DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH IN NORMAL CONDITIONS, THE FUEL PUMP FRACTURED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. UPDATED 03/09/06. *JB
2003 Audi A6 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2003 record →
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TIRES ON THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN REPLACED NINE TIMES, WITHIN ONE AND A HALF YEARS. THE SIDE WALLS ON THE TIRES ARE BLOWING OUT. THE TIRE REPAIR SHOP WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN ALERTED.
2003 AUDI A6 TIRE SIDEWALL IS THIN. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED THERE IS A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE. DURING PARKING, IF THE TIRE TOUCHES THE CURB; THE TIRE FAILS. *JB
DT: CONSUMER MADE A TURN AND ABOUT 2 GALLONS OF WATER CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT INTO THE REAR PASSENGERS SEAT FLOOR BOARD. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, WHO SAID IT COULD BE THAT THE CONDENSER LINE WASN'T PLUGGED, AND THEN A FACTORY SEAL ABOVE THE CONDENSER WAS FAULTY. SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT, HOWEVER, IT RECURRED THIS PAST WEEKEND. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 30-35 MPH VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THERE WAS NO WARNING. CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE HAD THE INCORRECT SPEED SENSORS INSTALLED ON IT. ALSO, THESE BAD SENSORS WERE ON EACH OF THE WHEELS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. DRIVER WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT AN INTERSECTION AND VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER T WAS UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. MECHANIC CLAIMED THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DETERMINED NOR DUPLICATED. DRIVER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE AND HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED. *AK THIS IS THE 4TH TIME CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM. IF PROBLEM HAPPENS AGAIN, CONSUMER WILL RETURN TO THE DEALER. *BF *NM
I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH MY 2003 AUDI A6 CVT TRANSMISSION. THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REPLACED RECENTLEY, BUT THE SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR PROBLEM CONTINUES WITH NEW ONE. THE SAN DIEGO AUDI DEALERS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM, BUT HAVE TOLD ME TO LET THE TRANSMISSION FAIL COMPLETELY AGAIN AND THEY WILL REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY AGAIN. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH LOW PROFILE TIRES THAT ARE OEM ON AUDI A6 3.OL QUATTRO. *BF THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHIN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRES. *SC *JB
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK AND SHOULDER PAIN. *AK
CAR SHAKES AND SHUDDERS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. WHEN TRYING TO START FROM A STOP, CAR HESITATES BEFORE MOVING. CAN ROLL BACKWARDS IF CAR IS ON AN UPHILL INCLINE. NATURAL RESPONSE IS TO DEPRESS GAS PEDAL FURTHER. TRANSMISSION THEN ENGAGES AND CAR LURCHES FORWARD. TOOK CAR TO DEALER 3 TIMES. FIRST TIME TRANSMISSION FLUID TOPPED OFF. SECOND TIME TRANMISSION CONTROL UNIT SOFTWARE UPGRADED. 3RD TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE FIXED, EVEN WITH TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT.*AK
I NOW DRIVE AN AUDI A6 WITH PIRELLI P/6 TIRES. I HAVE HAD 5 BLOW-OUTS IN THE PAST 19 MONTHS. THE SIDEWALLS ARE EITHER PAPER THIN OR NON-EXISTENT. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND HAVEN'T HAD 5 FLAT TIRES IN THAT TIME. THESE TIRES ARE DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE PUT ON CARS THAT DRIVE ON REGULAR STREETS. I HAVE NOTIFIED THE DEALER" NEW COUNTRY AUDI OF GREENWICH, CT. THE SALES MANAGER SAID "DIDN'T THE SALESPERSON TELL YOU YOU HAD TO BE CAREFUL WITH THESE TIRES?" WHAT KIND OF AN ANSWER IS THAT?*AK
STEERING WHEEL SHAKE AT 50 TO 60 MPH. MANY ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM HAS NOT HELPED. OTHER A6 OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. PROBLEM NOTED ON FIRST DRIVE AT 150 MILES AND STILL PRESENT AT 4000 MILES.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FORCE TO REMOVE SNOW BUILD UP EVEN IF IN THE HIGHEST SPEED MODE. THIS RESULTS IN POOR VISIBILITY. *AK
FAILURE TO ACCELERATE. I EXPERIENCE MAJOR DELAYS IN ANY ACCELERATION IMMEDIATELY AFTER I HAVE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE (AT ANY SPEED) AND THEN TRY TO REACCELERATE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT AMONG ALL AUDI TIPTRONIC OWNERS REGARDLESS OF ENGINE TYPE. IT IS NOT, AS AUDI TRIES TO SAY, "TURBO LAG." IN ALMOST EVERY FAILURE TO DATE, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. HAD OTHER DRIVERS BEEN LESS ATTENTIVE, I MOST SURELY WOULD HAVE BEEN STRUCK. I AM HESITANT TO PULL OUT INTO ANY VOLUME OF TRAFFIC WITH THIS PERSISTENT PROBLEM. *LA
THE FRONT BUMPER GETS CAUGHT ON PARKING BUMPERS ON A REGULAR BASIS. ON THIS OCCASION, IT WAS TORN FROM THE FENDER, AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE FENDER. IT HAS OCCURRED ON COUNTLESS OCCASIONS SINCE THEN. THE CAR IS DESIGNED WITH THE LOWER BUMPER TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND.*JB
WHILE PUTTING VEHICLE IN THE REVERSE MODE IT WILL START SHAKING AND VIBRATING. *AK
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2003 Audi A6 → · Every A6 year → · How the figures are calculated →