2013 Audi A6 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Audi A6 holds 52 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 2 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 6 recalls on file, including Occupant classification, Cooling system, and Hoses and fittings.

2012 Audi A6 — Photo by Alexander-93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (18 of 52), then Engine (15) and Electrical system (7). The most filings arrived in 2018 (21 of 52). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 A6 has 59 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2014 has 41 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 Audi A6. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (6)

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.

Complaints by component (52 total)

Air bags

Engine

Electrical system

Fuel and propulsion system

Steering

Seats

Powertrain

Service brakes

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Equipment

Exterior lighting

Fuel system, gasoline

Lane departure

Seat belts

Structure

Tires

Wheels

Show 10 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"When the turn signal is activated to go RIGHT, the turn indicator flashes LEFT (both the arrow on the instrument panel and the exterior lights). Since the driver is not consciously looking at the dash, this causes an…"
Exterior lighting · filed 2025-11-19
"IT WAS RECENTLY BEGAN TO LEAK FUEL FROM THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CLOSE TO THE WINDSHIELD. THEN THE WHOLE CABIN SPECIALLY IN THE FRONT WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO HAVE BAD VIBRATION DURING REVERSED, AND IDLE, ALSO…"
Air bags, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-09-28
"The contact owns a 2013 Audi A6 equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Solus Majesty, Tire Size: 245/45/VR18, DOT Number: 127W2YCJ9. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken for maintenance and the independent…"
Tires · filed 2024-11-12
"My sunroof exploded on the expressway and caused the glass to shatter both inside the vehicle sunroof vent and the exterior sunroof"
Unknown or other · filed 2023-08-25
"I had my coolant system repaired before I found out there was a recall now my thermostat went bad. My brakes need to be replaced too much and my screw for my radio and system display stopped working every time you…"
Service brakes, Engine, Lane departure · filed 2023-05-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Audi A6 4 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2013 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 (AV-S8)	Front-wheel drive	25	33	28 MPG	$2850
A6 quattro	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	30	24 MPG	$3300
A6 quattro	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	27	21 MPG	$3800

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

Previous year 2012 Audi A6 Next year 2014 Audi A6 See every Audi A6 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Audi A6 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Audi A6?

Is the 2013 Audi A6 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 A6 has 59 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2014 has 41 complaints, 4 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Audi A6 been recalled?

The 2013 Audi A6 has 6 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 2013 Audi A6?

Owners have filed 52 complaints about the 2013 Audi A6 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Audi A6 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Audi A6 is 24.3 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.