AUDI A6 · model year

2008 AUDI A6

78 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008AUDIA6 carries 78 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 4 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 2008 A6 is air bags with 48 filings, followed by electrical system (6) and exterior lighting (6). 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. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2008 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.

78
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

78 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS48
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
SEAT BELTS2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE2
SERVICE BRAKES2
ENGINE2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM1
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
POWER TRAIN1

Recalls (4)

18V42700022/06/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan, 2007-2008 RS4 Sedan, 2004 RS4 Cabriolet, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2005-2011 A6 Sedan, 2006-2011 A6 Avant, and 2007-2011 S6 Sedan vehicles. These vehicles are

17V03200011/01/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, N

07V33400001/08/2007

STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE AUTOMATIC REAR LID INCLUDES AN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND CLUTCH THAT WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH TWO GAS STRUTS TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE REAR LID, INCLUDING A MANUAL CLOSE FUNCTION. IF ONE OF THE STRUTS HAS A TOTAL LOSS OF PRESSURE, THE RESULTANT SLOW MOVEME

16V38200001/06/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Audi A4, and 2005-2011 Audi A6 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, th

Recent Complaints

20250124AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2008 Audi A6. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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. Parts distribution disconnect.

20220911POWER TRAIN

TCM is defective will not allow car to shift into gear causing car to stop in traffic with no warnings

20190227AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI FAIRFIELD (435 COMMERCE DR, FAIRFIELD, CT 06825, (203)-951-6570) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20190211AIR BAGS

AUDI PERIODICALLY SENDS OUT A PROVOCATIVE SAFETY WARNING TO 'SCHEDULE YOUR REPAIR IMMEDIATELY' STATING THAT (MY) 'SAFETY AND SATISFACTION ARE THEIR TOP PRIORITIES'. WHEN I CALL A DEALER, I'M TOLD THAT I ALREADY HAVE THE (TEMPORARY AND ONLY) FIX (AS TAKATA WENT BANKRUPT). PLEASE ENCOURAGE CORP AUDI TO GET THEIR STORY STRAIT. THE ONLY FACT I KNOW FOR CERTAIN IS THAT NEITHER I OR ANYONE ONE I KNOW WILL EVER BUY ANOTHER AUDI.

20190103AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL I HAVE CONTACTED THE AUDI DEALER AND AUDI USA SEVERAL TIMES TO GET A REPAIR SCHEDULED WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. THIS HAS NOW BEEN GOING ON FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS. EVERY TIME I GET THE SAME STORY. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY PARTS, ONE TIME THEY TOLD ME THE REPAIR HAD JUST BEEN REVOKED AND THAT THEY WERE WAITING NEW INFORMATION. I FEEL VERY UNSAFE WITH THE SITUATION.

20181026AIR BAGS

2008 AUDI A6 QUATTRO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEALERSHIP FAILING TO REPLACE FAULTY COMPONENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER; AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL NO. 69R7. *AS *JS

20180731AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL - AIRBAG REPLACED PER RECALL BUT AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINS LIT DUE TO FAULTY SEATBELT IN REAR CENTER PASSENGER SEAT. FAULTY SEAT BELT NEEDS TO BE PUT UNDER RECALL AS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE IN THE AUDI.

20180731SEAT BELTS

TAKATA RECALL - AIRBAG REPLACED PER RECALL BUT AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINS LIT DUE TO FAULTY SEATBELT IN REAR CENTER PASSENGER SEAT. FAULTY SEAT BELT NEEDS TO BE PUT UNDER RECALL AS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE IN THE AUDI.

20180726AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V427000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. PAUL MILLER AUDI (179 US-46, PARSIPPANY, NJ 07054, (973) 575-7750) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20180726CrashAIR BAGS

I WAS INVOLVED IN A PASSENGER SIDE IMPACT ACCIDENT WHERE THE PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN DID NOT DEPLOY. THE IMPACTING VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ABOVE 35MPH WHEN IT STRUCK. THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS NOR ANY ATTEMPT TO SLOW THE VEHICLE BEFORE IMPACT. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED IN THE COLLISION. ALL PASSENGERS IN BOTH VEHICLES (1 DRIVER/ 1 PASSENGER) WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR INJURIES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED AT IAAI IN BALTIMORE. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM​/VEHICLE?ITEMID=2884​8576&ROWNUMBER=16&LO​ADRECENT=TRUE

Mileage: 134,000

20180618AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V032000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, 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 DEALER (INTERNATIONAL MERCEDES-BENZ MILWAUKEE, 2400 S 108TH ST, MILWAUKEE, WI 53227, (866) 455-8708) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY AND THAT THERE WAS A PREPOSITION RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20180612AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V382000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE DEALER (AUDI COLUMBUS, 341 N HAMILTON ROAD, COLUMBUS, OHIO 43213) CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20180403EXTERIOR LIGHTING

HEADLIGHT FLICKERING AND TURNS OFF WITH DIPPED LIGHT WARNING. REAR LIGHTS WARNINGS OF BULBS OUT RANDOM TIMES. SHUTTING LIGHTS OFF AND ON RESOLVES ISSUE WITH HEADLIGHTS.

20180305AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL I HAVE BEEN WAITING OVER A YEAR FOR THE AIRBAG FIX ON MY CAR. THIS AMOUNT OF TIME IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING GIVEN THIS IS A LIFE/SAFETY FIX. HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THIS TAKE?

20180129AIR BAGS

" TAKATA RECALL " IN DECEMBER 2016 I PURCHASED A USED LOW MILE 2008 AUDI A6 FROM BOISE VOLKSWAGEN-AUDI IN BOISE IDAHO. IT HAS THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL ON IT. I BELIEVE AUDI NEW ABOUT THE RECALL BEFORE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THE DEALER HAS NOT FIXED IT BECAUSE THEY DON`T HAVE THE PARTS. THEIR SOLUTION IS DON`T LET ANYONE RIDE IN THE FRONT SEAT! REALLY? I HAVE TWO TEENAGE KIDS AND TWO ELDERLY PARENTS I TAKE CARE OF. I CAN`T OWN A CAR THAT I CANNOT USE OR SHOULD I HAVE TOO. THE RECALL SAYS THE METAL PARTS OF THE AIR BAG CAN COME APART AND CAN CAUSE FATAL INJURY, SO THAT PUTS EVERYONE IN THE CAR IN DANGER, NOT JUST THE PASSENGER! I THINK AUDI SHOULD BUY MY CAR BACK OR GIVE ME A LOANER CAR UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO FIX THE SAFETY ISSUE. I AM SUPER UNHAPPY WITH THIS AND AFRAID TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR, BUT I HAVE TO BECAUSE ITS MY ONLY SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION. WHAT CAN BE DONE?

20171212AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V032000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (AUDI MILWAUKEE, 10606 W ARTHUR AVE, MILWAUKEE, WI 53227) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20171120AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL. AIRBAG HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE FATAL BODILY HARM IN THE EVENT THE PRODUCT DEPLOYS. SINCE 2016, MULTIPLE AUDI DEALERSHIPS HAVE NOT PROVIDED A SOLUTION REGARDING THIS ISSUE.

20171117AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 AUDI A6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V032000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (PRESTIGE AUDI, 9201 W COLIFAX AVE, LAKEWOOD, CO 80215) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20171112AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL. I VISITED THE AUDI DEALERS SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR AND THEY SAID THEY ARE UNABLE TO REPLACE THE AIRBAGS AS THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PARTS IN STOCK AND WERE UNABLE TO GIVE ME A TIMELINE FOR COMPLETION

20171108AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL RELATED - A NHTSA RECALL NUMBER HAS BEEN ISSUED - 17V032 AND A MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER HAS BEEN ISSUED - 69P6 NEARLY 11 MONTHS AGO BUT NO REMEDY HAS BEEN PROVIDED.

Compare 2008AUDIA6 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 AUDI A6 have?
The 2008 AUDI A6 has 78 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 AUDI A6?
Yes, the 2008 AUDI A6 has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 AUDI A6?
The most-complained component for the 2008 AUDI A6 is AIR BAGS with 48 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
Is the 2008 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.