2020 Audi S6: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
2 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 2 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 0.33
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
My 2020 Audi S6 has been undriveable since September 27, 2024 due to a backordered recall part (Gateway Control Module). Audi has failed to provide a repair timeframe, making my car unusable for over five months. Audi has refused to provide a loaner vehicle despite the long delay. As of March 2025, there is no estimated time of arrival for the part, and Audi has not provided any alternative resolution. This recall re…
Recalls: 6 campaigns (3 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V159000 | Air Bags | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi RS6 Avant, RS7, 2020-2021 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, S7, 2019-2021 A6 Sedan, and A7 vehicles. |
| 22V155000 | Electrical System:Instrument Panel:Fuel Gauge:Fuel Level Float/Sensor/Sending Unit | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 RS6 Avant and RS7, 2020-2022 A6 Allroad, S6 Sedan, and S7, and 2019-2022 A6 Sedan and A7 vehicles. |
| 25V900000 | Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. |
| 22V861000 | Electrical System | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Audi S7, S6 Sedan, A6 Allroad, 2021-2022 RS7, RS6 Avant, 2019-2022 A7, and A6 Sedan vehicles. |
| 22V034000 | 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, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8… |
| 21V295000 | Suspension:Rear:Axle:Non-Powered Axle Assembly | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,450
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Electrical System2 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Power Train1 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Engine1 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other1 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
Other Audi S6 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Audi S6?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (2 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2020 Audi S6 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 81/100, computed from 2 NHTSA complaints and 6 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2020 Audi S6's most common problem?
2 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2020 Audi S6 sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $540–$1,310 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2020 Audi S6 cost to run per year?
About $4,966 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $24,830 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2020 Audi S6 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Audi S6, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/03/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2020 Audi S6 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 2 complaints, 6 recalls on record
- 2 NHTSA complaints on record (0.3/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (0.6/yr)
- 6 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality