2010 Audi A6 Problems: Airbags (15 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2010 Audi A6 is Airbags (53% of 15 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 15 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2010 Audi A6?

8 of 15 filings named Airbags (53% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Engine (3 reports).

There are 3 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 2009 has 21 reports on file; this year has 15. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2010 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.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  3. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  4. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Airbags. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Airbags 8 complaints · 53.3% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 0
  • 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.

Which systems owners named Airbags (AIR BAGS) appears in 8 of 15 owner complaints (53.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. Airbags (AIR BAGS): 8 complaints, 53.3% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 8 · 53.3% Engine (ENGINE): 3 complaints, 20.0% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 fire reports 3 · 20.0% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 13.3% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 2 · 13.3% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 6.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 · 6.7% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 6.7% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 crash reports 1 · 6.7% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 1 complaints, 6.7% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 · 6.7% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“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) 8 53.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 3 20.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 13.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 6.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 6.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 6.7% 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.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2016. 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2010 Oct 2018 Recall campaign 16V382000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V382000 Recall campaign 18V004000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V004000 Recall campaign 18V427000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V427000
  • Campaign 18V004000 was reported 514 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V427000 was reported 683 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 16V382000
Recall campaign 1 18V004000
Recall campaign 1 18V427000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

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.

  1. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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.
    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
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 15 complaints · page 1 of 1
2018-10-24Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11142320
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A6. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND STEAM APPEARED UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLANT SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER A DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.
2018-04-18Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11088850
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V004000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AS THE RECALL NOTICE WAS RECEIVED OVER A YEAR AGO. THE DEALER (AUDI FAIRFIELD, 435 COMMERCE DR., FAIRFIELD, CT 06825) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT RECENTLY RECEIVED A POSTCARD FROM TK HOLDINGS ABOUT TAKATA FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
2017-10-24Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11039326
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TAKATA RECALL I JUST BECAME AWARE OF THIS RECALL.
2017-08-03Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11001009
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2010 AUDI A6. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REPLACEMENT PARTS NOT AVAILABLE TO REPAIR FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG RECALL NOTICE. *LD UPDATED 08/03/2017 *JS
2017-07-19Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 11006331
CrashFireInjuryDeath
"TAKATA RECALL'' THEY HAVE YET TO SEND THE AIRBAGS TO AUDI TO BEGIN REPLACING THE DANGEROUS AIR BAGS. ALSO AUDI HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY IN REPLACING MY READ LEFT AND RIGHT SEAT BELTS THE BOTH GOT STUCK IN THE HOUSING. SO I CANNOT HAVE NONE IN BACK OR IN PASSENGER SEAT. NEED HELP
2017-06-15Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10995336
CrashFireInjuryDeath
AIRBAG RECALL: TAKATA
2017-05-26Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10991801
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V382000 (AIR BAGS) FOR THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIR BAG INFLATOR; HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE LOCAL DEALER (AUDI NORTH ORLANDO LOCATED AT 139 N OREGON ST, STANFORD, FLORIDA 32771) CONTINUED TO INFORM THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE PARTS AVAILABLE THE NEXT MONTH AND THAT THEY WERE ON A WAIT LIST; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAGS RECEIVED WERE FOR NEWER VEHICLES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
2017-03-02Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10958016
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V382000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
2017-01-25Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10947553
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TAKATA RECALL. OVER EIGHT MONTHS WITHOUT A REMEDY.
2016-08-19Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10897266
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V382000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2010 Audi A6?

Owners named Airbags most often — 8 of 15 reports (53%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2010 Audi A6?

NHTSA lists 3 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 2010 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.

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
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
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