The contact owns a 2012 Audi A6. The contact stated that while there was a passenger seated inside the vehicle, the passenger’s side air bag warning light turned on and off, and the main air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V370000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and stated that the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 154,000.
The worst 2012 Audi A6 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags15
- Engine15
- Electrical13
- Fuel system11
- Transmission8
- Steering6
- Driver assistance5
- Brakes3
- Body2
- Visibility2
- Acceleration1
- Seats1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Audi A6
Recalls 8
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- 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 number 18V370000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.
- 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 number 18V229000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
- 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 number 17V781000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.
- 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 number 17V002000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
- 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 number 16V646000 · Recall details
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of occupant injury 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 number 15V823000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
- 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 number 15V019000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the head curtain air bag may not deploy and will not be able to properly protect an occupant, increasing the risk of an injury.
- 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.
Recall number 11V580000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Audi A6 1,508
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Diagnosed and confirmed malfunction of the vehicle’s AEB system that resulted from failure or malfunction...
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides information to aid in diagnosing the vehicle locking system.
- This bulletin provides information when the engine is not runing smoothly; all gas engines.
- This bulletin provides information on VIN plates, Safety Certification labels, and ordering procedures.
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
- This bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has...
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
- This bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
- This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
2012 Audi A6 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 25 | 33 | 28 |
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 19 | 28 | 22 |
What 2012 Audi A6 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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 models from 2012 There have been growing concerns among owners and independent mechanics regarding excessive and premature rust and corrosion affecting the structural integrity of the engine mounting frame. In some cases, this corrosion could potentially compromise the stability of the engine or the safety of the vehicle during operation. Given the importance of this component to both drivability and crash safety, this issue merits further inspection. I am bringing this to your attention in hopes that your office will investigate whether this represents a broader manufacturing or design defect, and if a recall or safety advisory might be warranted. For your reference, the vehicle in question is: Make/Model: Audi A6 Model Year: 2012 VIN : [XXX] Description of issue: Extensive rust to the frame and some cracks I am happy to provide additional documentation or photographs to assist in the review process. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Ensuring the structural safety of vehicles on the road is of utmost importance, and I appreciate your diligence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 wheel felt locked in place and the vehicle was effectively a brick. This issue just happened yesterday and has not been to the dealership yet for diagnosis but I am a former automotive service manager (German specialist) and have connected my car to the VCDS system in order to retrieve the system failure codes. Error code was for the power assist motor. I then did some quick research online and saw dozens of other complaints from owners with the same issue. Thankfully most fail upon start up but I did come across one or two that reported having the issue after turning a corner and suddenly losing all power assist. This is a known issue for Audi and they sent letters to owners around June of 2021 stating that the issue was being covered under a 10 year or 120k mile warranty. That's nice if your vehicle happens to fail while under warranty but now that the time period is it, the burden of repairing this potentially dangerous system defect is on the owner and costs in excess of $4,000 at the dealer. Audi also requires the new unit to be coded to the vehicle via their ODIS system which means owners don't have the option of going to many other sources for a repair. Few shops can afford the monthly fees Audi charges for the ODIS equipment.
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 mechanic instructed me to take my vehicle to the dealer because the issue I am currently experiencing (fuel leak in the injection system) is listed as a recall. I contacted the Audi dealership in Long Beach CA via phone at (562)610-4000, the service representative stated that he found no active recall on my vehicle. Once again contacted Eurocode Tuning and they stated to have them run a diagnostic on the vehicle and they will see its the fuel leak in the injection system. And they are required by law to fix the recall. The following morning I took my vehicle into McKenna Audi ( Norwalk, CA) and one of the service representatives reiterates that my vehicle has no active recall. I stated that I was well aware of that, however, the issue I was having was listed as a recall on the web and I was informed by the repair shop as well. I proceeded to show him the information I got offline and my failed smog that was done on my vehicle. He proceeded to show me the breakdown on his computer that it was no active recall and the only thing that they were looking into was issues regarding the turbo. He stated what I was talking about was an extended warranty and my vehicle is well past that warrant. He then proceeded to say if a diagnostic is done on my vehicle I will be responsible to pay it and any repair done on my vehicle. So I walked out and decided to contact you. I am just trying to determine whether my vehicle could be repaired under the recall. I'm extremely frustrated and concerned for my safety because the recall did state the risk of a fire. Sincerely a confused, frustrated Audi owner [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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 light illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled into a parking lot and opened the hood. The contact stated that he noticed that the fuel odor was coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the check engine warning light illuminated. The mechanic determined that the check engine warning light had illuminated due to low pressure on the fuel rail, and the contact was informed that the supercharger needed to be removed for a more thorough inspection of the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V019000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
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 was in the middle lane and my vehicle was slowing down on the highway at night
This needs to be heavily looked into. I see countless reports online and on the federal safety agency about "coolant" leaking onto components/wiring. Whatever it is, is definitely frying the electrical system. My info screen will state: "Transmission Malfunction: You can continue driving" and it'll go away a minute later, them beep again with the same message- then beep again- then go away- then come back again. etc etc etc. I recently a year or so ago got some coolant leak that was dripping on transmission wires below. I've seen this complaint too many times. Audi needs to investigate this issue and if this is a countless issue we need to be issued a proper TSB / recall. Here's some links to best help direct this issue: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/obdii-code-p2753-anyone-2886141/page2/ https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/transmission-fluid-cooler-control-circuit-error-2886938/ https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-c7-platform-discussion-194/help-p2753-issue-2999672/ The codes I get occasionally are: TCU Code: 12448 and OBDII Code: P2753
Greeting, I drove my car for a minor body repair and paint job at Midland Park Auto Body located at 158 Godwin Ave, Midland Park, NJ 07432 on March 22 2022. There were no signs on the dashboard for any services or repair when I dropped of the car. Warren the owner called me to let me know that the paint job was completed by had some bad news for me. The car would not start. He thought it was the starter that had malfunctioned. We decided to have the car inspected by Jack Daniels Audi of Paramus Service Center located at 16-01 McBride Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410. I have had this car serviced there since I bought the car from them. James a senior technician called Warren and told him that the engine was shot. He was surprised and shocked that the engine ceased working. The was enough oil in the engine, car had been serviced regularly with them. They told me it would cost about $25,000 to replace the engine. They also told me that they would ask Audi Corporate to see if they can assist me with. It has been about 4 days , there has been no response from Audi. I started to search on the internet to see if other consumer had experienced this problem. I found several. Did Audi know if their engines were malfunctioning ? What would happen if this car stopped when I was driving on a highway? This is very serious . Hope to hear from your team soon.
The contact owns a 2012 Audi A6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a fuel odor was detected. Upon inspection, the contact noticed there was a fuel leak coming from the fuel line connector. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN and quoted a price for the fuel line replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
My ACC is not working - I bought the car like that, and the dealer knew about it but did not tell me about it and bought the case as is... I did everything to try to fix it and changed the parts but still not working.
Compare the 2012 Audi A6
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Questions about the 2012 Audi A6
Is the 2012 Audi A6 reliable?
Owners have filed 60 complaints about the 2012 Audi A6, 1.5 times a typical A6 model year.
What is the 2012 Audi A6 year score?
The 2012 Audi A6 scores 55 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Audi A6: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Audi A6?
Airbags, with 15 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles. Next is engine (15).
How many recalls does the 2012 Audi A6 have?
8 recalls, covering air bags, engine and engine cooling and fuel system, gasoline.
What gas mileage does the 2012 Audi A6 get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Audi A6 range from 22 to 28 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 25 city and 33 highway.
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