Reliable Auto DB

2020 Audi A6 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Audi A6 has 25 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 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 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Hydraulic brakes, fluid, and Electrical system.

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

25

Per year

3

Recalls

9

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (17 of 25), then Forward collision avoidance (5) and Structure (3).

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 A6 has 114 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2021 has 17 complaints, 2 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

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 2020 Audi A6. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (9)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 25V900000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
Recall hydraulic brakes, fluid 2023-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 23V601000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi S7, S6 Sedan, RS7, RS6 Avant, A6 Allroad, 2019-2021 A7, and A6 Sedan vehicles. An incorrectly labeled brake fluid cap may have been installed, which can result in the use of the wrong type of brake fluid.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the brake fluid reservoir cap and, if necessary, replace it, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 17, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47T9.
Recall Electrical system 2022-11-21 · NHTSA campaign 22V861000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Audi S7, S6 Sedan, A6 Allroad, 2021-2022 RS7, RS6 Avant, 2019-2022 A7, and A6 Sedan vehicles. Liquid spilled in the rear seat may penetrate and cause the gateway control module to shut down.
Remedy Dealers will install a protective cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 20, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90V2.
Recall electrical system, instrument panel, fuel gauge, fuel level sensor 2022-03-14 · NHTSA campaign 22V155000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RS6 Avant and RS7, 2020-2022 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, and S7, and 2019-2022 A6 Sedan and A7 vehicles. The fuel level sender may stick, causing an inaccurate fuel level reading to be displayed on the instrument cluster.
Remedy Dealers will install a new sensor in the tank, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 17, 2023. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 20DN.
Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Remedy Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Recall Air bags 2021-03-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V159000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS6 Avant, RS7, 2020-2021 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, S7, 2019-2021 A6 Sedan, and A7 vehicles. The score line on the passenger air bag may not have been manufactured correctly.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the passenger air bag score line, and repair it as necessary, free of charge. The recall begin March 26, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 70i2.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2020-05-13 · NHTSA campaign 20V274000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Audi A6, A6 Allroad and A7 vehicles. The passenger air bag may not properly deploy through the instrument panel tear seam.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panels, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 70H6.
Recall electrical system, starter 2020-03-19 · NHTSA campaign 20V153000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Audi A6 vehicles equipped with mild-hybrid technology and 2.0TFSI engines. Moisture may enter the starter generator and cause an electrical short circuit.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the starter generator, free of charge. The recall began by May 22, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 27H2.

Complaints by component (25 total)

Electrical system
17
Forward collision avoidance
5
Structure
3
Back-over prevention
2
Steering
2
Engine
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Seats
1
Service brakes
1
Show 1 more Show less
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

520214202282023120242202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The electronic/central door locking system on my 2020 Audi A6 malfunctioned. The vehicle and affected components are available for inspection upon request. The vehicle was running with my two young children secured in…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-03
  • "The Audi software/MMI system has issues showing the 360 cameras in addition to the rear facing camera. Every few starts when I back out of a parking space/garage, the side mirror cameras show a black or camera with a…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-03-07
  • "Audi A6s have had massive issues with the door actuators. There are times when you go open the passenger side doors (both front and rear) and the doors will not open as there is either an electrical, software, or device…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-03-07
  • "* Passenger front Seat wiring harness corrosion and failure due to water ingress due to leaking web plate in the longitudinal member on passenger side. Water ingress in passenger compartment caused electrical failure…"
    Electrical system, Seats · filed 2026-02-08
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Audi A6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, water leaked into the vehicle and accumulated in the rear passenger’s side area of the vehicle. The contact initially believed that…"
    Electrical system, Structure · filed 2026-01-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Audi A6 (With Rear Seat SABs) 4 DR AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Audi A6 (With Rear Seat SABs) 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Audi A6 4 DR AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Audi A6 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars

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 Allroad 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $3650
A6 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 24 32 27 MPG $2950
A6 quattro 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) All-wheel drive 22 29 24 MPG $3300

Specs and fitment

C8 A6, 2019–present
Body styles Sedan, Wagon (Avant / allroad)
Oil 0W-20 (2.0/3.0 TFSI US listings) , 5.9 qt capacity
Tire size 245/45R19, 255/40R20, 255/35R21

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-153 covers certain 2019-2020 A6 vehicles with mild-hybrid technology and 2.0 TFSI engines: moisture may enter the starter generator and cause an electrical short circuit, increasing fire risk; dealers replace the starter generator. Recall 22V-155 covers certain 2019-2022 A6 Sedan vehicles (with A6 allroad, S6, A7, S7, and RS models also listed) where the fuel level sender may stick, so the gauge and range display may be inaccurate; dealers replace the fuel level sender. Recall 22V-368 covers certain 2022 A6 Sedan vehicles (with A4 and Q5) for an engine-control-unit semiconductor that may short and stall the engine; dealers replace the ECU.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Audi A6 Next year 2021 Audi A6 See every Audi A6 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Audi A6 reliable?

The 2020 Audi A6 has 25 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 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 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Hydraulic brakes, fluid, and Electrical system.

What are common problems with a 2020 Audi A6?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (17 of 25), then Forward collision avoidance (5) and Structure (3).

Is the 2020 Audi A6 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 A6 has 114 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2021 has 17 complaints, 2 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Audi A6 been recalled?

The 2020 Audi A6 has 9 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 2020 Audi A6?

Owners have filed 25 complaints about the 2020 Audi A6 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Audi A6 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 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.