Headlight complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2019 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 6% | 64,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 8% | 64,000 miles |
| 2007 | 3 | 6% | 99,000 miles |
| 2006 | 3 | 4% | 138,000 miles |
| 2005 | 6 | 7% | 112,000 miles |
| 2004 | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2003 | 2 | 3% | 71,000 miles |
| 2002 | 2 | 2% | 82,000 miles |
| 2001 | 6 | 5% | 95,000 miles |
| 2000 | 3 | 2% | — |
| 1999 | 8 | 4% | 70,000 miles |
| 1998 | 4 | 3% | 32,000 miles |
| 1997 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 1996 | 4 | 8% | 100,000 miles |
| 1995 | 1 | 6% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
-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/Generator Alternator failed and caused the battery to die ultimately leading to losing full power of the car on highway. Warning lamps were present and indicated "electrical system malfunction and contact the dealer for service." Car lost full power on the way to dealership and almost resulted in a crash. Component has been inspected by the Audi Dealer and confirmed to be the issue. Symptoms appeared very quickly and within 30 minutes of the symptoms the car was inoperable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Audi A6. While driving 55 MPH, smoke entered the cabin of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the passenger side brake light melted and the driver side brake flickered. It was diagnosed that the brake lights needed to be rewired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 134,570.
My wife and child were driving through the desert in arizona when our Audi's driver-side xenon headlight failed. Then again 2 months later, driving with my wife and child through california the passenger-side headlight failed. Both times I was told it was the bulb. But we couldn't simply buy a new bulb. Audi needs to order it and take off the bumper to replace them. About a month later, driving through the arizona desert with my family, the driver-side light went out again. This time Audi service said they need to replace the igniter for the xenon lamp. This all happened within 5 months time. I'd only owned the vehicle about 2 years. When these lights fail, I have to use fog lamps or high beams to have at least 2 lights working at once.
The front headlights for this vehicle intermittently fail and then work again. Investigation revealed frayed, shorted out, damaged, wiring inside of the headlights. The insulation on many wires inside the headlights are cracked, missing, failed and the bare copper or conductors touching other nearby conductors. I've made contact with Audi twice now for a safety issue with the headlights. Twice, I've been told either they weren't interested or would not do anything. Outside of any repair or replacement requests, I would expect Audi to take interest when a customer brings a safety issue to their attention. I would think faulty wiring inside both headlights on a model-year 2007 would be a safety concern. If I'm driving down the road at night or in the rain and my headlights short out and fail, I wouldn't be in a good position. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Audi A6. The contact was driving 30 MPH when the headlights, tail lights and fog lights failed to illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer but the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact believed that the failure was caused by the computer system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 65,000. Updated 05/15/12 the consumer stated the new battery made all light failure alarms cease. Updated 05/22/12
I entered today's date and mileage because I had to deal with it again this evening, but this problem has been occurring since the car had 70000 miles on it. It has now gotten so bad that I have to turn the lights on and off every 30 seconds or so while driving so they will stay on enough to get the car home. I do not drive it at night if I do not have to. This problem needs to be fixed. 141 out of 188 complaints you have received on this car are due to people's headlights going out while driving at night. We should not have to pay $1000-2000 to attempt to fix a problem that is clearly a design flaw that occurs in cars with as few as 20000 miles and up. I say attempt because if you read the threads on the topic of "Audi dipped headlight" you will find that no fix is a sure thing or permanent. Thousands of people are having this problem. …
While replacing a headlight bulb I noticed that the insulation on wires inside the headlight compartment had flaked off, exposing at least 1 inch of multiple wires (low beam and high beam) all along the length of those wires. Both headlights show the same symptom. High beam wires (+v and gnd) are held together with a zip tie and there is flaking insulation all around it, so using the high beam could result in a short circuit inside the headlight housing. As all of the wires are in close proximity, it is possible that normal use of the car (e.g. Bouncing along a rough road) could cause the wires to contact each other and short circuit.
Frequently asked questions
Which Audi A6 years have headlight problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (8), 2001 (6), 2005 (6) and 2008 (6) model years. Headlight complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Audi A6 headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for any Audi A6 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Audi A6 headlight problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles; 10% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the headlights (8 mentions), followed by the turn signal (5).
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.