2009 Audi A6 Problems: Airbags (21 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2009 Audi A6 is Airbags (81% of 21 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2009 Audi A6?
17 of 21 filings named Airbags (81% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Electrical (1 reports).
There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2008 has 71 reports on file; this year has 21. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 0
- Fires 0
- Injuries 0
- Deaths 0
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 17 | 81.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 1 | 4.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 1 | 4.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 1 | 4.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 2 | 9.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
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.
- Campaign 17V032000 was reported 145 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V004000 was reported 503 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V427000 was reported 672 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V382000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V032000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V004000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V427000 |
Safety Recalls (4)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.
-
Recall campaign 16V382000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834.
-
Recall campaign 17V032000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Note: This recall has been superseded by recall number 18V427.
-
Recall campaign 18V004000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Audi mailed an interim owner notification March 02, 2018. When parts to perform the recall repair become available, Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69U1. Note: This recall has been superseded by 18V427.
-
Recall campaign 18V427000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag with an alternate remedy part, free of charge. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R7. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V382, 17V032 and 18V004 and includes vehicles that may have had their air bag previously replaced under one of those campaigns.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2009 Audi A6?
Owners named Airbags most often — 17 of 21 reports (81%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2009 Audi A6?
NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about 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 2009 Audi A6?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. 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.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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.