Most common 2002 Audi A6 problems
Share of the 88 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Audi A6 complaints by model year
Best A6 years: 2022, 2018, 2011. Years to avoid: 2019, 2012, 2016, 1999, 1998. Compare all years →
2002 Audi A6 recalls (4)
Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly
Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2001-2004 Audi a6, model year 2002-2003 s6 and model year 2003 rs6 vehicles equipped with 4.2l engines and manufactured from June 19, 2001, through June 8, 2004.
Remedy: Dealers will reinforce the nipple on the rollover valve to prevent leakage or repair the cracking at the nipple. The recall is expected to begin during June 2011. Owners May contact Audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Volkswagen is recalling 68,240 my 2001-2004 Audi a6 quattro vehicles equipped with 2.7l, 2.8l, or 3.0l engines and my 2001-2005 allroad quattro vehicles equipped with 2.7l or 4.2l engines.
Remedy: Dealers will reinforce the nipple on the rollover valve to prevent leakage or repair the cracking at the nipple. The recall began on June 27, 2008. Owners May contact Audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Electrical system
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with halogen low beam headlights, certain connector pins in the headlight switch connector come into contact with each other causing a short circuit.
Remedy: Dealers will reroute the wiring harness by installing a jumper wiring harness. The recall began on December 16, 2006. Owners May contact Audi at 1-800-822-2834.
Electrical system
On certain passenger vehicles, if a driver's knees push against the knee bolster (crash element) located under the dashboard, it can contact the headlight switch wiring harness, and an electrical short could occur.
Remedy: Dealers will install a protective covering on the knee bolster (crash element). In addition, the wiring harness as well as the felt protector on the left side of the dashboard carrier will be checked, and replaced if…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2002 Audi A6:
Fuel tank leak
Volkswagen (vw) is recalling certain vw passat 4motion and Audi a6 quattro and allroad quattro all-wheel drive passenger cars.vw vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from November 22, 2000 through May 31, 2005 and Audi vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from June 2, 2001 to June 1, 2005.the NHTSA recall number for the vw vehicles is 08v-156 (vw also is correcting defects related to heat shield and…
What 2002 Audi A6 owners say
Engine & cooling all 20 →
After a short drive (about 3 miles in town), the car was pulled into my garage a few minutes later my wife noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I backed the car into the driveway, opened the hood and significant white smoke with the smell of burning plastic came from the passenger side of the engine compartment, below the engine, near the firewall. I used a garden hose to extinguish the fire. I could not determine the exact origin of the fire. On Monday, June 27th I reported the incident to Audi of America. A reference number of 50231796 was assigned by Audi to the incident. On June 29th I was contacted by james cruz at Audi who told be that he would be turning the incident over to engineers who would decide what they wanted to do next. …
I parked my car to detail it and after I went to drive to the store and my car wasn't reaching above 4000 rpms and wouldn't go over 60 MPH ...its acting like there is a rev limiter and throw 2 new codes...never got engine bay wet jus outer body of vehicle ...diagnostic codes are p0322 and p0421 I believe one is for the engine ignition distributor no signal and also catalytic system below threshold bank 1 .....after I parked car again I tried to start and nothing happened ....I've bout new c.o.p's ....and still nothing I was driving my vehicle when this happened and also notice that the fuel filler just inside the port was all cracked and when I filled with fuel its leaked alot of my gas ...the
Electrical system
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Audi A6. While driving approximately 55 MPH, there was an odor of smoke. The contact observed smoke coming through the vents on the front driver's side. In addition, the vehicle caught fire under the hood. There were no injuries sustained. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing facility. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was not available.
Driving from nj to upstate ny for ski trip to hunter mountain. Heavy rain during drive up on Friday evening, rain all day Saturday. Got in the car to go skiing on Sunday morning and noticed several inches of water in rear passenger footwell. I was able to bale out some of the water but interior carpeting was soaked. While going to hunter, water was sloshing between passenger footwell and rear. After dropping off the skiers I decided to head home on the ny state thruway. After approx 50 miles - digital dash display disappeared, car started to jerk around and buck. Speed was dropped down to 20 MPH, I was able to make it to a rest stop. Anyway - remainder of ski party picked me up and I had the car towed back to nj - $700. Mechanic states that tcu unit was under water. Rain water apparently came in through the pollen filter housing and flooded the car. Total damage to the car $2300. …
Fuel & propulsion system
Filled gas tank and noticed fuel leaking from top of the tank to the ground near the inside of the passenger side real wheel. Fuel stops leaking after it drops below 3/4 full. Took the car to the Audi dealership thinking it was failure of the rollover/filler neck valve recall again (NHTSA recall #08V157000). Audi said the filler neck was dry, but there is a leak somewhere on top of fuel tank on the same side as the filler neck. They said they could not see where the leak was coming from without dropping the fuel tank from the car. Audi quoted the repair for completely replacing the fuel tank at ~$3400. A fuel tank should never leak, and this is an extreme safety concern, not only for the drivers and passengers of the car, but all others on the road. This is also a failure of an emissions component that Audi needs to be responsible for since there is raw fuel leaking all over the road.
There is a known issue with the aging of plastic material on Audi A6 models yrs 2001-2005.the aging of the plastic material in the fuel tank rollover valve combined with bending stress from the aluminum ventilation line to the rollover valve nipple May lead to cracking of the nipple.if this happens, a fuel leak May result. This exact issue has been diagnosed by an Audi mechanic on my 2002 Audi A6 4.2. It is constantly leaking a fuel and if an ignition source gets near it there is going to be a vehicle fire. The recall number for this issue is 08V157000: fuel tank rollover valve modification. Although this is a known issue it only covers Audi A6 modes with 2.7, 2.8, and 3.0 engines.my Audi A6 has a 4.2 engine, so it is not covered by the recall, but the recall does cover the Audi allroad equipped with 2.7 and 4.2 engines. …
2002 Audi A6 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl | CVT | FWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl turbo | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 23 / 18 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 23 / 18 |
| 4.2L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 23 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Audi A6 a good car?
Based on 88 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 A6 rates avoid: 2.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the A6 at the same age. It is one of the A6 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Audi A6?
The engine & cooling — 20 complaints, 23% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the electrical system (15) and fuel & propulsion system (15).
How many recalls does the 2002 Audi A6 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2002 Audi A6, the most recent from May 3, 2011 (tank assembly). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Audi A6?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2022, 2018 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2012, 2016, 1999 and 1998. See the full Audi A6 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 Audi A6 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 31% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.