2020 AUDI A6 Problems

Complaints Reported

Complaints by Component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

8 complaints

Water intrusion in passenger floor board which causes problem with control module and reduces acceleration

Oct 17, 2025

Experienced alternator / generator failure while driving. Various vehicle systems starting shutting down and warning symbols were displayed. Vehicle stopped running on the highway and needed to be towed to the local Audi dealership. The sequence / progression of failure occurred over several miles with complete vehicle shutdown and stop in the middle of a busy highway intersection. Dealer confirmed it was an alternator / generator failure and it needed to be replaced. Seems to be a common occurrence with the A6 model. Dealer informed me it could be a couple of weeks to a couple of months for a repair as this item is on back order with Audi. Audi should issue an immediate recall or warning of this failure.

Sep 30, 2023

Electrical system malfunction. Car will not run

Apr 17, 2023

Receiving multiple electrical warnings including low battery charge, vehicle starting system, parking brake malfunction, stabilization control (ESC/ABS), parking aid malfunction, and all-wheel drive malfunction. Issue appears to be due to a common failing 48v battery alternator.

Feb 12, 2023

I purchased the car new around June 2020 and it currently has just under 26,000 miles on it. Earlier this week while driving the car, an electrical malfunction warning appeared on the dashboard display. The first dealership I contacted did not deem it serious and set me up for an appointment over a month away. The second dealership I called had me tow the car in right away as the thought was my alternator had failed. A call back later that afternoon confirmed the alternator did in fact fail. That dealer also indicated that the wait time for a replacement was several months away. This seems to indicate much larger problems with this part as alternators are fairly common and very necessary components.

Feb 03, 2023

+ 3 more complaints for this component

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

3 complaints

- Multiple computer/modules/safety features. YES, the vehicle is available for inspection - The Emergency Assist with Driver Not available came on and slowed my car down to the point I almost got rear ended by the truck that came up from behind - The problemS randomly occur and are intermittent, but I have accurate documentation of when they have occurred. The dealer has my Audi A6 now for the 3rd time with the same issues. They just told me that they saw a lane assist problem occur but did not give me details. - The vehicle is currently at the dealer for the 3rd time and they are talking with the manufacturer - Yes, plenty of warnings coming up and have started Jun 2021 at 1400 miles I have kept track of when my car has given erroneous or real issues over the last few weeks. When I bring the vehicle in today, 19 Oct 2021, it is the third time you will have it in for the same issues. The car is scaring me because the safety issues are not safe and it seems as if the sensors are not working properly and seeing things that are not there and activating without any concerns to do so. One of these times, the emergency assist came on when I was driving highway speeds and had both hands on the wheel going straight on a dry road and sunny skies (13 Oct), beeped at me 4-5 times with the message continuing to show on dash, the car jerked with the automatic brakes being pumped and no driver intervention as the seat belt was tightening on me, kept the emergency assist on to slow me down to the point that I almost got rear ended by the truck that was following me. I was driving normally/straight on a straight road within the lines with both hands on the wheel and there was NO reason for the emergency assist to come on. This is only one example of the car having a mind of it’s own when it is not warranted. I am afraid that the vehicle will CAUSE me to have an accident instead of protecting me from one. I have word doc of dates/times of incidents, too numerous to list.

Oct 26, 2021

I have multiple safety features that are suddenly malfunctioning. The care suddenly braked when traveling at 80mph in the HOV lane. The pre sense function suddenly braked the car while another was passing in the opposite direction. The emergency assist tried to steer me into a car in the lane adjacent to mine. Multiple warning messages have appeared in the dash board. This is blamed by my dealer on a software update that recently occurred. He states that he has multiple other similar complaints. He has only suggested that I turn these safety features off and has had not solution to repair them. I feel like my vehicle is an accident waiting to happen. The date below is when these things began to happen

Jul 19, 2021

THE AUTOMATED EMERGENCY BRAKING RANDOMLY KICKS IN.. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS. NOTHING WAS AROUND TO CAUSE THE AEB TO ACTIVATE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF SOMEONE WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME AT THE TIME. IT JOLTED PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND NOTHING IN THE VICINITY, NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, NO PEDESTRIANS, NO ANIMALS....

Feb 27, 2021

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 complaints

I was traveling at ~65mph on the freeway when the sunroof spontaneously exploded. It was louder than a gunshot—I nearly lost control of the vehicle. The explosion occurred in the outward direction. There was no evidence of impact of preexisting damage. Internet research suggests this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Nov 09, 2025

This issue has been happening since I got the car and is getting worse by the day. The car only has about 11,000 miles and I bought it when it had almost 10,000 miles. Something in the dashboard and behind the instrument panels (A/C Controls and User Screens) makes a lot of Vibration Noises/Sounds as the car is slowly accelerated or as we drive over some uneven road. It seems like there is something loose. And this is getting worse by the day. When you pay a top price for a luxury car like Audi you expect that the care is built solid and not with cheap parts... it is very disappointing to see that a luxury car like Audi A6 will make these type of noises when the car is practically brand new.

Jul 17, 2021

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

Audi issued a recall for our vehicle’s fuel level sender which reports the amount of fuel in the tank to our fuel gauge display in late 2022 or early 2023. The reason for the recall stems from a safety issue in which the car incorrectly can display that there is more fuel in the tank than what is actually there. Our local dealership’s service center, Princeton Audi initially completed this recall repair in Late February or Early March of 2023 while the car had roughly 25-26,000 miles on it. Less than a fews days later, the recall repair failed and our car shutdown on us leaving my wife stranded while I was having surgery unable to help her. I escalated and reported this issue to Audi of America immediately to create awareness as this was dangerous. The Princeton Audi Service Center attempted to repair the recall a second time and assured us the repair was successful. The same issue has unfortunately resurfaced less than a year later, in February of 2024 while the vehicle has only 33,398 miles on it. After a third attempt to repair this recall, the Princeton Audi Service advisor confirmed the fuel level sensor was again faulty. Regretfully we are still seeing inaccurate reporting of the fuel levels in our car creating a perpetually dangerous situation for myself, my family, and others on the road. Our car can shutdown on a major highway if it runs out of gas because the fuel gauge display keeps showing we might have half a tank or more due to the inaccurate reporting from the fuel level sender. After contacting Audi of America again about this failed recall, they seem to be dodging responsibility for the failed remedy and providing no recourse to ensure the safety of myself, my family, or those we out at risk if we keep driving this vehicle. The Princeton Audi Service center keeps stating they have made the repair, but the recall remedy keeps failing for us. Please help us as they refuse to replace the vehicle or buy it back after the failed recall.

Feb 17, 2024

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION

1 complaint

The Audi presense system works intermittently. While under warranty I told the dealer the system wasn't working and they claimed that I must have hit something and would have to pay approximately $4,000 to realign the system. I refused to pay to realign/adjust the system since it was under warranty. I contacted the Audi customer advocate department who said they rely on the dealer to identify the issue and fix it, and since they said it may be related to an impact they could not do anything. I continued to drive the car and in the midst of a summer downpour sometime in 2022 the system corrected itself. I once again told the dealer what happened however they said there was nothing for them to diagnose. The system worked as should until October 2022 when it started to show a message saying system malfunction. I followed the car manual recommendation and washed all of the sensors however that did not solve the issue. I once again spoke with the dealer who said often times there's a moisture buildup in the location of the windshield mounted sensors. There's no way to get to the sensor and I asked them to clean it under warranty. The dealership once again refused to address the issue. I once again called the customer advocate department at Audi USA however they refused because I have just exceeded the 50,000 mile warranty. I noted that the issue has been ongoing and Audi never solved the issue. I purchased the auto because of the safety features it came equipped with. I'm asking them to resolve the original issue as identified while under warranty.

Aug 07, 2023

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION

1 complaint

The rear view camera on the vehicle stops working intermittently. I have provided photographs of this to the Dealer. Their scanning of fault codes noted that the "right environmental camera faulty B127D04: Rear environmental camera faulty." The ticket also notes they found multiple sporadic faults for B127F04. Although they have admitted to finding faults with the camera, they refuse to fix this because they could not duplicate the exact behavior at the time it was in their shop. By definition, this is an intermittent issue. Audi had other model years recalled for this same issue. I believe this is a serious safety threat as one can't see things behind you and a person or vehicle could be hit. Audi is aware of this issue and is refusing to repair it under warranty.

Jul 03, 2023

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 complaint

The car literally stopped working while driving. All electrical components shut down. Unable to put the car into neutral to push it to safety. Had a hard time getting the vehicle towed because the parking break engaged somehow and we were unable to disengage it. Hazard lights did not work at all! Extremely unsafe situation to be in, especially if on a highway or expressway with vehicles traveling nearby at high speeds.

Apr 23, 2023

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

1 complaint

Vehicle reports Electric Malfunction and then suddenly start getting all warnings like all controls (like steering etc) disabled and vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. Had to get it towed and taken to dealership. They do not have a fix for this problem and no estimates on how long it will take to fix the issue and get the car back.

Dec 01, 2022

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES

1 complaint

Gateway unit that is located under the rear seat has an inadequate insulation and is susceptible to liquid exposure and electrical failure. A liquid penetrated the rear seat and short-circuit the gateway while vehicle was moving resulting in a near-accident by shutting down power steering, brakes, and many of the car's systems. Failure messages began appearing and vehicle was unresponsive to driver actions. Emergency blinkers were not working at the tail lights which is a critical safety hazard for a disabled vehicle on the road. Dealer confirmed gateway unit failure due to the water exposure and recommended the replacement of the unit. Vehicle had no warning lights or messages prior to the incident.

Jul 21, 2022

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

1 complaint

Various components and system malfunctioned. Vehicle is in dealership for 3rd time on electrical/software/hardware troubles, SOS module. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. The car stopped me on a major highway thinking that I was not available "Emergency Assist, Driver take over the wheel" when I had both hands on the wheel, going straight and was fully in control of the vehicle. The car slowed down from 70 mph and the trailing truck behind me almost rear ended me. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by the dealer. The vehicle and components are being inspected/serviced at the Fort Collins Audi dealer. Yes, warning messages as well as the vehicle pumping on the break and jerking the seat belt. These started in Jun 2021 at 1400 miles and continued to the time I turned in the vehicle on 19 Oct 2021 at approx 13500 miles. I am attaching an 11 page documentation of dates, times and mileage of each incident that the vehicle's computer systems are not functioning properly and the safety features are not reliable or make the driver feel safe with bogus warnings, or warnings that are erroneous.

Nov 12, 2021

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4.9/5.0

92 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2020 AUDI A6 have?

The 2020 AUDI A6 currently has 20 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2020 AUDI A6?

The most common problems reported for the 2020 AUDI A6 are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2020 AUDI A6 problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2020 AUDI A6 comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.