Audi S6 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 118 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Audi S6 (1995–2017) that have at least 5 complaints. 2013 has the most, with 42. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (67 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All S6 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 | 39,998 | 2 | 604 | — | Not enough data |
| 2016 | 19 | 47,000 | 2 | 675 | — | Falling |
| 2015 | 5 | 58,250 | 2 | 715 | — | Not enough data |
| 2014 | 20 | 73,750 | 3 | 775 | — | Falling |
| 2013 | 42 | 60,000 | 3 | 835 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
| 2002 | 7 | 12,000 | 2 | 80 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 20 | 108,000 | 2 | 23 | — | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine67 47%
- Fuel system29 20%
- Transmission and drivetrain15 10%
- Electrical system9 6.3%
- Other or unknown8 5.6%
- Suspension7 4.9%
- Steering5 3.5%
- Vehicle speed control4 2.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2013: “With only 53,000 miles on my 2013 Audi S6 both turbo charges failed and Audi is now charging me $9,000 to replace both turbo charges which are supposed to last 100,000 to 125,000 miles. This issue occured while on the road idling at a light and caused the car not to be able to start and to shake the vehicle violently.”
NHTSA complaint #11407450, filed 2021-04, 53,000 miles2014: “Power steering system completely failed on numerous occasions. 18 months ago, power steering failed and whole power-steering system was replaced by dealer under warranty. Now, 1 month ago, power steering completely failed again, for two days, and then resumed normal operation once I left snow county (I don't know if the cold had anything to do with it, despite the fact that the system is electric-assisted, not hydraulic). …”
NHTSA complaint #11399352, filed 2021-03, 60,000 miles2015: “I was driving down the highway and my sunroof exploded. There was a loud bang and I saw and felt air and debris come in through my sunroof visor vents. When I pulled over and got out of the car I saw my sunroof has exploded. I say explode because it is clearly visible that the sunroof is broken from the inside out. There were no trucks around to kick up debris and it was not hit by a rock. Audi still claims no fault even though there were consumer reports articles and recalls done on other models. …”
NHTSA complaint #11406807, filed 2021-04, 47,000 milesOther Audi models
2,893 complaintsAudi A6
1,653 complaintsAudi Q5
1,348 complaintsAudi Q7
1,052 complaintsAudi A3
727 complaintsAudi S4
577 complaintsAudi A5
324 complaintsAudi TT
306 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology