AUDI A6 · model year

1997 AUDI A6

26 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997AUDIA6 carries 26 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 5 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 A6 is electrical system:ignition:switch with 8 filings, followed by electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery (3) and electrical system (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 1997 A6. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

26
Complaints
0
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

26 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
EQUIPMENT1
SEATS1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20170125FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1997 AUDI A6 QUATTRO. FILLED UP WITH GAS AT 8PM, PARKED CAR IN DRIVEWAY IN FRONT OF GARAGE. BY 2PM NEXT DAY THERE WAS A LARGE PUDDLE OF GAS (NEARLY 1/2 TANK) LOCATED UNDER THE ENTIRE REAR END OF THE CAR PAST THE WHEELS MORE THEN 2 FT ON BOTH SIDES. THE FUMES COULD SMELT OVER 5 FT AWAY. I'M POSITIVE THE SLIGHTEST SPARK WOULD'VE IGNITED THE FUEL, THAT WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE CAR, MY NEIGHBORS AND MY GARAGE. I TOOK VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC, HE POINTED OUT THE LEAK, A PORT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE TANK THAT HAS A HOSE ATTACHED TO IT IS CRACKED. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE GAS WAS LEAKING ON MY EXHAUST, TRAVELING UP THE EXHAUST TOWARD THE ENGINE, I WAS LUCKY THAT THE HEAT DIDN'T IGNITE THE GAS. MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE HAS BEEN RECALLS FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE, AFTER CALLING, WERE INFORMED THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE RECALL THAT HAS BEEN ISSUED. AFTER DOING HOURS OF RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND COUNTLESS OTHER VW/AUDI OWNERS COMPLAINING THEIR VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL EVEN THO

Mileage: 197,000

20131224ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

IGNITION SWITCH STOPPED WORKING CAUSING THE HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, AND WIPERS TO STOP WORKING. CAR STILL OPERATES AND IS A DANGER IF DRIVING WITHOUT TURN SIGNALS OR WIPERS WITHOUT KNOWING. I HAVE NOTICED THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WITH THIS MODEL AND UNDERSTAND THE A4 HAD A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM THE SAME YEAR. IN WHICH THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS THE SAME PART NUMBER AS THE FAILED SWITCH IN THE A6 HOWEVER AUDI DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR THE A6. *TR

Mileage: 90,000

20130628FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE REAR SEAT WAS SHIFTED BY THE OCCUPANT TO ATTACH A CHILD'S CAR SEAT TO THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR SEATBELT MOUNTING BRACKETS. THE SPRING WIRES UNDER THE REAR SEAT CONTACTED BOTH POSTS OF THE BATTERY UNDER THE SEAT, IGNITING A FIRE, WHICH SPREAD THROUGH THE ENTIRE REAR SEAT OF THE CAR. THE SUSPENSION WIRES OF THE REAR SEAT WERE BURNED AWAY BY THE ARC. BASED UPON THE POSITION OF THE REAR SEAT REPORTED BY THE WITNESS, THE SEAT WIRES LINED UP RIGHT ON TOP OF THE BATTERY TERMINALS. THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY INSULATING MEANS BETWEEN THE TERMINALS OF THE BATTERY AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT SUSPENSION. *TR

20130628FireSEATS

THE REAR SEAT WAS SHIFTED BY THE OCCUPANT TO ATTACH A CHILD'S CAR SEAT TO THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR SEATBELT MOUNTING BRACKETS. THE SPRING WIRES UNDER THE REAR SEAT CONTACTED BOTH POSTS OF THE BATTERY UNDER THE SEAT, IGNITING A FIRE, WHICH SPREAD THROUGH THE ENTIRE REAR SEAT OF THE CAR. THE SUSPENSION WIRES OF THE REAR SEAT WERE BURNED AWAY BY THE ARC. BASED UPON THE POSITION OF THE REAR SEAT REPORTED BY THE WITNESS, THE SEAT WIRES LINED UP RIGHT ON TOP OF THE BATTERY TERMINALS. THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY INSULATING MEANS BETWEEN THE TERMINALS OF THE BATTERY AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT SUSPENSION. *TR

20100815ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON MY CAR - A 97/AUDI/AUDI A6 WHITE RCO129. THE KEY TURNS TOO FAR AND YOU HAVE TO SHIFT IT BACK TO GET THE GAUGES/ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES (WIPERS, AIR CONDITIONER, HEADLIGHTS, ETC.) TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AGAIN. COULD THIS BE RELATED TO THE 1994-1996 A6 RECALL? *TR

Mileage: 100,000

20100815EQUIPMENT

I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON MY CAR - A 97/AUDI/AUDI A6 WHITE RCO129. THE KEY TURNS TOO FAR AND YOU HAVE TO SHIFT IT BACK TO GET THE GAUGES/ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES (WIPERS, AIR CONDITIONER, HEADLIGHTS, ETC.) TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AGAIN. COULD THIS BE RELATED TO THE 1994-1996 A6 RECALL? *TR

Mileage: 100,000

20100322FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

1997 AUDI A6, VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. *BF ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT, THE FIRE APPEARED TO HAVE STARTED IN THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE RIGHT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE. OHIO TRAFFIC REPORT # 10-0327-89

20070208VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1997 AUDI A6 UNINTENDED ACCELERATION - STUCK THROTTLE. ONLY WAY TO STOP CAR FROM MOVING WAS TO TURN OFF IGNITION. AUDI DEALER (SUDS - NORMAL, ILLINOIS) FOUND ICE IN THROTTLE HOUSING AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH PROBLEM ON OTHER LIKE-MODEL AUDIS. IF I DID NOT HAVE PRESENCE OF MIND TO TURN OFF ENGINE I WOULD HAVE RUN INTO CROSS TRAFFIC ON BUSY SIX LANE HIGHWAY. *NM

Mileage: 85,200

20060720VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS WERE CLOUDY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL IN THE MIRRORS WAS PEELING. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED. UPDATED 9/5/2006 - THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACED THE MIRROR FREE OF CHARGE. *NM

Mileage: 67,000

20051122FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLAINT ID 345606/RECALL ID#00V317000 AUDI 1997 A6 WAGON WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I REPLACED MY IGNITION SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WOULD STAY ENGAGED AND THE KEY WOULD GET STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THIS PARTICULAR TIME THE CAR WAS BEING STARTED AND IT BURST IN TO FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPT PUT THE FIRE OUT AND I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. STARTER WAS BURNED UP AND SO IS THE MOTORMOUNT IS AS MUCH AS I KNOW FOR NOW, IAM SURE THERE'S MORE. CAR IS STILL AT DEALER AND AUDI OF AMERICA (HQ) SAYS THAT THEY CANNOT PROMISE ME ANYTHING. MADE IT KNOWN THAT I WAS AFRAID TO HAVE A CAR THAT WOULD CATCH ON FIRE WITH MY TWO KIDS AND I. WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT MY CAR DIDNT HAVE A RECALL ON IT BY THE DEALER AND THAT THE SAME PART WAS NOT BEING USED AS IN AUDI A4, EVEN AFTER I MENTIONED THE AUDI 1997 EARLIER COMPLAINT. AUDI IS BEING VERY INSENSITIVE TO THE SITUATION AND THINGS ARE NOT HAPPENING VERY FAST. I RECEIVE SEVERAL INQUIRIES ABOUT THE SAME INFO OVER AND OVER AS IF THE DEALE

20051121ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH HAS MALFUNCTIONED MANY TIMES, CAUSING HEADLAMPS TO FLICKER OR SIMPLY NOT FUNCTION. THE SWITCH NOW HAS MALFUNCTIONED TO THE POINT OF NO LONGER ALLOWING THE HEADLAMPS TO FUNCTION. *NM

20040715ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

I HAVE A "STICKY" IGNITION SWITCH, YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN IT BACK TO RUN OR THE STARTER STAYS ENGAGED. I HAVE NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM YET. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON FAILURE AND WAS A RECALL ITEM ON OTHER MODELS. *LA

Mileage: 116,000

20040426ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I DRIVE A 1997, A6 AUDI QUATTRO STATION WAGON. OVER THE PAST 2 WINTERS, I HAVE HAD 2 VERY SIMILAR INCIDENTS. ON EXTREMELY COLD MORNINGS WHILE DRIVING INTO WORK THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. EACH TIME I HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, THROW THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND SHUT TO CAR OFF. *AK

Mileage: 90,000

20040216ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

97 AUDI A6 AVANT HAS FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH THAT RESULTS IN FAILURE OF MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS . *AK

Mileage: 105,000

20030827ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH FAILED. IT'S A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM. GO TO HTTP://WWW.AUDIWORLD.COM/SEARCH/ AND PUT 'IGNITION SWITCH' IN AND SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM AND YET THERE'S A RECALL ON THE A4, BUT NOT THE A6.*AK

20020429ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

PLASTIC IGNITION SWITCH BREAKS AND KEY WILL NOT RETURN TO NORMAL POSITION, RESULTING IN LOSS OF TURN SIGNALS, LIGHTS, WIPERS. ATTEMPTED RESET MY TURN CAR OFF WHILE MOVING.*AK

20020429ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

AUDI OF AMERICA REPLACED IGNITION SWITCHES ON 1997 A4 MODEL CARS AS PART OF A RECALL PROGRAM. THE 1997 AUDI A6 USES THE SAME IGNITION SWITCH AS THE AUDI A4, BUT THE A6 WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL WITH THE A4. THE SYMPTOMS OF THE FAILING SWITCH ARE THE SAME WITH BOTH A4 AND A6 MODELS. IT WOULD SEEM PRUDENT BY AUDI TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCHES ON THE A6 MODEL CARS AS PART OF THE SAME RECALL PROGRAM AS THEY DID WITH THE A4 MODEL, ESPECIALLY SCINCE THE IGNITION SWITCHES ARE THE SAME PART NUMBER.*AK

20011012FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

BATTERY UNDER REAR SEAT SHORTED DUE TO MALFUNCTION OR CONTACT WITH WIRES ON BOTTOM OF SEAT CUSHION DUE TO INADEQUATE CLEARANCE BETWEEN BATTERY AND CUSHION. FIRE PRECEEDED BY LIGHTS FLASHING ON AND OFF AND MOON ROOF OPENING AND CLOSING. SMOKE CAME UP FROM UNDER REAR SEAT WHERE MY 14 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS SEATED. FIRE EXTINGUISHED PROBABLY DUE TO LACK OF 0XYGEN. DEALER REPORTS MECHANIC HAS SEEN PRIOR CASE SIMILAR.

20010829ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

KEY DID NOT RETURN TO NEUTRAL POSITION AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. MECHANIC HAS REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH.*AK

20010124POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR CORRECTLY. DEALER WILL INSPECT VEHICLE.*AK

Compare 1997AUDIA6 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 AUDI A6 have?
The 1997 AUDI A6 has 26 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 5 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 AUDI A6?
The most-complained component for the 1997 AUDI A6 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 1997 AUDI A6 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.