The 2012 Audi A6 has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 949,324 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS18V3700002018-06-04139,249 affected
Defect
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 Occupant Detection…
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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING18V2290002018-04-11342,867 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become…
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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Audi A6 and A7 vehicles. The fuel line has a compression point that can weaken, potentially resulting in a fuel leak.
Consequence
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-888-237-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AR.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING17V0020002017-01-03342,867 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the…
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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 and Audi A7 vehicles. The affected vehicles have a fuel hose in the engine compartment that may degrade and leak fuel.
Consequence
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the under hood fuel pump and fuel hose, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BZ.
AIR BAGS15V8230002015-12-0821,074 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Audi A6 vehicles manufactured March 28, 2011, to March 25, 2013, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles manufactured January 25, 2011, to March 19, 2013. In vehicles with heated and cooled seats, the Passenger Occupant Detection System…
Consequence
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of occupant injury in a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
Consequence
A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi…
AIR BAGS11V5800002011-12-06317 affected
Defect
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL 2012 AUDI A6 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 8, 2011, THROUGH MAY 26, 2011. DUE TO A PROBLEM IN THE STITCHING PROCESS OF THE CURTAIN AIR BAG, THE SEAM OF THE AIR BAG MAY NOT BE STITCHED PROPERLY.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE HEAD CURTAIN AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT AN OCCUPANT, INCREASING THE RISK OF AN INJURY.
Remedy
VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY ALL OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND/OR RIGHT CURTAIN AIR BAG FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
14
ENGINE
13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
9
POWER TRAIN
8
STEERING
6
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
Total complaints86
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Dear highway safety authority officer I am writing to formally request an investigation into a potential safety concern involving structural rust on the engine subframe (engine cradle) of the audi a6, particularly in models from 2012 there have been growing concerns among owners and independent…”
“Vehicle suffered sudden and total loss of power steering. Had just driven the car 5-10 minutes prior, came out to leave and had a message stating do not drive vehicle, steering defective. At that point the steering wheel felt locked in place and the vehicle was effectively a brick. This issue just…”
“Good morning, for the past couple of weeks, I've been getting the run around on whether the issue I'm having with my vehicle is an active recall. I recently took my vehicle to eurocode tuning (torrance, ca), and the mechanic instructed me to take my vehicle to the dealer because the issue I am…”
“The contact owns a 2012 audi a6. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The contact stated that the fuel odor became stronger while driving 65 mph. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled into a parking lot and…”
“My car almost overheated on the high on thanksgiving night thank god my brother was behind me driving and took me to go get antifreeze my coolant was leaking and I think my water pump messed up almost a accident cause I was in the middle lane and my vehicle was slowing down on the highway at night”
“Greeting, I drove my car for a minor body repair and paint job at midland park auto body located at 158 godwin ave, midland park, nj 07432 on march 22 2022. There were no signs on the dashboard for any services or repair when I dropped of the car. Warren the owner called me to let me know that the…”
“The contact owns a 2012 audi a6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a fuel odor was detected. Upon inspection, the contact noticed there was a fuel leak coming from the fuel line connector. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer.…”
“My acc is not working - I bought the car like that, and the dealer knew about it but did not tell me about it and bought the case as is... I did everything to try to fix it and changed the parts but still not working.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Audi A6 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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