Owners have filed 270 complaints on the Audi TT, covering 2000–2016. The system named most often is Electrical System (100 reports). Worst years by volume: 2001, 2000, 2002; cleanest: 2011, 2010, 2016. 6 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 6.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Audi TT
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 270 TT complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 100 Read
2001 audi tt convertible: the horn just stopped working one day, the instrument cluster display started to not display clearly then the car seem to lack power when starts up, car then would not start in the mornings, then the car would not start after being left for more than 20 minutes, and the car would often…
The contact owns a 2009 audi tt 2.0t. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power, the brakes and the power steering failed. The vehicle coasted and then stopped. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the steering column, computer control panel and the ignition system were…
Had issues with the rear taillights grounding issue causing the ground in the connector to melt and short out causing the taillight to no longer work. This was an issue first on the driver side then the other 6 months later. Both repaired locally by adding an additional ground wire and replacing the connectors
Power Train 40 Read
Loss of power on highway, engine shaking, after that driving 20 mph with emergency lights because of no place to full stop
Erratic shifting and sudden shifting to neutral with dsg gearbox, while driving. Dealer found faulty mechatronics unit. Similar complaints LED to an investigation and recall in 2009 but unsure if our vehicle was covered(depends on production date)
My vehicle began to shift oddly while driven. I took it to the local audi dealer and problem was diagnosed as a faulty and leaking mechatronic system
Engine And Engine Cooling 26 Read
2009 tt roadster audi engine caught fire while driving. The consumer stated he heard a pop in the engine compartment and immediately saw thick dark smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. He pulled over and within 30 seconds the engine area was engulfed in flames. In 30 minutes the vehicle was completely…
On our audi tt 2001 convertible, the electrical outlets underneath the dashboard caught on fire. The fire department was called and after an investigation, found no known cause of fire. Also, prior to this fire, the tip of the spark plug fell into the engine cylinder block, causing us the owners to pay in full for a…
Engine consumes 1 qt of oil less than 1000 miles driven
Air Bags 22 Read
The contact owns a 2001 Audi TT. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer causing significant damage to the front end. During the crash, neither the front driver side nor passenger side air bags were deployed. The driver sustained an injured neck and lower back which…
Due to defective seat belt equipment and air bag non-deployment the consumer and her daughter wasn't restrained upon impact. Both driver and passenger sustained injuries. Insurance company diagnosed vehicle as a total lost. *mr
Driver seat: the plastic housing on both sides of the driver's seat, near the headrest, have popped open and pulled away from the seat. The is the area where the side airbags are stored and deploy from during a collision. Passenger seat: the plastic housing has popped/pulled away on the passenger seat, near the…
Fuel System 15 Read
I was sold a car with a safety recall outstanding for the fuel tank ventilation valve 20q3j3 with mandatory stop sale in place and not advised of the need for repairs at the time of sale. I purchased the care 10/31 and not advised until I called the dealership on 11/09/09
This is the utmost frustrating serial of incident I have ever encountered with an auto manufacture company - audi. I have tried to put my faith and safety again with audi, but they have completely failed me leaving me and family in dangerous and paranoia. My audi 2009 tts was problem free until 4,000 miles. Out of…
The digital instrument panel is failing currently it does not register the proper amount of fuel in the vehicle. This could result in a vehicle failure while driving in traffic causing a dangerous and hazardous situation. The vehicle has been recalled in the united kingdom for a similar failure in the vehicles…
Tires 14 Read
Hello! I own an audi tt which I got from tisher audi in silver spring in march 2006. I had 2 tire blow outs since february 2007. Audi told me that the tire it recommended for the car was a low aspect ratio tire , which was easily susceptible to blow out. They felt that I purchased a tire protection policy that covered…
The contact stated a small explosion was heard as the rear driver side tire blew on june 8, 2006. This incident occurred while traveling along the interstate highway at 70 mph. It was a clear hot day; the vehicle was traveling on straight level pavement and there was no debris was seen in the road. A police report was…
I did not experience an impact, but lost the inside sidewall and the tire blew out. *ak (tiresize: 225-45-17)( DOT number: tire size: 225-45-17 )
Suspension 12 Read
Car makes loud clunking noise on front end components when backing up and turn steering wheel to the righr or left
When turning wheel sharply to either left or right there is a loud clunking sound. Vehicle taken to dealer 6 times, cannot find cause
Lower ball joint noise. Previously adjusted and previously replaced entire lower control arm. Electrical ghost obstructs several functions. Noisy a/c clutch. Unidentified thump while downshifting. Secondary actuator valve. Seat back adjustment. Blower motor failure
Service Brakes 7 Read
Was driving my 2006 audi tt at 10-15mph to make right turn. I applied brake lightly to slow down car to make right turn. Brakes failed resulting in collision
The ABS failed to engaged when it was suppose to. The pedal went all the way to the floor but didn't hold
The brakes failed on the 2001 audi tt sportscar. The first time the car crashed. The audi dealer said there was nothing wrong with the brakes. A few months later the brakes failed again, and fortunately the car did not crash. Again, audi insists the brakes are fine, but obviously, something is seriously wrong. I am…
TT years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Air Bags,seats | — | — | |
| 2011 | Power Train,engine | — | — | |
| 2010 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2009 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2008 | Electrical System,exterior Lighting | — | — | |
| 2006 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2003 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 2 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 163 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.7 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.3 years |
A model average of 1.7 hides a worst series at 7. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the TT?
By complaint volume, 2001, 2000, 2002 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which TT years are the cleanest?
2011, 2010, 2016 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Audi TT have?
270 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2000–2016. Of those, 6 describe a crash and 4 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.