2013 Audi S4 Owner Complaints

Engine mount failure at 60,000 miles

NHTSA ID

11638289

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

At times Vehicle suddenly loses power and displays “transmission malfunction:you may continue driving” but then fails to accelerate to or maintain highway speeds. Other times when vehicle is stopped in traffic the transmission delays engaging when pressing in the accelerator and thus causes an unexpected delay to movement or if on an incline will roll backwards.

NHTSA ID

11627233

Incident

Nov 25, 2024

My MMI 5F module went out right after an oil change service on Nov 12, 2022 I called them as soon as I got home to inform Leader automotive in Normal Il. I was told I would not be able to be seen until January 5 2023 at 1:pm. I then called back a few days later and was able to move that appointment to Dec 16 at 10:00am. I paid $179.11for them to inspect and locate the issue: according to leader automotive the 5f module is bad and needs replaced. In my print out it states it is no longer in production. This part # 8RI-035-746-C is my entire control module that controls all my safety sensors, fluid levels, tire pressure, suspension control, navigation, hands free technology etc... I contacted Audi USA via Facebook and asked why the part is no longer in production. Via Instant messenger on Dec 16 2022 I answered all their questions and was told by Audi USA they would get back to me on in 2-3 days. I have heard nothing from them. When you try and call the hold times are 3.5-5 hours. No warning signs that the unit was failing other than the radio would turn on and off. It would not stay on long enough to reset tire pressure etc... after they inspected it it no longer turns on at all. My car is a 2013 Audi S4 that has had all the required maintenance performed by Audi. It has 50K miles on it. Well taken care of. I was told by [XXX] that the part is no longer made. I could search a junk yard to find the part and they will put it in at a cost of $283.50. She also said it sucked that they no longer make the part. I asked if the entire system could be replaced I was told no as she kinda laughed at my question. I asked about the safety of my car now and again she just stated that it sucked for me. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11499556

Incident

Nov 12, 2022

DSG ISSUES. CLUNKING WHEN DOWNSHIFTING INTO 1ST / 2ND WHEN STOPPING. SHIFT HESITATION ON UPSHIFT AS WELL .

NHTSA ID

11363839

Incident

Oct 2, 2020

Mileage

36,000 mi

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS STRANGE WHEN COLD. ACTS LIKE IT LOOSED POWER EVERY SHIFT. STRANGE CLUNKING AS WELL ON SLOW SPEEDS OR NUMBER TO NUMBER TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES IT SCARED ME THAT IT WILL JUMP FORWARD AND HIT THE CAR ON FRONT OF ME.

NHTSA ID

11280436

Incident

Nov 15, 2019

Mileage

33,000 mi

TRANSMISSION ERROR, AT FIRST SAYS YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING IN LIMP MODE BUT SHORTLY AFTER SAYS PUT CAR INTO PARK. GOT STUCK ON THE ROAD SEVERAL TIMES IN A SINGLE 10 MILE TRIP.

NHTSA ID

11032341

Incident

Oct 6, 2017

Mileage

38,000 mi

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARSHLY AND MAKES NOISE DURING SHIFTS. WAS TOLD THE MECHATRONICS NEED REPLACEMENT. SOMETIMES WHEN ACCELERATING THE CAR WILL JOLT AS IF IT IT LOSES POWER MOMENTARILY. WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC IN COULD BE DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID

11023449

Incident

Sep 1, 2017

Mileage

58,000 mi

TRANSMISSION WARNING INDICATOR ON, SHIFT HARD

NHTSA ID

11021011

Incident

Aug 23, 2017

Mileage

85,032 mi

SERIOUS STEERING ISSUE GOING ON. ENTERED HIGHWAY IN COMFORT MODE, ACCELERATED AND SWITCHED LANES TO PASSING LANE WHEN SUDDENLY THE STEERING HAD A TORMENTED MOMENT AND DECIDED TO STEER ITSELF FROM THE 12:00 O'CLOCK TO 3:00 O'CLOCK POSITION, WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS I HAD A CAR ON THE RIGHT OF ME AND MY CAR TRIED TO DRIVE ITSELF INTO THEIR LANE. THE STEERING ALSO HAS NOTCHINESS GOING ON, AND HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, BUT ONLY AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS ISSUE IS LIFE-THREATENING AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY AUDI.

NHTSA ID

11019396

Incident

Jul 20, 2017

Mileage

34,700 mi

THE PROBLEMS STARTED BY A WARNING ON MY DISPLAY SAYING TO PULL OVER GEAR BOX OR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. YOU HAVE SECONDS TO PULL OVER BEFORE THE CAR NO LONGER FUNCTIONS. EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE IN GEAR ALL THAT HAPPENS IS THE ENGINE REVS AND YOU GO NO WHERE. MY CAR HAS ONLY 38,500 MILES ON IT AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY A COUPLE OF MONTHS. I HAD THE CAR TUNED ADDING SOMEWHERE AROUND 100 HP 6,000 MILES BEFORE THIS HAPPENED AND AUDI SAYS THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE ISSUE. TO FIX THE SENSOR ERROR CODE P179E00 WAS AROUND $5,000. 00 EVEN THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. AFTER LOOKING AROUND DECIDED TO HAVE AUDI DO THE REPAIR BUT WITHIN AN HOUR OF LETTING THEM KNOW TO GO AHEAD WITH REPAIRS THEY CALLED ME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT IT COULD BE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION WHEN THEY TESTED THE FLUID IT CAME BACK WITH SOME METAL SHAVING IN IT. THIS WOULD BE A $12,000.00 REPAIR. THE SAFETY OF THIS TRANSMISSION IS IN QUESTION FOR THE FACT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT FOR THIS TRANSMISSION EVEN THOUGH AUDI OF AMERICA DENIES THAT MY VIN IS PART OF THE SERVICE RECALL. IT IS PRETTY SCARY WHEN YOU DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION JUST SHUTS DOWN AND YOU AND YOU CAR ARE JUST STUCK IN TRAFFIC AS CARS DODGE YOU AND FLY BY YOU AND YOU DEAD CAR.

NHTSA ID

10924986

Incident

Aug 2, 2016

Mileage

38,500 mi

VEHICLE WILL NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS CENTERED. THERE APPEARS TO BE A "NOTCH" AT THE CENTER, REQUIRING CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ALIGNMENTS PERFORMED TO ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE DEALER HAS REPRODUCED THE ISSUE AND HAS STATED THAT THIS IS NORMAL.

NHTSA ID

10850727

Incident

Feb 8, 2016

Mileage

48,000 mi

MY 2013 AUDI S4 IS EXPERIENCING A STEERING ISSUE WHERE IT HAS 'ON CENTER FLOATING'. BASICALLY THE STEERING WHEEL FEELS LIKE THERE ARE NOTCHES TO THE STEERING WHEN THE WHEEL IS CENTERED. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE MANY TIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS COLD OUT, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE AT AN AUDI DEALERSHIP. BASED ON THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON THE 2013 AUDI S4 BUT AUDI IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE HAD BEEN SO BAD THAT IT POSED A SAFTEY RISK WHEN DRIVING IN SNOW. THE RESOLUTION SEEMS TO BE THE LATEST STEERING RACK THAT IS AVAILABLE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP, AND AUDI OF AMERICA, REFUSE TO REPLACE IT UNITL THE DEALER IS ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10839919

Incident

Feb 17, 2016

Mileage

21,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL SLIPS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER RIGHT OR LEFT WITHOUT MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. CONSTANT ADJUSTMENTS MUST BE MADE JUST TO KEEP THE CAR ALIGNED IN A STRAIGHT POSITION. GETS WORSE WHEN GOING AROUND LONG TURNS. VERY SCARY AND UNREALIABLE TO DRIVE. WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE I CARED ABOUT DRIVE THE CAR. WHAT A WASTE OF 70K. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM YET IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOME PEOPLE GETTING IT FIXED WHILE OTHERS CANT. SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR ABOVE 35MPH. TERRIBLE STEERING ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10765724

Incident

Sep 20, 2015

Mileage

34,105 mi

RATHER THAN A SMOOTH LINEAR FEEDBACK THE STEERING WHEEL FEELS AS IF IT HAS NOTCHES IN IT. THE WHEEL AT TIMES CAN BE HARD TO MAINTAIN CENTERED AND KEEPING THE CAR ON A STRAIGHT TRACK REQUIRES CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT FROM ONE SIDE OF A NOTCH TO ANOTHER. THE DEALER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10749588

Incident

Aug 1, 2013

Mileage

12,000 mi

THE STEERING OF MY 2013 AUDI S4 HAS TWO PROBLEMS THAT MAKE DRIVING VERY DANGEROUS: 1) THE STEERING SLIPS AT THE CENTER POSITION EITHER A LITTLE BIT TO THE LEFT OR TO THE RIGHT, SO THE CAR WILL NOT GO STRAIGHT ON HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR REQUIRES CONSTANT STEERING CORRECTIONS TO GO STRAIGHT. 2) THE STEERING FEELS NOTCHY BETWEEN 10 O'CLOCK AND 2 O'CLOCK POSITIONS. IT IS LIKE THE STEERING IS OBJECTING THE DRIVER'S INPUT. BOTH ISSUES ARE VERY COMMON WITH ALL THE NEW AUDIS (2013+ MODELS) THAT HAVE THE NEW ELECTRIC STEERING ISSUE. THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SIMILAR NHTSA COMPLAINS, ALL FOR AUDI MODELS WITH THE NEW ELECTRIC STEERING. 10505438 10503937 10503501 10499877 10499851 10498547 10498541 10498470 10498457 10498341 10495010 10545446 10509971 10503726 10503217 10501368 10501365 10500833 10495057 10573003 10572699 10548120 10543784 10524655 10509530 10507320 10507134 10503907 10502189 10499530 10497799 10495251 10494775 10562801 10574487 10569246 10556552 10543625. *TR

NHTSA ID

10662688

Incident

Oct 11, 2013

Mileage

9,500 mi

THIS VEHICLE IS KNOWN FOR HAVING A FAULTY MECHATRONICS UNIT. THE MECHATRONICS UNIT DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY, AND CAUSES JERKING AND INSTABILITY TO THE DSG TRANSMISSION. I HAVE ALMOST REAR ENDED OTHER VEHICLES AT RED LIGHTS BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WILL JERK FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY AND LUNGE ME FORWARD TOWARD THE VEHICLE AHEAD. THIS IS NOT ONLY AN ISSUE THAT A PRESTIGIOUS NAME LIKE AUDI SHOULD NOT HAVE, BUT IT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. AUDI OF AMERICA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT CHOOSES TO IGNORE IT FOR THE SAKE OF NOT HAVING TO COVER REPAIRS FOR ALL THE VEHICLES REPORTING THIS ISSUE. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH WILL YIELD RESULTS OF JUST HOW COMMON AND WIDESPREAD THIS ISSUE IS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10618528

Incident

Aug 3, 2014

Mileage

25,000 mi

MY 2013 AUDI S4 WENT INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ITS FIRST FREE OIL CHANGE. WITHOUT MY PERMISSION THEY INSTALLED AN UPDATE ON MY POWER STEERING(48K8) AND NOW MY CAR VEERS FROM ONE LANE TO ANOTHER. MY STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT MOVE YET MY CAR GOES FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD TO THE OTHER. THE DEALERS "ACT" LIKE THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM, YET IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET. AUDI COMMONWEALTH AND AUDI NEWPORT REFUSE TO HELP OR SAY THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. AUDI USA, LIKE THE DEALERSHIPS, CLAIM THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK THREE TIMES AND NOTHING CHANGED EACH TIME. THEY GAVE MY CAR AN ALIGNMENT AND CHAMBER CHECK AND STILL NOTHING CHANGED. THEY ALSO LOOSED, BOUNCED AND RESET FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, ROAD TESTED, AND STILL WONDERED. THEY PERFORMED A FEW OTHER RANDOM THINGS, INSPECT I SHAFT U JOINTS(WHICH WERE FINE), G85 STEERING ANGLE SENSOR BASIC SETTINGS PERFORMED(DIDN'T HELP), POWER STEERING END LOCK ADAPTATION PERFORMED(DIDN'T HELP). SHOP FOREMAN ROAD TESTED AND VERIFIED THE VEHICLE IS NOW OPERATING NORMAL COMPARED TO LIKE VEHICLE, OTHER VEHICLES HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM, I DON'T WANT MY CAR TO DRIVE LIKE OTHER CARS, I WANT MY CAR TO DRIVE LIKE IT DID BEFORE COMMONWEALTH AUDI PERFORMED A SERVICE I DID NOT ASK FOR OR OK. I AM THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER DRIVE MY CAR, I KNOW HOW IT DROVE BEFORE AND AFTER THE UPDATE, NOT THE SHOP FOREMAN. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE FOR CARS TO BE WONDERING THE ROAD LIKE THIS. *TR UPDATED 03/11/15. *JB

NHTSA ID

10605609

Incident

Feb 26, 2014

Mileage

5,160 mi

THE POWER STEERING IN MY NEW 2013 AUDI S4 FAILED WHILE DRIVING 4 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE. I COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL AND NEEDED LOT OF EFFORT TO TURN IT. I LUCKILY MANAGED TO GET BACK HOME. THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION SHOWED UP ON CONSOLE WHEN I WAS GOING AT 35MPH AND I PANICKED BUT MANAGED TO CONTROL THE CAR. I COULDN'T EVEN PARK THE CAR.AS I TOOK THE CAR FROM A DEALER WHO IS 40MILES AWAY FROM MY PLACE I HAD TO CALL THEM BUT THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY CANT TOW THE CAR 40MILES AND GAVE A NEARBY SERVICE ADDRESS. WHEN I CALLED THE NEARBY SERVICE THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY LOANERS AND CANT HELP. MY PURCHASE DEALER FINALLY SENT A TOW TRUCK AND I HAD TO GO ALONG WITH THEM AT 9 PM TO THE SERVICE CENTER AND EVEN THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY DON?T HAVE LOANERS AVAILABLE. LUCKILY A LADY THEN JUST DROPPED HER LOANER CAR WHICH WAS GIVEN TO ME. THE SERVICE CENTER MENTIONED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE STEERING FAILURE ON A 4 DAYS OLD AUDI I CLEARLY MENTIONED THE DEALER THAT I WONT BE TAKING THE OLD CAR AND ASKED FOR A NEW ONE. ITS BEEN MORE THAN A WEEK AND THE AUDI RESPONSE WAS SOO SICK THEY CANT FIND A SIMILAR CAR FOR ME. IF THE COLOR MATCHES THEN THE OPTIONS I PREFERRED WOULDN'T OR IF THEY MATCH THE COLOR WOULDN'T. I AM SOO FRUSTRATED THAT EVEN THE SO CALLED PREMIUM BRAND CANT EVEN SATISFY THEIR CUSTOMER WITH WHAT THEY WANT? THEY DECIDED WHAT CAR I SHOULD BE TAKING BY GIVING ME VERY FEW OPTIONS WHICH DOESN?T SATISFY WHAT I WANT EVEN AFTER SPENDING A LOT. THE STEERING FAILURE IS SUCH A LIFE HAZARD AND WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. SOME SERIOUS ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN ON THIS BUT DON'T KNOW WHOM TO CONTACT. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY REGION WISE HEAD FOR AUDI WITH WHOM I DEFINITELY WANT TO TALK BUT THE ADVOCATE SAYS THAT THEY CANT HELP. THIS IS THE MOST SCARED AND FRUSTRATED EXPERIENCE OF OWNING A PREMIUM BRAND LIKE AUDI. *TR

NHTSA ID

10520960

Incident

Jun 11, 2013

Mileage

580 mi

THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. NOT WITH THE "KEY" OR THE BUTTON STARTER. AUDI SERVICE CLAIMS ITS THE BATTERY BUT WHEN THE ROADSIDE SERVICE SHOWS UP ITS NOT THE BATTERY, SO NOW A TOW TRUCK HAS TO BE CALLED. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME AND ANY PLACE. AUDI DENIES IT IS A COMPUTER ISSUE BUT YET THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN AND NOTHING IS AVAILABLE - ELECTRONICALLY OR MORE IMPORTANTLY MANUALLY. DON'T BE OUT LATE AT NIGHT OR YOU MIGHT BE A VICTIM TO MORE THAN A BROKEN DOWN VEHICLE. BY THE WAY THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH OLD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10515323

Incident

Jun 5, 2013

Mileage

1,000 mi

FOUND VEHICLE LEAKING ENGINE COOLANT WHILE PARKED IN GARAGE. RADIATOR INTERCOOLER WAS AT FAULT. IF ALL OR MOST COOLANT LOST WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ENGINE MAY HAVE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO OCCUR WITH POSSIBLE INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE. VW AUDI HAS KNOWN OF THIS ISSUE WITH THE INTERCOOLER AND HAS A PROTECTION SCREEN (8K0-820-746-C) AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. YOU NEED TO FORCE AUDI TO HAVE THIS ITEM INSTALLED ON ALL MODELS AFFECTED BEFORE OWNER(S) CAUSE AN INCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

10511121

Incident

Apr 25, 2013

Mileage

3,017 mi

MY 2013 AUDI S4 EXHIBITS AN ALARMING TENDENCY TO WEAVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT A STEERING INPUT. THIS OCCURS WITHOUT A CHANGE IN STEERING WHEEL POSITION, VEHICLE SPEED, OR CHANGE IN ROAD SURFACE OR PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION. IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHEN WHEEL IS CENTERED AT 12 O'CLOCK BUT DOES OCCUR AT ALL SPEEDS AND STEERING VECTORS. AUDI DEALERSHIP NOTES THE PROBLEM AND BLAMES THE NEW ELECTRIC STEERING SYSTEM BUT STATES IT IS A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE SYSTEM AND IS NOT A DEFECT. I DISAGREE AND FEEL ANY DIRECTION CHANGE IN A VEHICLE WITHOUT A DRIVER INPUT OR A EXPLAINABLE EXTERNAL FACTOR CONSTITUTES A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10505438

Incident

Feb 28, 2013

Mileage

4,500 mi

CAR INTERMITTENTLY DEVELOPS A "NOTCHINESS" AROUND THE CENTER POINT AND IS NON-RESPONSIVE TO STEERING INPUT FROM CENTER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON AUDI DISCUSSION FORUMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10503937

Incident

Mar 18, 2013

Mileage

2,500 mi

THE CAR'S STEERING IS EXTREMELY NOTCHY AND SKIPS OVER THE CENTER ENTIRELY. IT BECOMES EASY AND HARD AND WHIPS BACK SOMETIMES. IT CAUSES YOU TO SWERVE IN TRAFFIC AND IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE CONTACTED AUDI OF AMERICA AND MY DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10503501

Incident

Oct 17, 2012

Mileage

150 mi

THE STEERING FEELS NOTCHY WHEN TURNING, IT ALSO FEELS LIKE IT IS FLOATING WHEN CENTERED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO OVER CORRECT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT. WHEN TURNING THERE IS A SLIGHT SLIP OF RESISTANCE SIMILAR TURNING A DIAL WITH GROOVES. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WITH THE UNKNOWN STEERING RESPONSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10499877

Incident

Nov 23, 2012

Mileage

753 mi

THE STEERING HAS A NOTCHING JUST OFF CENTER TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT. FEELS LIKE THE STEERING FALLS INTO A DETENT POSITION. MAKES CONTROLLING THE CAR AWKWARD. THE FEEL IS NOT PROGRESSIVE. THE STEERING CANNOT BE HELD IN THE DESIRED POSITION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10499851

Incident

Oct 12, 2012

Mileage

200 mi