Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Audi A6 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Electrical fault dash warnings (steering, transmission, braking and many other things too numerous to mention came on while driving the car and it went into limp mode and forced the car to stop and would not restart. The car had to be towed to the dealership where they diagnosed the problem to be the "alternator" which is more accurately what is known as the "belt starter generator" BSG. The BSG runs the start stop feature of the car and charges the mild hybrid 48v battery system that runs many of the critical features of the vehicle. They do not have the part in stock and do not know how long it will take to get in. I understand that there is NOT an upgraded part available that will fix this issue, only the same part that they are continuing to put on all of the V6 engine models since 2019 to today. The A6,7 and A8 and Q5,7 and Q8 models in particular are being affected. …
This is my SECOND entry/complaint regarding the same EXTREMELY DANGEROUS steering malfunction. While driving my 2019 A6 (this time alone) in heavy rain the same warning message was displayed. The warning stated: steering malfunction, please stop the vehicle!. At which point the power steering locked-up & the engine powered down. As a result, I was unable to steer the vehicle. One again I was able to exit the highway safely. Being close to home with only a few turns, I was able to "limp" the car home, parked in my driveway and contacted Audi. Currently it's at Nyack Audi awaiting service on Monday 9/11. This is a huge safety issue and needs to be addressed. Doing a bit of online research & reading countless Audi blogs, I found out this to be a common issue with other Audis while driving in the rain. Fist time this occurred was 6/16/22, driving a 2016 S6. …
Multiple warnings indicating to contact dealer (Lane departure, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, etc) then 1 minute later transmission failure and engine failure imminent.... pull over immediately and contact dealer. I turned into a road off main highway within a minute of the last two warnings and as I turned, my center MMI went blank then my electronic dash went blank, transmission went into neutral and the engine died all within a few seconds. Fortunately I was able to coast to a stop in the parking lot. Flatbed towed to dealer who stated most likely the generator between the lithium battery bank and gas engine failed. They have seen several in this year for A6 and A7's with mild hybrid engines. I'm lucky to be in low volume traffic as there was no power to indicate to drivers around me that my engine quit and not even turn signals worked.
The car displayed a warning that the electrical system had a fault and to contact service. I then contacted service and they said to drive it to the dealer as it sounded like a known issue with the generator/starter and 48V system. On the way to the dealership, the warnings continued and then various systems began shutting down, including the steering and the transmission. I was going at a relatively slow speed on a side street at the time, which was fortunate, as the car locked up all four wheels and had no steering and the engine quit. Thankfully it was a side street. If this was a major street or highway, it quite likely could have caused a serious accident or injury. In contacting Audi USA, they do not have parts available to fix this issue, and the dealership confirmed that they are unable to fix the car at this time.
Two miles from home all sorts of electrical malfunction warning lights appear. Too many to list here. Then car completely stops and all electricals shut down. This happened in the middle of a very busy three lane 45mph main artery. Stuck in gear, unable to push off side of road. After ten minutes or so of cars zooming around us, it started enough to get off road to safe place. Waited 4 hours in freezing cold for tow truck. Very scary incident for my wife and me, as we are in our 70s. Towed to my local Audi dealer. The problem seems to be with the "Starter Alternator" and is a national problem with 1000s of affected owners. Was told 29 vehicles are ahead of mine for replacement and that it could be weeks before parts are available. One car family and no loaners available and there talking weeks / months to repair.
Yellow battery indicator light came on while driving car in 35 degree weather after a week of sitting in garage (holidays). I pulled over, read the manual and it said this could cause battery light to illuminate. I called the dealership service to ask them, they said possible reason. I decided to drive across city to dealership, 25 minutes away. On HOV lane, red warning lights flashing to pull over then 5 seconds later everything went black. No electrical, no engine, car died. VERY DANGEROUS!! Read later that this has been happening on Audi A6 (& other models) for 2+ years. Towed to dealership and they have had 1.5 weeks and still not fixed.
While out of town the car gave an electrical system fault with a yellow warning saying find a dealr soon. Then shortly after the warning went red and while driving all systems in the car started to shut down. Steering, transmission, throttle, dash, everything went crazy. Need to to cross 2 lanes of traffic to get off main road where there was no shoulder to pull onto a side road, very scary without power steering and the transmission putting itself into neutral. Easily could have caused an accident with my wife and 2 kids in yhe car. At that point the car was dead.
The Alternator had failed along with the battery and shut off the car, rendering it useless on the road. The vehicle is still under the New Car Warranty. It was a hazard as it could not be put into neutral and was stuck in park. The dealer had confirmed it was a manufacturer-wide problem with waits of up to 3-6 months for the part. The tow truck had difficulty towing it up as the car was not able to roll. Before the car shut off immediately it had given the warning "Electrical System: Malfunction! Please Contact Service, as well as Auto Start Stop System: Malfunction!".
-Total electrical system failure (dealer confirmed starter generator). -After a short time of cautions followed by warnings, engine and all electrical components quit working. (no hazard lights). no way to warn other drivers on the road or highway to a malfunctioning vehicle -dealer confirmed starter generator needs replacement. waiting on part (60+ days and counting) -caution and warnings started appearing about 15 miles before the car became completely underivable. (every electrical system caution began appearing followed by warnings of impending engine shutdown)
Starter warning followed by electrical system malfunction, these were followed by Multiple warning lights (Lane departure, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, etc) then 1 minute later transmission failure and engine failure imminent.... pull over immediately and contact dealer. I turned into a road off main highway within a minute of the last two warnings and as I turned, my center MMI went blank then my electronic dash went blank, transmission went into neutral and the engine died all within a few seconds. Fortunately I was able to coast to a stop.
Engine complaints in other A6 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2019 Audi A6?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2019 Audi A6, 28% of the model year's 114 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2019 Audi A6 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2019 Audi A6, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2019 Audi A6 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 0 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.