1995 Audi A6 Problems: Electrical (16 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1995 Audi A6 is Electrical (50% of 16 owner reports). There are 2 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Electrical — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 16 complaints · 2 recalls

What problems show up on the 1995 Audi A6?

8 of 16 filings named Electrical (50% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Steering (2 reports).

There are 2 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 1995 Audi A6

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 2 campaigns on file below.
Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
Steering. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight.
Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
Skim a few owner reports below for Electrical. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Electrical 8 complaints · 50.0% of the file

Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:

Crashes 1
Fires 0
Injuries 1
Deaths 0

All Audi A6 years →

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table

System / Component	Complaints	Share of Reports	Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)	8	50.0%	1 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING)	2	12.5%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS)	1	6.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE)	1	6.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)	1	6.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)	1	6.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)	1	6.3%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover	11	68.8%	0 crashes · 0 fires

NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

View timeline records as a table

Date	Record type	Count	Record identifier
1996-Q4	Owner reports	1
1997-Q1	Owner reports	1
2000-Q2	Owner reports	1
2000-Q3	Owner reports	1
2001-Q2	Owner reports	1
2001-Q3	Owner reports	1
2002-Q4	Owner reports	1
2003-Q2	Owner reports	1
2003-Q3	Owner reports	2
2004-Q1	Owner reports	1
2004-Q4	Owner reports	1
2006-Q2	Owner reports	1
2007-Q2	Owner reports	1
2009-Q1	Owner reports	1
2011-Q3	Owner reports	1
Jan 1996	Recall campaign	1	96V017000
Oct 1997	Recall campaign	1	97V175000
Oct 1999	Defect investigation	1	PE99065

NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (2)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical and Airbags.

Recall campaign 96V017000

Electrical

Report date

Jan 29, 1996

Component:

Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)

Consequence:

SOME ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES, SUCH AS, TURN SIGNALS, WINDSHIELD WIPERS, LAMPS, POWER WIND0WS AND AIR CONDITIONERS CAN MALFUNCTION WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED.

Remedy:

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 97V175000

Airbags

Report date

Oct 8, 1997

Component:

Airbags (AIR BAGS)

Consequence:

ACTIVATION OF THE AIR BAG UNDER THESE CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy:

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A GROUND WIRE ON THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG.

View authoritative NHTSA record →

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07

Showing 10 of 16 complaints · page 1 of 1

2011-08-12Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)

NHTSA ODI 10419193

CrashFireInjuryDeath

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE, WARNING BRAKE AND AIR BAG WARNING GAUGES ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE FAILURES DID NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNAL HARNESS FAILURE WITH THE REAR BRAKES AND AN INTERNAL FAILURE WITH THE SEAT OCCUPANT CONTROL MODULE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE AS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

2009-01-24Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10256228

CrashFireInjuryDeath

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN MY 95 A6 QUATTRO WAGON WHEN I NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING WITHOUT ME PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL. WHEN I SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL THE RPMS RED LINED. IT TOOK BOTH OF MY FEET ON THE BRAKE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE TO STOP IT AND WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT STOPPED AND INTO PARK IT WAS "IDLING" AT AROUND 3000 RPMS. *TR

2007-06-21Engine (ENGINE)

NHTSA ODI 10193911

CrashFireInjuryDeath

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 AUDI A6. WHEN DRIVING BELOW 10 MPH OR IN THE IDLE POSITION, THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT AN ADJUSTMENT NEEDED TO BE MADE TO THE TACHOMETER. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED, IT APPEARS TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 128,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

2006-06-05Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)

NHTSA ODI 10159004

CrashFireInjuryDeath

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 98E002000 FOR THE AUTO COMMAND REMOTE CAR STARTER. THE REMOTE STARTER IS MODEL NUMBER 20036. THERE IS NO KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE REMOTE STARTER. AFTER THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE COMPANY WAS NO LONGER UNDER THE SAME OWNERSHIP. *AK

2004-10-18Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10097093

CrashFireInjuryDeath

THE CONSUMER PLACED THE KEY INSIDE OF THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON, BUT THE LIGHTS FAILED TO COME ON. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

2004-02-10Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10056939

CrashFireInjuryDeath

IGNITION SWITCH, PART NUMBER 4A0905849B, ON MY AUDI A6 FAILIED. AUDI TOLD ME THAT THIS PARTICULAR CAMPAIGN DID NOT APPLY TO MY VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE RECALLED IGNITION SWITCH PART NUMBER, AND THE IGNITION SWITH REPLACED ON MY CAR, ARE THE SAME. AUDI WILL NOT RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION. THEY CONTINUE TO SAY THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL.*AK

2003-08-18Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10034080

CrashFireInjuryDeath

WHEN TURNING ON THE IGNITION SWITCH FRONT LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS WOULD MALFUNCTION WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. CONSUMER HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER. *AK

2003-07-17Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10029508

CrashFireInjuryDeath

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE POWER WINDOWS/WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND AIR CONDITIONER DO NOT WORK DUE TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. *AK

2003-05-19Airbags (AIR BAGS)

NHTSA ODI 10020122

CrashFireInjuryDeath

A RECALL REPAIR RELATED TO THE DISCHARGE OF STATIC ELECTRICITY, WHICH MAY CAUSE THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, FAILED. *NLM

2002-12-12Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 10000037

CrashFireInjuryDeath

JAMMING IGNITION SWITCH WAS CAUSE OF STARTER SOLENOID BURNOUT. BOTH IGNITION SWITCH AND STARTER SOLENOID WERE REPLACED. EQUIPMENT FAILURE CAUSED HEADLIGHTS TO SUDDENLY GO OUT DURING NIGHT TIME DRIVING. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROADWAY IN TIME TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT, BUT THEN THE CAR STALLED OUT AND HAD TO BE TOWED.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1995 Audi A6?

Owners named Electrical most often — 8 of 16 reports (50%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1995 Audi A6?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1995 Audi A6?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21

Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources