7 recalls covering model years 2018, 2020. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
A software problem can keep the backup camera picture from showing up on the dashboard screen when you shift into reverse. Without that image, you cannot see what is directly behind the car — a person or an object — so you are more likely to hit something while backing up. Audi says the vehicles do not meet the federal rear visibility rule. The dealer will update the software for free.
If someone spills a drink in the back seat of these Audis, the liquid can soak through and reach an electronics box underneath called the gateway control module. Liquid on that module can make it shut down, and when it does the engine suddenly loses power while you are driving — a real problem if you are merging or passing. Dealers will fit a protective cover over the module so spills cannot get to it.
Certain Audi A6, A7, S6, S7, RS6 Avant, RS7 and A6 Allroad vehicles have a sensor in the fuel tank that can stick. When it sticks, the fuel gauge on your dashboard shows the wrong amount of fuel, so you may believe you have more gas than you really do. You could then run out of fuel unexpectedly and have the engine shut off while driving. Dealers will install a new sensor in the tank free of charge.
These Audis were part of an earlier recall (21V-295) that involved work on the rear axle. Afterward, the shop was supposed to check that the rear wheels were still lined up correctly, and on some cars that check was skipped. If the rear axle is out of alignment, the tires can wear out early or wear unevenly, which increases the chance of a crash. Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment if needed, and replace any badly worn tires at no charge.
On these Audi cars and SUVs, a lock nut holds part of the rear suspension — the trailing arm — to the rear axle. That nut can corrode under stress and break. If it breaks, the rear axle can shift out of alignment, and the car can become hard to keep straight in a way the driver may not be able to correct. That can lead to a loss of control and a crash. A dealer will replace the lock nuts, and the bolts with them if needed, at no cost.
The passenger airbag has a built-in seam, a thin line in the cover that is supposed to split open cleanly when the bag inflates. On these Audis that seam may have been made wrong. In a crash the airbag might not open the way it should, and it could throw bits of plastic into the cabin at the person sitting there. A dealer will look at the airbag and fix it if needed.
A pressure-sensing mat inside the front passenger seat tells the car whether someone is sitting there and how large they are, so the airbag knows how to react in a crash. Over time that mat can wear out or be stressed, and the control unit that reads it can malfunction. If that happens, the front passenger airbag may not go off the way it should in a crash, leaving whoever is in that seat less protected.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Audi S6. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: