Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Audi A6, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling18
- Air bags15
- Electrical system14
- Power train14
- Service brakes, hydraulic12
- Fuel system, gasoline11
- Tires11
- Exterior lighting6
- Fuel/propulsion system5
- Structure5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2001 Audi A6 failed the safety check 1.04% of the time — 48% less often than the average 2001 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 141,328 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2001 Audi A6 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.4 petrol (121 kW, 162 hp) and 2.4 petrol (125 kW, 168 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4 petrol | 121 kW 162 hp | 52 |
| 2.4 petrol | 125 kW 168 hp | 20 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
156 first registered in 2001 are on Dutch roads; 30% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €58,647.
Most common APK defects
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen85
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde62
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af47
- Band onvoldoende profiel43
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm34
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm28
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld28
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect26
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
128 cars built in 2001 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 863 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 263 of these cars first registered in 2001 took their annual MOT test. 65% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2001 the figure was 59%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2001 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17.1% | 19.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8.4% | 9.7% |
| Brakes | 8.4% | 13.4% |
| Suspension | 8.4% | 15.4% |
| Tyres | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.1% | 6.8% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
125 of these cars first registered in 2001 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 314,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
20 2001 cars are on the New Zealand register; 25% arrived as used imports, 75% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 5 variants: combined 12.8–13.3 L/100 km (about 18 mpg US), CO₂ 294–306 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| A6 · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 15.0 | 10.2 | 12.8 |
| A6 quattro · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 15.2 | 10.5 | 13.1 |
| A6 quattro · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 15.4 | 10.3 | 13.1 |
| A6 quattro · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 15.2 | 10.7 | 13.2 |
| A6 quattro · Mid-size · Premium gasoline | 15.4 | 10.7 | 13.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2001 Audi A6.
| 2011171 27 Apr 2011 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, aging of the plastic material in the fuel tank rollover valve, combined with bending stress from the aluminium ventilation line to the roll… |
| 2008116 4 Apr 2008 | Fuel System On certain Audi A6 Quattro and Allroad Quattro, aging of the plastic material in the fuel tank rollover valve, combined with bending stress from the aluminium v… |
| 2004095 16 Mar 2004 | Electrical On certain Audi S6, A6 and A6 Allroad Quattro, contact between the left driver's side crash element and the headlight switch wiring harness could eventually res… |
| 2003092 4 Apr 2003 | Wheels Certain vehicles equipped with a 2.7L engine are not in compliance with CMVSS 110. The calculated "Vehicle Normal Load" exceeds the allowable weight of the axl… |
| 2002102 8 Jun 2001 | Visual System On certain Audi A6 Allroad, activating the windshield wiper under heavy load conditions such as freezing, snow or heavy rain, one wiper could be delayed behind … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 AUDI A6, MODEL YEAR 2002-2003 S6 AND MODEL YEAR 2003 RS6 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.2L ENGINES AND MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 19, 2001, THROUGH JUNE 8, 2004. THE AGING OF THE PLASTIC MATERIAL IN THE FUEL TANK ROLLOVER VALVE COMBINED WITH BENDING STRESS FROM THE ALUMINUM VENTILATION LINE TO THE ROLLOVER VALVE NIPPLE MAY LEAD TO CRACKING OF THE NIPPLE. IF THIS HAPPENS, A FUEL LEAK MAY RESULT.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 68,240 MY 2001-2004 AUDI A6 QUATTRO VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.7L, 2.8L, OR 3.0L ENGINES AND MY 2001-2005 ALLROAD QUATTRO VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.7L OR 4.2L ENGINES. THE AGING OF THE PLASTIC MATERIAL IN THE FUEL TANK ROLLOVER VALVE COMBINED WITH BENDING STRESS FROM THE ALUMINUM VENTILATION LINE TO THE ROLLOVER VALVE NIPPLE MAY LEAD TO CRACKING OF THE NIPPLE. IF THIS HAPPENS, A FUEL LEAK MAY RESULT.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HALOGEN LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS, CERTAIN CONNECTOR PINS IN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH CONNECTOR COME INTO CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT. NOTE: VEHICLES WITH XENON LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT AFFECTED BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT IN THESE VEHICLES CONTAINS A FUSE, WHICH PRECLUDES EXCESSIVE CURRENT FLOW IN THE CASE OF A SHORT CIRCUIT. AUDI S6 AND S6 AVANT VEHICLES ARE ALL EQUIPPED WITH XENON LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS AND, THEREFORE, ARE NOT LONGER AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, IF A DRIVER'S KNEES PUSH AGAINST THE KNEE BOLSTER (CRASH ELEMENT) LOCATED UNDER THE DASHBOARD, IT CAN CONTACT THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WIRING HARNESS, AND AN ELECTRICAL SHORT COULD OCCUR.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.7L ENGINES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THE CALCULATED "VEHICLE NORMAL LOAD" EXCEEDS THE ALLOWABLE WEIGHT OF THE AXLE LOAD WITH TIRE DIMENSION 225/45R 17 91Y BY 19KG.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES (ALLROAD). WHEN ACTIVATING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER UNDER HEAVY LOAD CONDITIONS SUCH AS FREEZING, SNOW OR HEAVY RAIN, ONE WIPER COULD BE DELAYED BEHIND THE OTHER WIPER.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SULFUR IN FUEL INTERACTS WITH CERTAIN ADDITIVES FOUND IN WIDELY AVAILABLE GASOLINE CAUSING SULFUR TO BECOME DEPOSITED ON THE CONTACT POINTS OF THREE FUEL SENDING UNITS MOUNTED INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. THIS COULD CAUSE THE FUEL GAUGE TO READ FULL WHILE THE FUEL TANK MAY NOT IN FACT BE FULL OR COULD BE EMPTY.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Audi told its dealers about the 2001 Audi A6: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 627059 | SUBJECT REGARDING TIRES, ELIMINATING NOISE. *JG |
| 627055 | CUSTOMER STATES TIRES ARE NOISY, EXHIBITING A SAW-TOOTH PATTERN. *JG |
| 622412 | REPAIR MANUAL TECHNICAL BULLETIN BINDER CONTAINING ELECTRICAL WIRING DIAGRAMS, TROUBLESHOOTING AND COMPONENT LOCATIONS (EDITION 06.00). *TT |
| 621497 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE ELECTRICAL WIRING DIAGRAMS, TROUBLESHOOTING AND COMPONENT LOCATIONS MANUAL. *TT |
| 10253418 | Audi Delivery Guidelines. |
| 10253417 | Audi Delivery Guidelines. |
| 10251027 | Tightening wheel bolts |
| 10250950 | Tightening wheel bolts |
| 10250430 | Oil consumption measurement - Repair Authorization (CA) |
| 10249085 | Google Maps Street View (NVLW)) |
| 10249054 | Due to new Minnesota state regulations regarding biofuels, biodiesel blends of B5 or less may not be available in the State of Minnesota. |
| 10243930 | This bulletin provides information on the additional reporting requirements for safety related inquiries. |
| 10243787 | Audi Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243780 | Audi Elsa Newsletter |
| 10231130 | Idenifying and mixing factory fill engine coolants |
| 10231127 | ElsaPro Software update and technical bulletins |
| 10228314 | The use of contaminated gasoline or gasoline with a low content of deposit control additives may result in one or more conditions. |
| 10228302 | High quality media files (video and sound) are now integrated into technical service bulletins on a case-by-case basis. Media files can now be viewed on any smartphone or tablet. |
| 10226530 | ATF pan leaks |
| 10226529 | Vehicle lacks power or will not move after stop due to simultaneous depressing of the brake and accelerator pedals |
| 10224993 | The use of contaminated gasoline or gasoline with a low content of deposit control additives may result in one or more conditions. |
| 10224981 | High quality media files (video and sound) are now integrated into technical service bulletins on a case-by-case basis. Media files can now be viewed on any smartphone or tablet. |
| 10221966 | The use of contaminated gasoline or gasoline with a low content of deposit control additives may result in one or more conditions. |
| 10221954 | High quality media files (video and sound) are now integrated into technical service bulletins on a case-by-case basis. Media files can now be viewed on any smartphone or tablet. |
| 10216682 | Engine oils that meet Audi Oil Quality Standards. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FUEL TANK LEAK
BRAKE AND CLUTCH PEDAL BRACKET
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation