MODELYEARINDEX

Which Audi A6 years to avoid

Across 8 scored model years, the 2019 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Audi A6 Full report
F
Grade 2012–2021
2019 vs model median 6.2×
Model median3× median
Electrical 59
Engine 19
Driver Assist 15
Avoid

2019

Best

2014 · 2015

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2012
1.03× 26 C
2013
0.97× 15 C
2014
0.74× 18 B
2015
0.55× 15 B
2016
1.32× 32 C
2019
6.25× 125 F
2020
1.20× 30 C
2021
0.66× 14 C
2025 P
0.39× 11 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2019 F 125 reports · median 2,500 mi

  1. Electrical 59

    Stop engine oil pressure too high light comes on dealer does not have solution. Engine could blow during operation and cause accident. Vehicle recall needed owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 19

    This issue happens when the car is stopped and the auto stop/start feature has stopped the engine. Most commonly at a stop light at a major city intersection, where the lights are longer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 15

    August 25, 2020 traveling wb on I-90 [mass turnpike] passing and 18 wheel tractor trailer with an unmarked white box trailer. Truck 'weaved' to the left into my driving lane as I was overtaking it. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

5 crash · 2 fire · 5 injuries

2020 C 30 reports

  1. Electrical 12

    Various components and system malfunctioned. Vehicle is in dealership for 3rd time on electrical/software/hardware troubles, sos module. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Driver Assist 9

    The automated emergency braking randomly kicks in.. This has happened two times in the past 3 months. Nothing was around to cause the AEB to activate. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 2

The best year for the A6

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2015 is the best-scoring A6 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.2 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2015 0.55× 15 B
2014 0.74× 18 B
2021 0.66× 14 C

Recalls

25 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
25V900000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2019–2025 356,894
18V229000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 2012–2015 342,867
17V002000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 2012–2015 342,867
22V742000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2021 170,296
18V370000 AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION 2012–2016 139,249
19V035000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL 2016 74,881
22V861000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2019–2021 50,883
17V781000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 2012–2014 48,693
22V155000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:FUEL GAUGE:FUEL LEVEL FLOAT/SENSOR/SENDING UNIT 2019–2021 47,238
21V606000 SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR 2021 45,496
25V201000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2021 44,387
21V295000 SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY 2020, 2021 40,993

+ 13 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2019 were reported at a median of 2,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Audi A6 years should you avoid?
2019 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Audi A6 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Audi A6?
2015 is the best-scoring Audi A6 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.2 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Audi A6 have?
25 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Audi A6 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2019 A6
Complaints in window
125
Severity-weighted
203
Model median (weighted)
33
vs model median
6.25×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
7
Open investigations
0
Score 10 F