This report is on a new vehicle. The incident occurred within one week of purchase. While driving on a freeway at constant speed, with the closest vehicle in front of me approximately 25 yards away and with no warning, the car slammed on the brakes in an emergency fashion and aggressively tightened the seat belt shoulder harness. This was followed by a notice "emergency call cancelled". It is clear that the Audi pre sense malfunctioned and caused the system to think a rear end collision was imminent, when clearly it was not. The internet is littered with complaints about this. Fortunately, this did not result in an accident, but I would classify it as a near miss safety incident since if someone had been close behind me it likely would have resulted in a rear end collision. I have reported this to the Audi dealer that I purchased it from. Given that I haven't had a car accident in forty years, I consider this system more of a safety hazard than a help.
2026 Audi A6
Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsVehicle was put into gear and lost propulsion . Then all adas warning lights illuminated. This is the second time this has happened
Drive Train suffered a life threatening loss of propulsion on a main highway . My safety was at risk due to the losing propulsion leaving me in the middle of the highway in an unsafe vehicle. Multiple communication-module fault codes. Dealer has acknowledged these issues. there were warning lights and multiple messages after .
We are reporting serious safety-related faults involving my leased 2026 Audi A6, VIN [XXX] , and a same-model 2026 Audi A6 loaner provided by Audi Central Houston. Core safety issues: 1. My vehicle previously displayed a Park/rollaway warning indicating Park could not be engaged. 2. My vehicle has had repeated starting-system faults, including: “Engine start system: malfunction! Please contact Service.” 3. Our vehicle has been the subject of multiple repair visits at Audi Central Houston and is currently at the dealer, available for inspection. 4. After the third repair order, Audi Central Houston represented the vehicle was ready for pickup. Before we accepted return, the same starting-system malfunction reportedly recurred during Audi’s own test-drive/verification process. Audi added that April 30 recurrence to the still-open third repair order. 5. While our A6 remained at the dealer, Audi Central Houston provided a same-model 2026 Audi A6 loaner. That loaner displayed: “P not possible. Risk of rolling away! Please contact Service.” A photo is available. 6. Because the loaner warning stated Park was not possible and there was a risk of rolling away, we did not leave it parked unattended and returned it directly to Audi Central Houston. The apparent failed/malfunctioning systems involve Park engagement, electronic shift-by-wire, transmission control, parking interlock, starting-system control, electrical modules, software, gateway communication, or related safety-critical co
While driving yesterday, the MMI reset and included the dashboard. The dash completely froze for a couple minutes(including the speedometer), and then the whole system blacked out and restarted. There has been a check engine light on since I got the car in December. Havent been able to get a service appointment with a loaner. Also since new, adaptive cruise control works intermittently with a warning that a door is open(when all doors are completely closed).
I own a new 2026 Audi A6 Prestige that I just purchased and have 320 miles on so far. The vehicle is experiencing a driver assistance system malfunction. The instrument cluster repeatedly displays “Driver assistance: limited,” along with warnings that Lane Assist and High Beam Assist are unavailable. The warning messages and audible chimes occur repeatedly while driving, approximately every few seconds or minutes. The alerts and beeping repeatedly interrupt driving and create a distraction that takes the driver’s attention away from the road. This is a big safety issue. The vehicle has been taken to an authorized Audi dealership. The dealer confirmed the issue but advised that the fix is a software update that has not yet been released by the manufacturer. Because the update is not yet available, the vehicle continues to operate with driver assistance safety systems disabled and with repeated warning alerts occurring during normal driving. The concern is that the repeated alerts and chimes during driving create a driver distraction and affect safe operation of the vehicle. The manufacturer has indicated a software update may be released in the future, but there is currently no repair available. This is a safety concern as it constantly takes me away from driving and looking at the constant alerts and beeps. These includes items such as: - alerts repeat while driving - driver-assistance safety systems unavailable - warning tones and pop-ups repeatedly distract the driver I do
6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 1999| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — this page | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2021 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2020 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2019 | 114 | 7 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2018 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2017 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2016 | 51 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2015 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2014 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2013 | 52 | 6 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2012 | 59 | 8 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2011 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 67 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 91 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 66 | 7 | 5 | 0 | Routine |
| 2002 | 88 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2001 | 113 | 7 | 7 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 148 | 4 | 8 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 | 217 | 9 | 23 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 1998 | 130 | 10 | 7 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | Routine |
| 1996 | 51 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1995 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.