHTSA ID 11576416 · filed Mar 9, 2024

When backing up the car the cameras don't turn on and often times the collision sensors go off randomly. On the highway the emergency brakes go off randomly when a car passes by on the right-hand side of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID 11573334 · filed Feb 22, 2024
All 14 reports naming driver assistance

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

12
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Yellow battery indicator light came on while driving car in 35 degree weather after a week of sitting in garage (holidays). I pulled over, read the manual and it said this could cause battery light to illuminate. I called the dealership service to ask them, they said possible reason. I decided to drive across city to dealership, 25 minutes away. On HOV lane, red warning lights flashing to pull over then 5 seconds later everything went black. No electrical, no engine, car died. VERY DANGEROUS!! Read later that this has been happening on Audi A6 (& other models) for 2+ years. Towed to dealership and they have had 1.5 weeks and still not fixed.

NHTSA ID 11636241 · filed Jan 16, 2025

After heavy down pour, the car was driven while the streets were still very wet. The car was driven through a 2 - 3 inch puddle of water that lasted less than 1 second, which caused a splash to the passenger side of the car, (the middle of the street did not have an accumulation of water) and within 30 secs caused the power steering warning light came on. This was not a flooded street, just the normal accumulation of water on the side of a residential curbed street. The steering immediately started to stiffen up and required increased effort to turn the steering wheel. The first warning lamp was yellow and stated that continued driving was still allowed, but after about 3 min the lamp turned red, and the message indicated "Steering malfunction, Do not drive vehicle". This occurred on a street where the speed limit was 30 mph, so safety at that time was not a big issue, but if this had happened on street where increased speed and more turning was required, safety could be a big issue if this happened suddenly. I was able to get the car to a nearby shop within 5 min, and the next day moved the car to the Audi West Houston. Audi has identified the power steering rack as faulty is in the process of replacing the electric power steering rack assembly. This car is a 2019 AUDI A6 with only 41k miles.

NHTSA ID 11587892 · filed May 9, 2024
All 12 reports naming steering

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

6
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Complete shut down of all electrical associated components while driving on highway Loss of power steering loss of braking loss of ability to accelerate transmission failure loss of lane detection, loss of car detection. Diagnosed as , faulty alternator recall repaired and continuation of same electrical failures despite six additional repairs Multiple failures of all electrical components on highway road and side roads

NHTSA ID 11732943 · filed Apr 22, 2026

Car slowed down and shut off in the middle of the road.

NHTSA ID 11569865 · filed Feb 5, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Side marker light in headlight stopped working

NHTSA ID 11604245 · filed Jul 24, 2024

-Total electrical system failure (dealer confirmed starter generator). -After a short time of cautions followed by warnings, engine and all electrical components quit working. (no hazard lights). no way to warn other drivers on the road or highway to a malfunctioning vehicle -dealer confirmed starter generator needs replacement. waiting on part (60+ days and counting) -caution and warnings started appearing about 15 miles before the car became completely underivable. (every electrical system caution began appearing followed by warnings of impending engine shutdown)

NHTSA ID 11504910 · filed Feb 1, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Body & structure

Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The rear electronic child safety lock on my 2019 Audi A6 does not function as intended. When activated, the lock does not reliably engage or disengage, allowing the rear door to be opened from the inside when it should be locked. We only began using the child safety lock after having a baby, at which time the malfunction was discovered. This creates a potential child safety risk, as the rear door may be opened from the inside when the child safety lock is expected to prevent this. The vehicle has not been modified, and the issue occurs under normal operating conditions. The dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the repair would require replacement of the rear door latch/actuator but declined coverage due to the vehicle being out of warranty.

NHTSA ID 11706496 · filed Dec 22, 2025

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???

NHTSA ID 11253328 · filed Sep 5, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The Alternator had failed along with the battery and shut off the car, rendering it useless on the road. The vehicle is still under the New Car Warranty. It was a hazard as it could not be put into neutral and was stuck in park. The dealer had confirmed it was a manufacturer-wide problem with waits of up to 3-6 months for the part. The tow truck had difficulty towing it up as the car was not able to roll. Before the car shut off immediately it had given the warning "Electrical System: Malfunction! Please Contact Service, as well as Auto Start Stop System: Malfunction!".

NHTSA ID 11551281 · filed Oct 23, 2023

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 UNNERVING ON A BRAND NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT. I'VE LOOKED ACROSS THE INTERNET AND IT SEEMS TO BE QUITE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE FOR VW AND AUDI DRIVERS OF RECENT MODEL CARS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

NHTSA ID 11299645 · filed Jan 15, 2020

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

255/40/R20 Tires thread separated Tires were purchased 10/14/2021 At Audi of Fort Myers

NHTSA ID 11622820 · filed Oct 30, 2024

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 THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. I FINALLY WENT BACK IN AND HAD TO PURCHASE FROM THEM FOUR NEW SOTOZERO3 WINTER TIRES AND FOUR NEW WHEELS. I NOW HAVE 8 NEW TIRES AND 8 NEW WHEELS. MY COMPLAIN IS WITH AUDI, NOT THE DEALER. SELLING OR LEASING THESE VEHICLES WITH SUMMER TIRES ONLY IN A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THAT EXPERIENCES WINTERS SUCH AS SUBURBAN CHICAGO, IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. AUDI NEEDS TO BE STOPPED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. THANK YOU!

NHTSA ID 11186086 · filed Mar 12, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Rearview camera (or various combinations of between 1 and 4 of the surround view cameras -- no rhyme or reason to which camera(s) fail in a given incident) frequently fails and displays a black screen instead of rearward facing view. This happens roughly one of every ten times I start my car, and is resolved only after I turn my car off, lock it, and leave it alone for several minutes. This has been the case since the car was new to me (I am the second owner of the vehicle, having purchased it 8 months and 10k miles after the original owner). This severely compromises rearward visibility and is in direct violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111. Without the mandated backup camera, I am unable to see immediately behind my vehicle, increasing the risk of a collision with a pedestrian, another vehicle, or an animal/other object. The problem has been reproduced by two separate Audi dealers (Audi Marin and Audi Palo Alto), but they have been unable to resolve the issue upon repeated inspection of my vehicle. There are no warning lamps or errors prior to the failure. The only indication of failure is when I shift into reverse and see a black screen. This issue is consistent with other owners' experiences (see [XXX] ) who own vehicles on the same infotainment infrastructure (2019-2020 Audi A6/A7/A8/Q7/Q8). Similarly, it is consistent with the issue underpinning Compliance Recall 91DZ, affecting the same vehicles of the 2021 model year onward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11607013 · filed Aug 7, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

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???

NHTSA ID 11253328 · filed Sep 5, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .