While driving my family on a major Interstate, a myriad of warning -š ï¸ lights appeared on my dash panel and my vehicle-€™s steering literally locked! I have had no previous warning lights or issues with this vehicle since it was purchased. This near fatal incident happened as a 18-wheeler was seeking to merge onto the Interstate and I couldn-€™t change lanes to allow the oncoming traffic to merge. This malfunction/failure caused me and my family to narrowly miss being fatally crushed by the merging 18-wheeler. After bringing the vehicle to a stop in a safe area off of the Interstate and locating the vehicle owner-€™s manual, I learned that the Electromechanical Steering Unit failed on my 2017 AUDI A6 (Mfg 6/16). Because all of the local AUDI dealerships were closed, I had to call and have the vehicle towed to my home. Upon further researching the issue in various AUDI forums, I realized this system failure was widely experienced by AUDI owners and that it may have even played a part in prompting AUDI to issue -€œElectromechanical Steering Unit Extended Warranty-€ letters to certain AUDI 2011-2016 vehicle owners (A6 owners included). I believe NHTSA should do its due diligence in seeking to reduce highway safety fatalities on our nations highways caused by vehicle safety defects/malfunctions by auto manufacturers and execute a mandate for AUDI to (1) issue a SAFETY RECALL for this issue, OR (2) extend the Electromechanical Steering Unit Warranty to include later model year vehicles. It appears that AUDI has not corrected the known issue on their own; thereby warranting NHTSAs regulatory intervention. I would like NHTSA to launch a defects/safety investigation to determine how many more AUDI owners are at risk of experiencing this life-threatening, correctable, and known issue. Please keep me informed on the results of my report.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

My 2017 Audi A6 has approximately 50,000 miles on it. I am diligent about obtaining regular maintenance on my vehicle and visited the Audi dealership in Memphis, TN for a 50,000 mile inspection and service in June of 2021. Last week, just 3 months after my 50,000 mile services/inspection, my vehicle stopped operating correctly when making a turn from stopped at a stop sign and lost all power steering. I was informed by the Audi dealership in North Miami, FL (where I am now located), that the steering rack on the vehicle is faulty. The vehicle and this component are still located at the Audi dealership in North Miami while they wait for the part to come in. I can coordinate to make it available for inspection if you would like. I am concerned that this part failed after only 50,000 miles and am particularly concerned that this poses a major safety issue. I was lucky that I was at a near stop and able to make it to safety when this component failed. Had the power steering gone out at any other time, for example, while I was in the middle of an intersection or while driving on a busy roadway, it could have resulted in a major incident. I did not have any warning signs that the power steering was about to shut down, and as mentioned, I had the vehicle inspected just 3 months earlier without any issues. It is also worth noting that Audi had a known issue with the steering rack in the 2012-2016 model years for my vehicle and offered to reimburse owners of those vehicles and warranty the steering rack to 125,000 miles. Audi has indicated to me that the steering rack in my vehicle is the same part as that used in 2016.

- Miami, FL, USA