AUDI S6 · model year

2018 AUDI S6

5 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018AUDIS6 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 S6 is steering with 2 filings, followed by service brakes (1) and visibility/wiper (1). 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 1 active recall campaign, 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 2018 S6. 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.

5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
2018 AUDI S6 — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2018 AUDI S6. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

5 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING2
SERVICE BRAKES1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (1)

18V37000004/06/2018

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occ

Recent Complaints

20231210STEERING

First off let me start by saying the vehicle has 45k miles on it. There were no fault codes or system errors prior to the issue that developed. I was driving to a meeting in heavy rain, no issues or suspicion of issues arising. I parked the car, returned about 2 hours later started the car to find 6 warnings on the dash (tpms fault, acc disabled, steering disabled, air ride control disabled esc disabled and a few more. Notably was the steering, it had a red light and the steering wheel was very hard to turn. The vehicle couldnt be driven. After having the computer scanned the issue was the electronic steering rack. See codes below. This is very unfortunate and strange that it came out of nowhere especially to fail this way. The vehicle is available for inspection until the part is replaced. VIN: [XXX] License Plate: Mileage: 73992km-45976mi Repair Order: Address 44: Steering Assist Labels: 4G0-909-144.clb Control Module Part Number: 4G0 909 144 T HW

20231210ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

First off let me start by saying the vehicle has 45k miles on it. There were no fault codes or system errors prior to the issue that developed. I was driving to a meeting in heavy rain, no issues or suspicion of issues arising. I parked the car, returned about 2 hours later started the car to find 6 warnings on the dash (tpms fault, acc disabled, steering disabled, air ride control disabled esc disabled and a few more. Notably was the steering, it had a red light and the steering wheel was very hard to turn. The vehicle couldnt be driven. After having the computer scanned the issue was the electronic steering rack. See codes below. This is very unfortunate and strange that it came out of nowhere especially to fail this way. The vehicle is available for inspection until the part is replaced. VIN: [XXX] License Plate: Mileage: 73992km-45976mi Repair Order: Address 44: Steering Assist Labels: 4G0-909-144.clb Control Module Part Number: 4G0 909 144 T HW

20210422VISIBILITY/WIPER

I OWN A 2018 AUDI S6 WHICH I BEGAN DRIVING IN MARCH 2018. SINCE THEN THE WINDSHIELD HAS SHATTERED THREE TIMES, DUE TO ONLY MINOR IMPACTS OF ROCKS OR ROAD DEBRIS EACH TIME. THIS HAPPENED MOST RECENTLY A FEW WEEKS AGO WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70 MPH. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 36 YEARS IN SEVEN DIFFERENT AUTOMOBILES AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO HAVE A WINDSHIELD REPLACED. I ALSO DO MUCH LESS HIGHWAY DRIVING THAN I HAVE IN THE PAST. THE FACT THAT THE WINDSHIELD ON MY AUDI HAS SHATTERED THREE TIMES IN THREE YEARS CANNOT POSSIBLY BE JUST BAD LUCK. FORTUNATELY, EACH TIME THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERED IT WAS NOT IN THE DRIVER'S LINE OF SIGHT. IF THE WINDSHIELD HAD SHATTERED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER IT COULD HAVE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AS THE WINDSHIELD ON THIS PARTICULAR AUDI MODEL SEEMS TO BE QUITE FRAGILE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN A 2009 AUDI A5 FOR NINE YEARS WITH NO SUCH ISSUES. I HAVE CONTACTED AUDI OF AMERICA WITH MY C

Mileage: 21,000

20180409SERVICE BRAKES

EXCESSIVE BRAKE DUST ON WHEELS AND ROTORS AFFECTING STOPPING DISTANCE

20171204STEERING

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 11/18/2017; ON 11/21/2017 A DEAD BATTERY CAUSED THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. ON THE 11/22/2017 AFTER CHARGING THE VEHICLE BATTERY OVER 20 HOURS THE VEHICLE STARTED; HOWEVER THE VEHICLE DISPLAYED SEVERAL WARNINGS: STEERING SYSTEM FAULT, DYNAMIC STABILITY, ADAPTIVE SUSPENSION, ADAPTIVE LIGHTS, ETC... THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED TO AUDI SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR WAS MALFUNCTIONING; WHICH IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO STEERING SYSTEM FAULT. THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED TO ME BY A MEMBER OF THE SALES TEAM ON 11/30/2017 STATING THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND CLEAR OF ANY ISSUES. HOWEVER, THE STEERING SYSTEM FAULT RETURNED WITHIN HOURS AFTER THE DELIVERY WHILE DRIVING WESTBOUND ON I-565 AND THE ACTIVE LANE ASSISTANCE ENGAGED MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I WAS ABLE TO DISENGAGE THE ACTIVE LANE ASSISTANCE, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE STEERING BECAME INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT TO STEER. AFTER PICKING UP MY CHILDREN FORM SCHOOL, THE VE

Mileage: 420

Compare 2018AUDIS6 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 AUDI S6 have?
The 2018 AUDI S6 has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 AUDI S6?
The 2018 AUDI S6 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 AUDI S6?
Yes, the 2018 AUDI S6 has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 AUDI S6?
The most-complained component for the 2018 AUDI S6 is STEERING with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES and VISIBILITY/WIPER.
Is the 2018 AUDI S6 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2018 AUDI S6 has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. 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.