2012 Audi A6 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Audi A6 over 15 years — 3 per year. That is more complaints per year than most A6 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 8 recalls on file, including Occupant classification, Cooling system, and Hoses and fittings.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (14 of 59), then Electrical system (13) and Engine (13).

Next to 2013

The 2013 A6 has 52 complaints, 2 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Audi A6. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (8)

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2018-06-04 · NHTSA campaign 18V370000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system 2018-04-11 · NHTSA campaign 18V229000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.

Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2017-12-06 · NHTSA campaign 17V781000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Audi A6 and A7 vehicles. The fuel line has a compression point that can weaken, potentially resulting in a fuel leak.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-888-237-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AR.

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system 2017-01-03 · NHTSA campaign 17V002000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.

Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2016-09-07 · NHTSA campaign 16V646000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 and Audi A7 vehicles. The affected vehicles have a fuel hose in the engine compartment that may degrade and leak fuel.

Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the under hood fuel pump and fuel hose, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BZ.

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2015-12-08 · NHTSA campaign 15V823000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 vehicles manufactured March 28, 2011, to March 25, 2013, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles manufactured January 25, 2011, to March 19, 2013. In vehicles with heated and cooled seats, the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS), used to enable the front passenger air bags, may malfunction and prevent the passenger-side air bags from deploying in a crash.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D1.

Recall gasoline fuel system, fuel injection, fuel rail 2015-01-20 · NHTSA campaign 15V019000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.

Recall air bags, side and window 2011-12-06 · NHTSA campaign 11V580000

Summary VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL 2012 AUDI A6 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 8, 2011, THROUGH MAY 26, 2011. DUE TO A PROBLEM IN THE STITCHING PROCESS OF THE CURTAIN AIR BAG, THE SEAM OF THE AIR BAG MAY NOT BE STITCHED PROPERLY.

Remedy VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY ALL OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND/OR RIGHT CURTAIN AIR BAG FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

Complaints by component (59 total)

Air bags

Electrical system

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Steering

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Service brakes

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel system, gasoline

Structure

Equipment

Seats

Speed control

Visibility

Visibility and wipers

Show 9 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Dear Highway Safety Authority Officer I am writing to formally request an investigation into a potential safety concern involving structural rust on the engine subframe (engine cradle) of the Audi A6, particularly in…"
Structure · filed 2025-07-28
"Vehicle suffered sudden and total loss of power steering. Had just driven the car 5-10 minutes prior, came out to leave and had a message stating do not drive vehicle, steering defective. At that point the steering…"
Steering · filed 2024-01-21
"Good morning, For the past couple of weeks, I've been getting the run around on whether the issue I'm having with my vehicle is an active recall. I recently took my vehicle to Eurocode Tuning (Torrance, CA), and the…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2023-12-30
"The contact owns a 2012 Audi A6. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The contact stated that the fuel odor became stronger while driving 65 MPH. There was no warning…"
Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2023-09-19
"My car almost overheated on the high on thanksgiving night thank god my brother was behind me driving and took me to go get antifreeze my coolant was leaking and i think my water pump messed up almost a accident cause i…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2022-12-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Audi A6 4 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2012 Audi A6 4 DR FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
A6	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	25	33	28 MPG	$2850
A6 quattro	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	19	28	22 MPG	$3650

Specs and fitment

C7 A6, 2012–2018

Body styles Sedan, Wagon (Avant / allroad)

Oil 5W-40, 5W-30, 0W-40 or 0W-30 (2.0L Turbo SEO03 listing) , 4.9 qt capacity

Tire size 245/45R18, 255/40R19, 255/35R20

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V-229 covers certain 2012-2015 A6 vehicles (with A4, A5, and Q5 also listed) equipped with 2.0L Turbo FSI engines: an electric coolant pump may block or short-circuit and increase fire risk; dealers replace the pumps. Related recall 17V-002 updates software to deactivate pump power if the pump becomes blocked. Recall 19V-035 covers certain 2016-2018 A6 vehicles (with Q7, A7, and A8 also in the campaign) where left and right fuel rails may leak fuel, increasing fire risk; dealers replace both fuel rails.

Compare

Next year 2013 Audi A6 See every Audi A6 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Audi A6 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Audi A6?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (14 of 59), then Electrical system (13) and Engine (13).

Is the 2012 Audi A6 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 A6 has 52 complaints, 2 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Audi A6 been recalled?

The 2012 Audi A6 has 8 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Audi A6?

Owners have filed 59 complaints about the 2012 Audi A6 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Audi A6 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Audi A6 is 25 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi A6 take?

C7 (2012-2018) 2.0T listings commonly allow 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (~4.9 qt). C8 US 2.0/3.0 TFSI often lists 0W-20 (~5.9 qt).

Does recall 18V-229 cover the Audi A6?

It covers certain 2012-2015 A6 vehicles with 2.0L Turbo FSI engines (with A4/A5/Q5 also listed): an electric coolant pump may short and increase fire risk; dealers replace the pump.

What generation is a 2020 Audi A6?

C8 generation (2019 onward in the US). 2012-2018 are C7.