Reliability & cost of ownership
Audi S6 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Audi S6? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Audi S6 problems by model year
30 recall entries and 137 owner complaints on file across 19 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 S6 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 S6 | 0 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 S6 | 6 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 S6 | 1 | 4 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 S6 | 2 | 5 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2016 S6 | 2 | 19 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 S6 | 2 | 5 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 S6 | 3 | 20 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 S6 | 3 | 42 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 S6 | 2 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 S6 | 2 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 S6 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 S6 | 2 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 S6 | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 S6 | 1 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 S6 | 1 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 S6 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 S6 | 1 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 S6 | 2 | 20 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Audi S6, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- engine69 complaints
- fuel system21 complaints
- gasoline21 complaints
- power train16 complaints
- electrical system14 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system11 complaints
- unknown or other9 complaints
- suspension7 complaints