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What 59 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Audi A6

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (59)Airbags (14)Electrical system (13)Engine (13)Fuel system (11)Transmission & drivetrain (8)Steering (6)Brakes (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Engine & cooling (3)Body & structure (2)

3 of 59 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

Apr 9, 2020SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY STEERING SYSTEM FAULTED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING. RACK COMPLETELY FAILED. VERY VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. CAR ONLY HAS 124K MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11320629

Mar 8, 2016Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

WHILE DRIVING ON A SUNDAY, THE CAR REPORTED TRANSMISSION ISSUES BUT IT STATED WE COULD CONTINUE DRIVING. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THERE WERE MULTIPLE SYSTEMS FAILURE WARNINGS. THIS OCCURRED AT 54,000 MILES AND 49 MONTHS SINCE PURCHASE. THE CAR BEGAN TO LOSE POWER BUT WAS DRIVEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER A LENGTHY PERIOD OF TIME, THE SERVICE MANAGER REPORTED THAT "COOLANT LEAK IN VALVE N82, COOLANT MIGRATED INTO HARNESS AND CONTAMINATED TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT, CAUSING NO COMM IN PWRTRAIN CAN; TSB2033806/7." THIS REPAIR REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF MAJOR COMPONENTS AND EXTENSIVE LABOR COSTS. THE TOTAL COST WAS $9606 AND THE DEALER/AUDI VOLUNTARILY PAID $5391 OF THE COSTS

NHTSA ODI 10840419

May 24, 2015Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

O-RING FAILURE IN 2012 A6 3.0 CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO INTERNALLY LEAK FLUID CAUSING THE ELECTONIC SYSTEM TO GO BAD. ALL OF THE FOLLOWING LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN ISSUE STARTED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GEARBOX MIL TRAC CONTROL MIL EPC LIGHT AIRBAG MIL HI-SPEED COOLING FAN MIL TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT, MAJOR LACK OF POWER TO ENGINE. PARKING BRAKE WOULD ALSO ACTIVATE BY ITSELF.

NHTSA ODI 10721255

Working with the data? Download all 59 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Audi A6 verdict →