10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
80,609 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Audi A6 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2006 Audi A6 Owner Comments

problem #12

Feb 022018

A6

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At 150K miles, experienced no crank, no start. Tow to dealer, and I had already done some triage. They did 2 hrs of troubleshooting problems that were not even related, so I took the car back. Found a trust worthy mechanic and his diag suggested the scm burned out taking the PCM and ECM along with it. The cost would have been in the $6000 range as he stated a %40 failure rate after 150K in alldata. He also said, if I repair it, I need to replace the steering column as well because I will just have issues down the road if I dont. The car also had a slow oil leak. The place where I bought the car said the repair is not worth the cost, so that factored into my decision not to invest in repairs. The oil leak was slow and I never had to top off the oil, but it was significant enough to know it was an issue. That leak was present after 80K miles. So I had to make the unfortunate decision not to invest any money into an attempted fix. I was at the gas station, had just filled up the gas tank, had new struts, new battery and prior to it not starting, the car was running so really good. It looked great and people often thought it was way newer than it was. There was way to much value in the car to trash it, but various parties only offered $200 to scrap it. This is a high end car for Audi and I cant believe they are allowed to implement a kill switch after 150K miles. I was planning on keeping that car for a long time. Now unemployed, I have to buy a car I cant afford.

- Westborough, MA, USA

problem #11

Jun 152016

A6

  • 111,139 miles
I have a used 2006 Audi A6 quattro 3.2 [when purchased in 2013 it only had 89,000 miles - currently at 111,139 miles]. last Wednesday 06/15/2016, the car refused to turn over, however, the radio, mmi, exterior/interior lights were all operable. After investigating the issue more, I realized that the electrical windows refused to raise, the dash didn't illuminate, and I was unable to place the car in neutral. Later that evening, my insurance provider sent a tow truck with a flatbed - the vehicle had to be chained to the tow truck and pulled out of my parking spot because the wheels were locked. In the interim, I researched my issue on the internet and found several complaints related to my exact issue, which was later discovered as a transponder failure that would require an entire new steering column because the company (Audi) did not sell the part separately. These entries were from drivers of Audi A4, A6, and tt models from years 2004-2007. The following morning [Thursday, 6/16/2016] I spoke with john and kevin from the service center in the maple hill auto group in kalamazoo, mi which is a VW/Audi dealership. They diagnosed the issue as a transponder failure and advised that the entire steering column would need to be replaced because the parts aren't sold separately. They quoted a price of nearly $2200 for repair and labor - I advised that I researched this problem and found one solution on the internet that advised that an Audi service center (didn't have the location) used autel maxisys pro to remove the codes in the auth/access module and was able to get the car to turn over. Kevin advised that they were unable to use this process. Spoke with sean from Audi's customer relations department on 6/16/16 who had the concern reviewed and advised on Monday 6/21/16 that Audi was unable to offer any resolution due to the age and mileage of the vehicle.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #10

Apr 132015

A6 6-cyl

  • 163,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Audi A6. While attempting to start the ignition, the vehicle delayed to start and the inspection warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 163,000. Updated 7/14/15

- Beardstown , IL, USA

problem #9

May 192014

A6 6-cyl

  • 121,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While replacing a headlight bulb I noticed that the insulation on wires inside the headlight compartment had flaked off, exposing at least 1 inch of multiple wires (low beam and high beam) all along the length of those wires. Both headlights show the same symptom. High beam wires (+V and gnd) are held together with a zip tie and there is flaking insulation all around it, so using the high beam could result in a short circuit inside the headlight housing. As all of the wires are in close proximity, it is possible that normal use of the car (e.g. bouncing along a rough road) could cause the wires to contact each other and short circuit.

- Friendswood, TX, USA

problem #8

Nov 132013

A6

  • 130,000 miles
Audi would not start, car does not recognize keys, car stuck in park, all wheels locked, steering wheel locked, mmi radio works, light works, everything else on the car works.

- Endwell, NY, USA

problem #7

Jan 162012

A6 6-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Audi A6. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the radio stopped functioning and a buzzing sound emitted from the speakers. The battery drained after the failure and the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that the amplifier for the sound system drained the battery. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 33,000 and the current mileage was 33,157...updated 02/10/12 the consumer stated he experienced a failure of the audio system that caused an electrical problem resulting in the car battery being drained. He was informed that it was a common problem and if he didn't get it fixed, the problem would persist and continue to drain the battery. The consumer stated he first noticed the problem while driving where he observed that neither the radio nor the bluetooth link would function reliably. Instead, there was a noticeable loud buzzing sound emanating from the vehicle's speakers. Even with the ignition turned off, the failure caused the battery to drain over time. Updated 04/26/12

- Pal Alto, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 112012

A6

  • 63,450 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car won't start, or turn over, vehicle transmission stuck in park. Have to tow on dollies account wheels locked up to dealership. Dealership says steering lock stuck in open position and have to replace entire steering column account part is integrated with steering column.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #5

Nov 202009

A6

  • 53,000 miles
The 2005-2007 Audi A6 has an integrated dashboard system that controls and manages the audio, navigation, telephone and other non-safety related features. The same module controls the driver's side air-bag. I recently had the display module for the radio/navigation fail. This also caused the driver's side air bag system to fail. Shouldn't safety systems in a car be on separated from the entertainment systems ? this would be similar to having your seatbelts fail if the rear seat dvd player failed, or your driving lights stop working if a vanity mirror bulb burned out....I hope you get my point. In Virginia, the state I live in, all cars require an annual safety check - air bags included. The fact that a car radio can cause your airbag to fail just seems like poor planning and putting passenger safety at risk. I have observed on the various Audi forums on the internet that this display module failure appears to be quite common.

- Reston, VA, USA

problem #4

Jun 102008

A6

  • 32,500 miles
I bought a used 2006 Audi A6 two months before the accident. I had been using the "keyless" option when starting and stopping the vehicle. I stopped at a library, pushed the button twice to turn off the ignition and the vehicle's electrical system. I got out of the vehicle and noticed that it was rolling forward. I attempted to stop it; I opened the driver's door and as I was getting in the door struck a trash can in the parking lot, knocking me down. The vehicle's rear wheel caught my left heel and drug me across a curb before stopping on my left foot. Several men in the parking lot lifted the vehicle off my foot. I was transported to the hospital and kept for injuries to my left leg. Evidently I failed to put the vehicle's transmission in "P" and had left it in "D". cars that use a physical key to start and stop the vehicle will not allow a driver to remove the key unless the vehicle's transmission has been shifted to "park." A vehicle that does not utilize a physical key, does not that built-in safety feature. Five weeks later I am in physical therapy and am grateful I did not sustain more serious injuries, or that an innocent bystander was not killed by a driverless car rolling through a parking lot at a library that is frequented by children. Now I am adamant about always setting the emergency brake. My concern is real: As more and more vehicles are manufactured with "keyless" ignition systems that contain no fail-safe feature to prevent "inadvertent rolling" as explained in the Audi's owner's manual, I believe more injuries and deaths will be realized. In speaking with the regional representative at Audi, he explained that Audi publishes a "book" explaining the vehicle and what happened was totally my fault. My Audi has a sensor in the passenger the seat that prevents an expensive airbag from deploying unnecessarily; how about a sensor in the driver's seat that prevents a vehicle from rolling when there is no driver?

- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

problem #3

May 122008

A6 6-cyl

  • 53,215 miles
I have a 2006 Audi A6 3.2 quattro. It has 53,215 miles on it. So 3,215 miles after warranty expires so does the ignition coil which has been recalled on almost every model year up 2005 for the last 5-6 years. But it's not on recall for my car yet. To me if they have had a known problem with these coils that they should take care of the problem or be responsible for the repairs. They said because there is no current recall there's nothing they can do, and the fact that they have had a recall for all there cars for the last 6 years means nothing... so I paid to have the coil replaced myself since there would be more damage done to the car if not corrected.

- Blaine, MN, USA

problem #2

Feb 212008

A6

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
My 2006 Audi A6 lost all engine power while driving and the steering wheel locked up. This happened on three separate occasions. The manufacturer has refused to take the car back, despite the life threatening safety concerns associated with this problem. I have noticed other posted complaints for the same problem.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #1

Jun 272006

A6 6-cyl Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 57,000 miles
: the contact stated that while driving 50 mph the vehicle burst into flames. Months prior to the fire the vehicle was taken to the dealer 01/27/2005 for recall remedy repairs, #04V133000. During the incident the contact's knee push against the knee bolster located under the dashboard, which made contact with the headlight switch wiring harness, and an electrical short occurred and resulted in a fire. Updated 8/14/2006 -

- Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA

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