2015 Audi A6 Problems: Engine (22 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2015 Audi A6 is Engine (36% of 22 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 22 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2015 Audi A6?

8 of 22 filings named Engine (36% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Airbags (3 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Engine, Airbags, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2014 has 39 reports on file; this year has 22. 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 2015 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 4 campaigns on file below.
Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
Skim a few owner reports below for Engine. 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: Engine 8 complaints · 36.4% of the file

Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:

Crashes 2
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)
Engine (ENGINE)	8	36.4%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS)	3	13.6%	1 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)	2	9.1%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING)	2	9.1%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS)	2	9.1%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)	1	4.6%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)	1	4.6%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)	1	4.6%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION)	1	4.6%	0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover	4	18.2%	1 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.

Campaign 18V370000 was reported 258 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.

View timeline records as a table

Date	Record type	Count	Record identifier
2015-Q2	Owner reports	1
2015-Q3	Owner reports	1
2017-Q3	Owner reports	1
2017-Q4	Owner reports	1
2018-Q1	Owner reports	1
2018-Q2	Owner reports	2
2018-Q3	Owner reports	1
2019-Q1	Owner reports	2
2019-Q4	Owner reports	1
2020-Q3	Owner reports	1
2020-Q4	Owner reports	1
2022-Q1	Owner reports	2
2022-Q3	Owner reports	1
2023-Q1	Owner reports	1
2023-Q4	Owner reports	2
2024-Q4	Owner reports	1
2026-Q1	Owner reports	1
2026-Q3	Owner reports	1
Jan 2017	Recall campaign	1	17V002000
Apr 2018	Recall campaign	1	18V229000
Jun 2018	Recall campaign	1	18V370000
Dec 2018	Recall campaign	1	18V862000

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

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 Engine, Airbags, and Electrical.

Recall campaign 17V002000

Engine

Report date

Jan 3, 2017

Component:

Engine (ENGINE)

Consequence:

If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy:

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 18V229000

Engine

Report date

Apr 11, 2018

Component:

Engine (ENGINE)

Consequence:

A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy:

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 18V370000

Airbags

Report date

Jun 4, 2018

Component:

Airbags (AIR BAGS)

Consequence:

If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy:

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.

View authoritative NHTSA record →
Recall campaign 18V862000

Electrical

Report date

Dec 5, 2018

Component:

Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)

Consequence:

The extra resistance can cause the connector to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy:

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the auxiliary heater connector, replacing the auxiliary heater and connector, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 82C1.

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 8 of 22 complaints · page 1 of 1

2026-07-24Airbags (AIR BAGS)

NHTSA ODI 11752697

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact's sister owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated that while his sister was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear of a Toyota 4Runner. The driver sustained injuries to the chest and neck and had back pain. Medical attention was not provided. The front bumper and frame, and hood were damaged. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. There was no Police report filed. The drivers exchanged information. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

2026-01-17Wheels (WHEELS)

NHTSA ODI 11711678

CrashFireInjuryDeath

I am writing to report a serious and life-threatening safety incident involving my Audi vehicle following recent service performed by an authorized Audi dealer. Vehicle information: Model: Audi (2015) VIN: [XXX] Servicing Dealer: Audi Lafayette IN Date of Service: 2026-01-14 A few days after the service appointment, my wife was driving the vehicle from Lafayette, Indiana to Chicago on the highway at normal speed when the vehicle suddenly became unstable and difficult to control. The car experienced violent shaking and loss of directional control, creating an immediate risk of a high-speed accident. Fortunately, she was able to safely bring the vehicle to a stop on the highway shoulder. The vehicle was then towed back to the same dealership. Preliminary inspection strongly suggests a wheel / tire installation failure, which occurred less than a week after dealer service. This incident placed my wife’s life — and the lives of other motorists — in serious danger. We are extremely concerned that this failure may be the result of improper installation or torque procedures performed during the dealer service. At this time: We have not authorized any repairs or alterations to the vehicle We are preserving the vehicle condition for documentation and investigation We are requesting Audi of America’s immediate involvement Given the severity of this incident, we respectfully request: A formal Audi of America safety investigation Preservation and review of all dealer service records and technician documentation. This was not a minor inconvenience — this was a near-fatal highway safety failure, and we believe it requires urgent attention at the corporate level. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2024-10-16Engine (ENGINE)

NHTSA ODI 11620102

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated that while driving on neighborhood roads at approximately 25 MPH, the coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact proceeded to park on the side of the road and walk to her residence to pick up coolant to refill the coolant tank. The vehicle was then taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

2023-12-31Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)

NHTSA ODI 11562862

CrashFireInjuryDeath

P2067 engine check code which shows faulty fuel sensor. Audi has recalled other year Audi a6 sedan vehicles with the same issue and this seems to be a safety issue as it can show incorrect fuel gauge and in the event of car out of fuel, engine can stall and can cause accident.

2023-11-17Engine (ENGINE)

NHTSA ODI 11555740

CrashFireInjuryDeath

Coolant sprayed on engine components due to leaking Coolant /Water pump. Coolant level is falling below minimum level - Problem confirmed by the dealer 1. Water pump 2. Coolant sprayed onto engine components - potential fire hazard 3. Confirmed by dealer 4. Unknown 5, Umknown

2023-01-06Engine (ENGINE)

NHTSA ODI 11500532

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was antifreeze leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the leak was a recurring failure. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the "Turn Off Engine, Check Coolant Level" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the coolant pump was replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V229000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

2022-08-02Engine (ENGINE)

NHTSA ODI 11477218

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The defect of water pump used by this model causes coolant leakage and a serious overheating problem that triggers the temperature warning light. It is a safety risk without repairing this.

2022-03-03Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover

NHTSA ODI 11455029

CrashFireInjuryDeath

The contact owns a 2015 Audi A6. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and called for roadside assistance. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the oil level was extremely low due to an oil leak. The contact was informed that the timing chain kit and camshaft cover needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2015 Audi A6?

Owners named Engine most often — 8 of 22 reports (36%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2015 Audi A6?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Engine, Airbags, and Electrical. 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 2015 Audi A6?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. 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