Wheel & Tire complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 2% | 1,000 miles |
| 2016 | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 2% | 2,000 miles |
| 2013 | 2 | 4% | 115,000 miles |
| 2011 | 1 | 5% | 10,000 miles |
| 2010 | 2 | 12% | 7,000 miles |
| 2007 | 1 | 2% | 51,000 miles |
| 2006 | 3 | 4% | 85,000 miles |
| 2005 | 2 | 2% | 68,000 miles |
| 2004 | 5 | 14% | 30,000 miles |
| 2003 | 6 | 9% | 13,000 miles |
| 2002 | 2 | 2% | 41,000 miles |
| 2001 | 13 | 12% | 89,000 miles |
| 2000 | 14 | 9% | 49,000 miles |
| 1999 | 6 | 3% | 126,000 miles |
| 1998 | 3 | 2% | — |
| 1996 | 1 | 2% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I went to my repair shop for an oil change. When the car was up in the air the technician was alarmed at my passenger front tire. We looked at it and the tire had actually caved in with wear along the inside edge of the tread to the point where it had separated and the steel belts were showing. The rest of the tire tread was normal. The front wheels have less than a degree of negative camber. I have not noticed any pulling one way or the other to indicate misalignment. The shop put my spare on the pasenger front, but the driver front is also beginning to show the same pattern. Before I buy new tires I want to find out why this happened so it doesn't happen again. I suspect a shifted belt. I have notified kumho of this problem and sent them a picture. I can send you a picture and I still have the problem tire available. …
New Michelin tires mounted by tirerack on bbs rims. Within 10 miles, front passenger tire went flat, and upon inspection the valve ("valve #1") was found to be defective. Received new tire and new valve ("valve #2") from tirerack, which was mounted by my car dealer. After sitting for one hour, front passenger tire went flat. Upon inspection, the second new valve, valve #2, was found to be defective. That's two defective valves out of five, which does not seem to be an acceptable failure rate.
During the first 18 months, I have experienced 4 flat tires on my Audi A6 2.7t s line. One on the rear passenger side and 3 on the front driver's side. I have driven for over 25 years and have only experienced about 3 flat tires in that entire period before the purchase of this vehicle. The flat tires were replaced with three different brands. Regardless of the tire manufacturer, there continues to be flats. This is a very serious problem and the public should be made aware of this problem.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Audi A6. While driving on a gravel road, the gravel was lodged into the rims. The contact washed the vehicle; however, the gravel remained in the rims. The dealer stated that power washing the rims would remove the gravel or manually wash them by hand. The manufacturer stated that this will not occur if the contact is driving on a paved road. The current and failure mileage were 30,000.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 2003 Audi A6 quarto. While driving 65mph on the highway the contact heard a low bumping sound. The vehicle then started to pull to the right. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and they informed the contact that both front tires steel belts were completely shredded. The road conditions were clear. There weren't any pot holes nor other road hazards visible. The failure mileage was 12000 miles on the kumho ecsta asx tires. The vehicle currently has 44800 miles.
Dt*: the contact stated the tires on the front of the vehicle have been replaced nine times, within one and a half years. The side walls on the tires are blowing out. The tire repair shop was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer of the vehicle has been alerted.
Driving on interstate 80 around a curve when I hear a loud noise o looked around at the other cars in the other lanes to see what was going on and they were looking at me wondering the same thing or they saw the blowout and or heard the noise? I realized it was my tire losing steering control. I quickly moved over to shoulder found I was riding on rim. The tire had blown off rim to the back of wheel well pushing off the anti lock brake cable for that wheel and damaging my wheel well. A few minutes after examining tire a state of nevada emergency road service van pulled up and said after looking at tire, your lucky you didn't cause an accident with that tire failure. He put on spare and I drove away. I also had other tire experts look at tire and not one of them said it was a road hazard even though the manufacturer said it was after their inspection. …
Hi Audi 2001 A6 atq 2.8l quattro. Can you investigate the material used on the coolant and windshield wiper reservoirs as I had them crack twice. Also, I brought my car in asked that all recall work be done, I want to be assured that the sensor warranty work was done on the engine coolant temp sensor, oil leaks in upper engine, 3 way catalyst DTC codes sensor as I am getting a check engine light and have already spent over $900 to repair this. Can I get the vacuum hose and tire information as well. I am concerned there are maintenance items which are on your list that my dealer has not performed that I have requested.
Related recalls (2)
Tires
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8,…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022.
Tires
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with 2.7l engines fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the calculated "vehicle normal load" exceeds the allowable weight of the axle load with tire dimension 225/45r 17 91y by 19kg.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all five tires. Owner notification began on September 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Frequently asked questions
Which Audi A6 years have wheel & tire problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (14), 2001 (13), 1999 (6), 2003 (6) and 2004 (5) model years. Wheel & Tire complaints make up 9% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Audi A6 wheel & tire problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 22V-034 (tires, Jan 26, 2022); 03V-143 (tires, Apr 7, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Audi A6 wheel & tire problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles; 64% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the sidewall (12 mentions), followed by the rim (7).
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.