- The 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.
- The risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The 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.
Vehicle safety record
2011 Audi A6 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 2011 Audi A6 with NHTSA, most often about the airbags (12) and the seats & seat belts (3). Those complaints describe 1 crash and 1 injury. It is covered by 3 recalls, the latest in June 2018 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2010 has 17 and the 2012 has 60.
NHTSA data checked
BFewer problems than a typical A6 year, for its age
#176 most complained-about 2011 vehicle
- Complaints
- 19
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2011 Audi A6 problems
Share of all 19 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2011 Audi A6 recalls 3
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
- 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.
- The risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The 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.
- The 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.
- The risk
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- The 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.
What owners say
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19 complaints about the 2011 Audi A6
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
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 surgery. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance adjuster deemed the vehicle was loss. The contact called local dealer audi tacoma located at 1701-b alexander ave e, fife, wa 98424, (253)...
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475-3832 and was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The vin was associated to nhtsa campaign number: 18v427000 (air bags). The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
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. The manufacturer was also contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The vin was unavailable.
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 (1701 alexander ave e, fife, wa 98424, (253) 475-3832) was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Takata recall- I was first informed of this recall in march even though the recall for my car started in january. Since, I have received no notification from audi of the status of repair. Given the direction of audi, we are not able to use the front passenger seat which makes the car unable to accommodate the specified passengers and the value of the car has plunged. In addition, I have been unable to sell my car given the above. How can I sell a car that has the potential of "metal fragments could pass...
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through the airbag material,which may result in serious injury or death to vehicle occupants." Now that I reread the recall notice, I realize that the recall suggests multiple people could die which means others in the car are at risk. There needs to be compensation for the loss of use, loss of value and inability to sell this car.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 audi a6. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 18v004000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called audi bellevue (1533 120th ave ne, bellevue, wa 98005, (425) 249-7388) and was informed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 audi a6. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 156v382000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
"Takata recall" I was informed by mail letter (july 2016) that my 2011 audi a6 was under recall for faulty passenger airbags and that I am not supposed to have anyone sit in the front passenger seat. It is now january 20th, 2017 and there still is no correction or replacement in place. This is preventing me from using my car as a daily driver due to the no passenger notification and has decreased the value of my car if I were to try and sell it. I want the problem fixed.
Still no date when the takata airbag recall will be serviced for my vehicle.
Recall has not been performed-recall 6902. No information available from company. Nhtsa# 26v382. Can't sell it. Afraid to drive it. Passengers dead or injured could sue all. Needs resolution immediately.
"Takata recall" audi notified us in july. A call to audi's 800 # resulted in no information as to when repairs will be made. Can someone give us the date when parts will be made available to the dealer to make necessary repairs? Is there a different manufacture's product that audi could install to replace the takata product?
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 audi a6. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v382000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
The hard plastic seat back of the passenger seat has come loose. The adhesion system has failed. There has been very light use of all seats other than the driver's seat.
Passenger and driver seats are falling apart. The seats are paneled and separating seen by rear seat passengers ....The seats are a defect and safety concern for all passengers. The mechanisms of the heated seats are exposed and the only thing holding the seat together is an adhesive that's not sticking or even sticky. Seats back panels are leaning on passenger while driving.
Rear seatbacks (rigid plastic) is open at the top on passenger and driver side seats. This is an audi design defect and safety concern to rear seat passengers in an accident. Velcro adhesive does not work. The connectors at the top were either missing or not installed correctly.
Audi 2011 a6, vin [[redacted]] had a catastrophic steering failure on feb 24, 2016. Fortunately the car was being driven into a parking space when the front wheels and steering wheel froze. Audi and the local dealer diagnose the failure as a random failure of the steering rack which they replaced. If this steering failure had occurred on the road at any speed serious damage and injury including loss of life could have occurred. Audi refused the return the failed steering rack to me. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 audi a6. The contact stated that when the vehicle is on a hill of more than 30 degrees, the vehicle rolled forward 3-5 feet when going into reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was told that the vehicle was functioning as designed. If the vehicle rolled forward 10 feet, the vehicle would shut down to protect the transmission. The manufacturer stated they would not correct the failure. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,000. Updated 03/12/13*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 audi a6. While driving approximately 65 mph, a loud noise emitted from the outside of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the rear passenger side tire had exploded. The failure was related to the wheel rim which exhibited a hole that was described as the size of a fist. The contact called the police and roadside assistance, who replaced the defective tire with a spare. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the spare tire was replaced with a new tire. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. ...Updated 08-10-12 *bf updated 08/15/2012 *js
Audi a8 2011 - issue regarding on/off switch we have a new a8. The on/off switch is next to the gear shift level on the console between the front seats. Our dog - a 16 lb bichon - climbed between the seats from the back to sit on the passenger seat. As the dog crossed the center console he stepped on the on/off button shutting off the car which caused a loss of steering and brakes. My wife was able to get to the side of the road as she was on a local road and not going fast but if she had been trying to turn...
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or if she had been on a road with a higher speed limit there could have been a crash. This is a significant safety issue and the on/off switch should not be operable while in drive - only in neutral or park. This may impact other audi cars as well. *Tr
Audi A6: every year compared
All A6 years2011 Audi A6 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Audi A6 | 19 | 3 | B | |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 516 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 296 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2011 Lincoln MKZ | 185 | 7 | D | Compare |
| 2011 Audi A4 | 32 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2011 Volvo S60 | 5 | 6 | C | Compare |
| 2011 BMW 330I | 0 | 3 | B | Compare |
| 2011 BMW 3 Series | 0 | 3 | A | Compare |
| 2011 BMW 5 Series | 0 | 1 | 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 2011 Audi A6
Does the 2011 Audi A6 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2011 Audi A6: inflator module (June 2018); inflator module (January 2018); inflator module (June 2016). 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 2011 Audi A6?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the airbags (12), seats & seat belts (3), steering (1).
How many complaints has the 2011 Audi A6 had?
19 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on March 7, 2011 and the latest on September 29, 2020. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Is the 2011 Audi A6 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 69 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 2011 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