Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 16, 2026
NHTSA Safety Complaint DraftVehicle Information:Year/Make/Model: 2013 Audi S5 Premium Plus CoupeVIN: [XXX]: Power Train / Transmission (7-Speed Dual-Clutch S-Tronic / DSG)Description of Safety Defect:I am writing to report a severe, recurring safety defect regarding the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission in my 2013 Audi S5. The vehicle is experiencing catastrophic transmission issues, including sudden power loss, violent juddering, erratic shifting, and abruptly entering "limp mode" without warning.This issue presents an immediate and severe safety hazard. When the transmission abruptly loses power or forces the vehicle into limp mode while driving at highway speeds, it leaves the driver completely unable to accelerate or safely keep pace with surrounding traffic. This sudden, unpredictable loss of propulsion significantly increases the risk of a high-speed rear-end collision. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- NHTSA ID
- 11744360
- Incident
- Jun 15, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Mar 3, 2025
I had a very pricey service performed on my vehicle and during that service they said there was a service bulletin or recall that required a software upgrade for the transmission (Audi of El Paso, TX). Once that occurred, my transmission would shift very hard especially going from 1st to 2nd gear or downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear. My service advisor told me that my vehicle had to learn again and that it would smooth out in time. It never has. My vehicle with only 79,000 miles on it should certainly not be having any transmission issues, especially since they were non-existent until the software upgrade was applied. I have researched the issue and have found that it is a common and widely known issue in Audis with similar electronic transmissions. I was able to find well over a hundred Audi owners who documented the same issues. Due to this update my vehicle showed simultaneous warning for a TPMS failure and gearbox failure.
- NHTSA ID
- 11646068
- Incident
- Jul 15, 2020
EngineFuel system
Filed Apr 11, 2023
I smelled a super strong gas smell from my car leaking somewhere in the engine hidden by other parts, it smells so bad it’s hard to be in the car it’s a fire hazard. Due to the fuel the car hardly starts due to the fuel not getting to the engine
- NHTSA ID
- 11516443
- Incident
- Apr 6, 2023
Powertrain (other)
Filed Feb 2, 2023
mechatronic unit failed incident : random jerking when driving had to pull the car over car lost power "gear box malfunction" code on my dashboard. after replacing the mechatornic unit had to pay 5127 dollars out of pocket to get fixed
- NHTSA ID
- 11505091
- Incident
- Sep 30, 2018
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 3, 2021
while driving, got a notification on the dash board "transmission malfunction, limited functionality" and a "tpms malfunction" notification. Car seemed like it was skipping 1st and 2nd gear after i continued driving.
- NHTSA ID
- 11419483
- Incident
- Jun 3, 2021
Powertrain (other)
Filed Nov 6, 2020
AFTER THE CAR SITS OVER NIGHT, AND IS DRIVEN W/O BRING WARMED UP IT SLIPS GOING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR, ROUGH DOWNSHIFT OR SLIGHT BUMP WHEN COMING TO A STOP, AND A ROUGH IDLE AND NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IN PARK. CAR HAS 87K.
- NHTSA ID
- 11373431
- Incident
- May 8, 2020
- Mileage
- 79,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Aug 24, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, AN ABNORMAL ODOR WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S WIFE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. GREEN AUDI (3881 WABASH AVE, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62711) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT AN APPOINTMENT SHOULD BE SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THE VIN WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V019000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,618.
- NHTSA ID
- 11350876
- Incident
- Aug 4, 2020
- Mileage
- 56,618 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 18, 2020
MY CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE WHERE THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T ENGAGE AND COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE MECHATRONIC UNIT IN THE TRANSMISSION AND A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE WHEN I WAS ON A BUSY ROAD. IT SAID CONTINUE TO DRIVE BUT I COULDN'T. IT HAPPENED AT 65K MILES. I HAD IT REBUILT FOR OVER $2000 AND THE CAR IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED.
- NHTSA ID
- 11350133
- Incident
- Aug 3, 2020
- Mileage
- 65,000 mi