- The problem
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The discharge of static electricity under low humidity conditions can activate the driver side air bag when the driver enters or exits the vehicle and forms an electrical circuit by touching certain areas of the steering wheel.
- The risk
- Activation of the air bag under these conditions can cause personal injury.
- The fix
- Dealers will install a ground wire on the driver side air bag.
Vehicle safety record
1997 Audi A6 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 21 complaints about the 1997 Audi A6 with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (15) and the equipment & accessories (2). Those complaints describe 4 fires. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in October 1997 for the frontal. For comparison, the 1996 has 54 and the 1998 has 130.
NHTSA data checked
BFewer problems than a typical A6 year, for its age
#133 most complained-about 1997 vehicle
- Complaints
- 21
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 4
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 1997 Audi A6 problems
Share of all 21 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
1997 Audi A6 recalls 2
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may not lock properly when engaged, or not remain locked after being engaged.
- The risk
- In the event of a crash, an improperly locking seat belt could cause injury to an occupant.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the rear seat belt assembly.
What owners say
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21 complaints about the 1997 Audi A6
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
1997 Audi a6 quattro. Filled up with gas at 8pm, parked car in driveway in front of garage. By 2pm next day there was a large puddle of gas (nearly 1/2 tank) located under the entire rear end of the car past the wheels more then 2 ft on both sides. The fumes could smelt over 5 ft away. I'm positive the slightest spark would've ignited the fuel, that would have destroyed the car, my neighbors and my garage. I took vehicle to my mechanic, he pointed out the leak, a port on the drivers side of the tank that has a...
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hose attached to it is cracked. He also informed me that the gas was leaking on my exhaust, traveling up the exhaust toward the engine, I was lucky that the heat didn't ignite the gas. Mechanic told me there has been recalls for this exact issue, after calling, were informed this vehicle does not fall within the recall that has been issued. After doing hours of research I have found countless other vw/audi owners complaining their vehicle not included in recall even though its the exact same issue with the same part!! By using the audi parts website to look up other models its easy to see they use fuel tanks that have the same design issue but not covered in recall. Please get vw/audi to include all of their vehicles that have the fuel tanks with the valve nipples that have proven to fail over and over. It should also be noted that there are reports of part failure after recall has been preformed and audi is refusing to fix the issue after the fact forcing owners to pay out of pocket. Just because no one complained about a make/model that is using the same design flawed part shouldn't be an excuse not to issue or include in a recall! We shouldn't have to wait for something major to happen before a recall is issued.
Ignition switch stopped working causing the headlights, turn signals, and wipers to stop working. Car still operates and is a danger if driving without turn signals or wipers without knowing. I have noticed this issue has occurred several times with this model and understand the a4 had a recall for this problem the same year. In which the ignition switch has the same part number as the failed switch in the a6 however audi did not issue a recall for the a6. *Tr
The rear seat was shifted by the occupant to attach a child's car seat to the passenger side rear seatbelt mounting brackets. The spring wires under the rear seat contacted both posts of the battery under the seat, igniting a fire, which spread through the entire rear seat of the car. The suspension wires of the rear seat were burned away by the arc. Based upon the position of the rear seat reported by the witness, the seat wires lined up right on top of the battery terminals. There did not appear to be any insulating means between the terminals of the battery and the bottom of the seat suspension. *Tr
I'm having a problem with the ignition switch on my car - a 97/audi/audi a6 white rco129. The key turns too far and you have to shift it back to get the gauges/electrical accessories (wipers, air conditioner, headlights, etc.) To function properly again. Could this be related to the 1994-1996 a6 recall? *Tr
1997 Audi a6, vehicle caught fire. *Bf according to the police report, the fire appeared to have started in the battery compartment located underneath the right seat of the vehicle. Ohio traffic report # 10-0327-89
1997 Audi a6 unintended acceleration - stuck throttle. Only way to stop car from moving was to turn off ignition. Audi dealer (suds - normal, illinois) found ice in throttle housing and was familiar with problem on other like-model audis. If I did not have presence of mind to turn off engine I would have run into cross traffic on busy six lane highway. *Nm
Dt*: the contact stated that the side view mirrors were cloudy. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where it was determined that the reflective material in the mirrors was peeling. There were no repairs made. The manufacturer was also notified. Updated 9/5/2006 - the dealer refused to replaced the mirror free of charge. *Nm
Associated with complaint id 345606/recall id#00v317000 audi 1997 a6 wagon with the same symptoms. I replaced my ignition switch several times and it would stay engaged and the key would get stuck in the ignition. This particular time the car was being started and it burst in to flames. The fire dept put the fire out and I had the car towed to the dealer. Starter was burned up and so is the motormount is as much as I know for now, iam sure there's more. Car is still at dealer and audi of america (hq) says that...
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they cannot promise me anything. Made it known that I was afraid to have a car that would catch on fire with my two kids and i. Was repeatedly told that my car didnt have a recall on it by the dealer and that the same part was not being used as in audi a4, even after I mentioned the audi 1997 earlier complaint. Audi is being very insensitive to the situation and things are not happening very fast. I receive several inquiries about the same info over and over as if the dealer and hq are not connecting. The insurance agent and myself are not receiving timely call backs for the last couple weeks. I am very afraid of this car, please help!!! I know that decisions are made at hq so I really need their help. *Nm
Ignition switch has malfunctioned many times, causing headlamps to flicker or simply not function. The switch now has malfunctioned to the point of no longer allowing the headlamps to function. *Nm
Ignition switch failure, the return spring force of the ignition switch is insufficient for returning the ignition key to the running position after starting the engine, causing starting motor to continue running and lights and blower motors fail to com on. Request vehicle to be included in reference: nhtsa campaign id number 00v317000. *Nm
I have a "sticky" ignition switch, you have to manually turn it back to run or the starter stays engaged. I have not corrected the problem yet. It seems to be a common failure and was a recall item on other models. *La
I drive a 1997, a6 audi quattro station wagon. Over the past 2 winters, I have had 2 very similar incidents. On extremely cold mornings while driving into work the car accelerated on its own. Each time I had to pull off the road, throw the car into neutral and shut to car off. *Ak
97 Audi a6 avant has faulty ignition switch that results in failure of multiple electronic components . *Ak
Ignition switch failed. It's a well-known problem. Go to http://www.Audiworld.Com/search/ and put 'ignition switch' in and see how many people have had this same problem and yet there's a recall on the a4, but not the a6.*Ak
Audi of america replaced ignition switches on 1997 a4 model cars as part of a recall program. The 1997 audi a6 uses the same ignition switch as the audi a4, but the a6 was not included in the recall with the a4. The symptoms of the failing switch are the same with both a4 and a6 models. It would seem prudent by audi to replace the ignition switches on the a6 model cars as part of the same recall program as they did with the a4 model, especially scince the ignition switches are the same part number.*Ak
Plastic ignition switch breaks and key will not return to normal position, resulting in loss of turn signals, lights, wipers. Attempted reset my turn car off while moving.*Ak
Battery under rear seat shorted due to malfunction or contact with wires on bottom of seat cushion due to inadequate clearance between battery and cushion. Fire preceeded by lights flashing on and off and moon roof opening and closing. Smoke came up from under rear seat where my 14 year old daughter was seated. Fire extinguished probably due to lack of 0xygen. Dealer reports mechanic has seen prior case similar.
Key did not return to neutral position after starting vehicle. Mechanic has replaced ignition switch.*Ak
Transmission will not go into gear correctly. Dealer will inspect vehicle.*Ak
Numerous electrical failures and malfunctions including replacement of ignition switch, 2 batteries, 2 alternators, a/c fan relays and fans, numerous wiring "reroutes"; problems still exist. Car looses electrical power while driving without warning. Cannot be restarted.
Low beam design causes the headlights to be very dim which may cause visual difficulty, and may result in a crash. Please provide further information. *Ak
Audi A6: every year compared
All A6 years1997 Audi A6 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Audi A6 | 21 | 2 | B | |
| 1997 Audi A4 | 99 | 8 | D | Compare |
| 1997 Lexus ES | 2 | 1 | A | Compare |
| 1997 BMW 5 Series | 1 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 1997 BMW 3 Series | 0 | 4 | A | Compare |
| 1997 Audi Quattro | 11 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 1997 Audi A8 | 10 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 1997 Audi Cabriolet | 2 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 1997 Audi S6 | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 1997 Audi A6
Does the 1997 Audi A6 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 1997 Audi A6: frontal (October 1997); rear / other (July 1997). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Audi A6?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the electrical system (15), equipment & accessories (2), seats & seat belts (1).
How many complaints has the 1997 Audi A6 had?
21 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on December 30, 1999 and the latest on January 25, 2017. Of these, 0 describe a crash and 4 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 1997 Audi A6 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 66 out of 100 (grade B: fewer problems than a typical Audi A6 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Audi A6 years have the most complaints?
1999 (217), 2000 (148), 1998 (130). See every Audi A6 year compared.
What should I do if my 1997 Audi A6 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data