2003 Audi RS6

No clear pattern

2% of complaints about the 2003 Audi RS6 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2003 vehicle, but with only 50 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is suspension (38 complaints), typically at 5.3 yr or about 38,000 miles.

Complaints: 50
Median age at failure: 5.4 yr
Median mileage: 43,093 n=48
Crash / fire / tow: 0% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

11V267000 2011-05-03

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. 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.

A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE FIRE.

04V133000 2004-03-18

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.

A FIRE COULD ORIGINATE IN THE LEFT DASHBOARD AREA.

In owners’ own words

Suspension mileage not reported 4 mo in service

VEHICLE HAS ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. BEEN IN SHOP 4 TIMES; PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. VERIFIED BY 2 DEALERS. COMPANY REFUSES TO MAKE GOOD ON WARRANTY ITEMS. REPLACED 4 TIRES; PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK

Suspension 27,000 mi 3.8 yr in service

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SUSPENSION WAS NOT PRESSURIZED PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE LEANS DURING TURNS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SUSPENSION, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED. UPDATED 7/18/2006 - *NM

Suspension 29,000 mi 3.3 yr in service

2003 AUDI RS6 - SUSPENSION FAILURE - SYSTEM LEAKED HYDRAULIC FLUID RESULTING IN A VERY UNSTABLE RIDE. REPAIR ATTEMPTED BY AUDI MANY TIMES FROM JAN TO JUNE, AND AFTER TOO MUCH LEG WORK ON MY PART THEY ALMOST FIXED IT. THE CAR IS BETTER, BUT NOT NORMAL, AND THIS HAS AFFECTED MANY RS6'S, AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS SYSTEM FAILURE. *JB

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2003 Audi RS6

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

How to read this