2013 Audi A4 Owner Complaints

After run collant pump caught fire and damaged the engine wiring harness. I reported it to progressive insurance and they came and inspected it at a body shop. They concluded it was due to an open recall on the vehicle so insurance refuses to cover it. Had car towed to Audi dealership and they reported it to Audi USA. They came back and told me that because of the mileage and year of the vehicle that they wouldn't cover it.

NHTSA ID

11726906

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

Component that failed is a/an electric coolant pump for turbo. Yes, it is available for inspection. Safety was compromised due to increased risk of fire. Yes, the issue has been confirmed by Audi Service Department. Yes the vehicle has been inspected by Manufacturers local service department. Yes, the check engine light and ECU light were illuminated on the dash of vehicle 3 weeks before car was taken in for service.

NHTSA ID

11617050

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

The contact owned a 2013 Audi A4. The contact stated that his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed when he heard a loud unidentified sound coming from the engine compartment. Suddenly, white smoke and flames were emerging from the engine compartment. The vehicle was successfully pulled to the side of the road by the contact's grandson. After the grandson managed to exit the vehicle, a short while later the vehicle caught fire. A bystander came over and assisted in extinguishing the fire. No one was injured during the incident. The fire department arrived and extinguished the remaining flames. There was no police or fire department report filed. The vehicle was towed and the insurance company determined the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

NHTSA ID

11596572

Incident

Jun 9, 2024

Mileage

127,000 mi

My Audi A4 failed to start on the coldest day of the year when my daughter was out doing errands and left it for an extended time parked outside. When she returned and tried to start the car, she got an error message: "Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!" She re-tried over a dozen times, leaving the vehicle and returning to try again....to no avail. It was extremely cold so she retreated into the building and searched the internet and found others who had had this same problem. She finally called a friend who came to pick her up and take her home. I called Audi, and they confirmed that it's a know problem that occurs in extreme cold and there's no way to get it started until things warm up. We waited until later in the day before my son and I drove over and successfully got the car started. Luckily my daughter could get warm refuge in a nearby building. But it is easy to imagine other circumstances, say, someone who lives in the country who stops at the side of the road for whatever reason and might freeze because the car won't start. Although Audi has known about the problem, they have chosen not to issue a recall but instead an extended warranty that had expired a month or so before this incident. Surprisingly, they refuse to fix the problem because it is beyond that extension date even though we brought the car to the dealer and they confirmed the error was recorded 18 times which might match my daughter's desperate but failed attempts to start the car. This is not an optional fix. It is a danger that should be addressed by recall. This is the first time we had this problem or even knew to be concerned. Furthermore, the notice for extended warranty (see attached) was not even addressed to me but, instead, to my teenage son who clearly didn't understand how important it was to get it fixed.

NHTSA ID

11506710

Incident

Dec 24, 2022

I purchased this vehicle on 10/16/2022 and the very next day took it back and informed them that it was leaking oil. It was repaired and from that point on it was telling me to add a quart of oil once every week. Was diagnosed by the Audi dealership of the pistons needing to be replaced and that my car fell under the lawsuit that has yet to be settled. Was told I could spend the 9k to fix the car and be reimbursed. Audi really needs to be fixing all vehicles with these issues. That is just insane to pay 9k to fix a vehicle when I just got it and have barely been able to drive it.

NHTSA ID

11497096

Incident

Dec 12, 2022

I have a 2013 Audi A4 2.0. I was driving home at night close to my home and the car started puttering and wouldn’t go and I found out that the timing chain had “jumped” and caused sudden engine failure. I later found out that same issue is the subject of class action lawsuits for the second time around because Audi didn’t properly take action after the first suit and repair the issue, which is apparently a major problem with my model and other class vehicles and instead continue to let people unknowingly buy and drive these cars.

NHTSA ID

11476041

Incident

May 23, 2022

August of 2021. It was raining out and I drove through a puddle and my electric steering shut down. This has been a known defect for at least 10 years with Audi and NHTSA has done NOTHING about it.

NHTSA ID

11442785

Incident

Aug 24, 2021

2013 Audi A4 with a 2.0 turbo engine approximately 62.5K miles and up to date with all services. I was driving on the highway at highway speeds when the engine suddenly started to misfire with a partial loss of power making the car difficult to steer. At that time the check engine light was not illuminated. I was able to get off the highway and drive home about 2 miles away from when the misfires first occurred. The police did not get involved as I was able to return home. The following week the car was towed to my mechanic where it was diagnosed that cylinder 3 had a problem. At that time the check engine light illuminated. He recommended that I tow my car to the Audi dealership as they have better availability of parts. The dealer took apart the engine and diagnosed a broken piston ring which destroyed many other parts of the engine. The engine had to be replaced with a new one from the factory. Audi should be held accountable for catastrophic engine failures that may result in injury to others due to poor engine design.

NHTSA ID

11436916

Incident

Aug 20, 2021

Two of my four kids were in the rear seat. My 7 year old panicked because her seatbelt came unbuckled and she couldn’t get it back. My initial reaction was to hit the breaks and slow down. My daughter was ejected from her seat into the passenger seat head first and then landed on the floor with her booster seat on top of her. I pulled over and checked the seat belt and it would not latch. I had to drive her home unrestrained!! A few days later, different child experienced a similar situation with the middle seat. This is a concern because if the seatbelts failed during a car accident, my children’s lives were at risk. Repeated risk of the lives of children by ignoring this common issue. How many lives will it take to be protected? Minus the fear of being unable to afford repairs, or to get the vehicle in to the repair shop? As this has happened to 2/5 buckles in a matter of days, how do I know all of the buckles are not defective? Why are we repeatedly waiting for the tally marks on lives lost before we protect our children? When is it worth a single life EVEN HARMED because the life saving device has failed to keep us safe? Our family is so strict about seatbelt safety, how can this even be a gamble that anyone is willing to take? Furthermore, how do I explain to my children that this “very important” seatbelt that I check every time they kids get into a vehicle.. how am I supposed to explain that this very important piece of equipment may or may not be there when you need it and they still must wear it?I have read hundreds of forums reporting the same failures in both Audi and VW. I have contacted Audi Denver and am waiting on a quote. I am a nurse and my husband is unemployed due to the economy downturn. We are financially stretched to our absolute limits, raising children and we will not have the means to fix the failed seat belt buckles. Any safety failure like this or with airbags should be 100% under manufacturers warranty for the LIFE of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11434947

Incident

Sep 26, 2021

Coolent migration from the coolant valve through the wire into the connection to ecu. This caused corrosion which in turn caused an unsafe driving condition by shutting the throttle pedal control to the engine off. This has been recalled on many other models and is quite prevalent in the a4 with manual transmission as mine is.

NHTSA ID

11423863

Incident

Jun 18, 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Audi A4 The contact stated that while driving between 50-60m mph when driving in the dark on an unfamiliar road when they missed a turn and ended up crashing into a pole on the side of the road. As a result, the vehicle flipped few times. The vehicle ended up coming to a stop. No airbags deployed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed but had not been deemed totaled officially as of yet. The contact stated that the vehicle suffered severe damage. There were no injuries. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50, 000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11423636

Incident

Jul 5, 2021

Mileage

50,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL RANDOMLY LOCKED WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. THE CAR WAS ALMOST INOPERABLE. IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IS ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS, BUT NO RECALL FROM AUDI. IT NEEDS TO ADDRESSED AND FIXED. LIVES ARE AT RISK.

NHTSA ID

11396136

Incident

Feb 12, 2021

Mileage

75,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING, ON OR OFF THE HIGHWAY STEERING STIFFENS MAKING IT HARD OR IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE TURNS. IT IS A SCARY SITUATION, WHICH FORCED ME TO PULL OVER ON THE HIGHWAY ONCE- I WAS NOT ABLE TO SWITCH LANES DUE TO THE HARDNESS OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS OCCURS RANDOMLY, AT ANYTIME OR SPEED, EVEN AT SLOW SPEEDS WHILE DRIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT OCCURS TO EITHER SIDE, SOMETIMES ONE SIDE OF THE WHEEL OR BOTH SIDES.

NHTSA ID

11362244

Incident

Sep 15, 2020

Mileage

7 mi

THE CAR STARTED LOSING POWER WHEN STEPPING ON THE GAS TO GO FASTER OR UP A RAMP OR MERGING INTO THE FREEWAY. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC I TRUST. HE CHECKED MY CAR AND STATED IT IS LOSING POWER IN THE FOURTH CYLINDER. HE DID THE SPARK PLUGS AND OTHER TESTS, I'M NOT GOOD REMEMBERING THE NAMES. STATES HE WOULD NEED TO DO A REBUILD OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 87,000 MILES. DOENT MAKE ANY SENSE.

NHTSA ID

11341701

Incident

Jul 2, 2020

Mileage

87,000 mi

JUST PURCHASED THE CAR APRIL 13, 2020. STRONG GASOLINE SMELL EMITTING FROM FRONT END OF VEHICLE AND IN CABIN. SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE OF CAR. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. DOES NOT MATTER IF THE GAS TANK IS FULL, HALF, OR EMPTY. CAN'T FIND ANY LEAKS UNDER THE HOOD, BUT STILL HAS A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE.

NHTSA ID

11323093

Incident

Apr 15, 2020

Mileage

119,000 mi

THE CAR HAS BEEN BURNING THROUGH OIL. IT HAS BEEN REQUESTING A QUART OF OIL BE ADDED JUST ABOUT EVERY 500-700 MILES. ABOUT A YEAR AGO THE PROBLEM STARTED IN EARLY 2019 AND AT FIRST IT WAS JUST EVERY 1200-900 MILES THAT THE CAR WOULD ASK FOR AN EXTRA QUART OF OIL. THEN IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE ASKING FOR A QUART OF OIL EVERY 500-700 MILES; THIS IS ALL IN ADDITION TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULE OIL CHANGES.

NHTSA ID

11319206

Incident

Feb 6, 2019

Mileage

118,000 mi

MY CAR RECENTLY STARTED FEELING STIFF WHILE TAKING TURNS AND IT LOOKS AS IT'S BEEN AN ONGOING REPORTED ISSUE. NOTHING THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED IN THE PAST HOWEVER MOST REPORTS ARE OF PEOPLE "FIXING" THE PROBLEM ONLY FOR IT TO CONTINOUSLY COME BACK.

NHTSA ID

11317151

Incident

Mar 9, 2020

Mileage

150,000 mi

THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MAKE TURNS.

NHTSA ID

11306785

Incident

Jan 25, 2020

Mileage

108,000 mi

PURCHASED MY 2013 AUDI A4 IN 2017 AND SIMILAR TO ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS THE STEERING SEIZED SPORADICLY INDICATING IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE ETC.. THE CAR WAS TOWED AND I AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE. I HAD A NEW ONE INSTALLED AT THE COST OF 2500$ (THE DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE 4000$!) . THE CAR WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY UNTIL RECENTLY (IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE IN THE WINTER WHEN IT BECOMES MILD) THE STEERING HAS BEGUN TO STICK ONCE AGAIN AND ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE MY DASH LIGHTS UP NOTIFYING ME THE CAR CANT BE DRIVEN. THIS IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM AS THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. PLEASE FIX IT!

NHTSA ID

11306560

Incident

Feb 2, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A4. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING UNDER THE REAR SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUDI DOMINION (21105 IH-10 W, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78257) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE RESEALED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE REAR SEAT WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED; WHICH WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

NHTSA ID

11288494

Incident

Nov 28, 2019

Mileage

101,000 mi

MY CAR STARTED TO SMELL LIKE GAS INSIDE, AND IT WAS A VERY STRONG ODOR. I WENT TO AN AUOZONE TO GET A DIAGNOSTIC, IN THE SYSTEM IT HAD SAID IT WAS A VERY SMALL GAS LEAK AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OKAY TO DRIVE. I KEPT DRIVING AND IT STILL SMELLED LIKE GASOLINE AND STRONGER EACH TIME. THEREFORE, I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC THE NEXT DAY DRIVING IT, AND UNDER THE BACK SEATS WAS FILLED WITH GASOLINE. THE MECHANIC STILL CANT FIND THE LEAK. HOWEVER, IF I WOULD HAVE KEPT DRIVING IT, THE CAR COULD HAVE EXPLODED ON ME.

NHTSA ID

11283102

Incident

Nov 28, 2019

Mileage

108,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A4. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AUDI INDIANAPOLIS (4610-B E 96TH ST, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46240, (317) 853-4582) WHERE THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11281409

Incident

Nov 1, 2019

Mileage

70,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A4. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE STRUCK A CURB AND THE "STEERING WHEEL DEFECTIVE DON'T DRIVE" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AUDI SAN FRANCISCO (1525 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, (888) 779-0546) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING MECHANISM WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

NHTSA ID

11278436

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

52,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI A4. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN LEFT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR TEN MINUTES. ONCE SHE CONTINUED DRIVING, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT CALLED VAN HORN VOLKSWAGEN OF SHEBOYGAN (LOCATED AT 5515 RACETRACK RD, SHEBOYGAN, WI 53081, (920) 457-8844) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11278332

Incident

Oct 14, 2019

Mileage

140,000 mi