FaultScore

Audi S4 transmission problems

104 of the 721 complaints filed about the Audi S4 are about the transmission — 14% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2010.

104

Complaints

14%

Share of all complaints

0

Crashes

1

Fires

Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year

1992 S4 1 1.0%
2000 S4 3 2.9%

Median failure at 56,000 miles

2003 S4 1 1.0%
2004 S4 5 4.8%

Median failure at 55,000 miles

2005 S4 1 1.0%

Median failure at 50,000 miles

2006 S4 1 1.0%

Median failure at 4,500 miles

2007 S4 2 1.9%

Median failure at 86,882 miles

2010 S4 42 40.4%

Median failure at 63,000 miles

2011 S4 22 21.2%

Median failure at 61,897 miles

2012 S4 14 13.5%

Median failure at 76,000 miles

2013 S4 8 7.7%

Median failure at 38,000 miles

2014 S4 3 2.9%

Median failure at 58,000 miles

2018 S4 1 1.0%

Median failure at 1,300 miles

What owners said

2010 Audi S4 West Orange, NJ

POWER TRAIN

Unknown

NHTSA complaint #11688973 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Audi S4 East Taunton, MA

POWER TRAIN

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 complaint #11627233 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Audi S4 at 70,177 miles ST Charles, MO

POWER TRAIN

CAR HAS DEVELOPED A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IN THE MECHATRONIC UNIT. CAR GIVES A GEARBOX MALFUNCTION DISPLAY IN THE CAR. REVERSE WILL NOT WORKING AND THE CAR WILL REPEATEDLY GO INTO NEUTRAL AT ANY SPEED. SOMETIMES THEN IT WILL JERK BACK INTO GEAR VERY VIOLENTLY.

NHTSA complaint #11407302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Audi S4 at 100,000 miles Cottonwood Heights, UT

POWER TRAIN

MY 2014 AUDI S4 HAS A EPC LIGHT THAT KEEPS TURNING ON WHILE DRIVING THAT CAR. THE EPC LIGHT WILL PUT THE CAR INTO LIMP MODE AND WILL HAVE A ROUGH IDLE AND CAN BARLEY DRIVE. WHEN THAT LIGHT TURNS ON YOU HAVE TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY AND RESTART THE CAR TO CONTINUE DRIVING AND IS A COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE ON THE FREEWAY. THE LIGHT MAINLY TURNS ON WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEEDS OF THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED AND THEY KEEP SAYING THERE IS NO ISSUE WITH THE CAR WHAT'S SO EVER. I DECIDED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR MYSELF BECAUSE THE DEALER WAS NO HELP. WHEN I LOOK IT UP HUNDREDS OF FORUMS SHOW UP TALKING ABOUT IT AND NO ONE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CAR AND EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND HOW THE DEALER IS NO HELP AT ALL. ONE PERSON SAID THEY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THERE WAS A FAULTY WIRE ON THE ECU. I THINK ITS THE ECU FAILING AND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

NHTSA complaint #11399328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Audi S4 at 36,000 miles Grimes, IA

POWER TRAIN

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

NHTSA complaint #11363839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 Mount Orab, OH

POWER TRAIN

ONCE CAR IS PUT INTO REVERSE IT LAUNCHES BACK ? ALSO IN FIRST ONE PUT IN COST IT WANTS TO MOVE PRACTICALLY FORWARD .

NHTSA complaint #11320167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 102,998 miles Austin, TX

POWER TRAIN

CAR SLAMMED INTO DIFFERENT GEAR, WASN'T ABLE TO SHIFT INTO 2ND AND THREW GEARBOX MALFUNCTION AND TPMS ERRORS. THANKFULLY I WAS NEAR HOME AND ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT OR BEING STRANDED, BUT MY CAR IS NOW IMMOBILE. I SPOKE WITH AUDI AND THEY SAID IT WILL LIKELY BE A $4K REPAIR (MECHATRONICS UNIT). AFTER RESEARCHING THIS MORE, IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME AND CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THERE'S ALSO A PENDING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT TO GET AUDI TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND RECALL THESE CARS AND FIX THEM.

NHTSA complaint #11320125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Audi S4 at 33,000 miles Grimes, IA

POWER TRAIN

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 complaint #11280436 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 99,000 miles Louisville, KY

POWER TRAIN

MY CAR FLASHED GEARBOX MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE I-264 IN LOUISVILLE KY. CAR SEAMED FINE FOR ABOUT 2 MILES AND THEN SUDDENLY WENT LIMP AND I HAD NO GEARS. HAD TO HIT FLASHERS AND COAST INTO MEDIAN. WAS ALMOST HIT BY SEMI TRUCK. REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. HAPPENED AGAIN 1 DAY AFTER GETTING IT BACK FROM SHOP. TAKING IT TO AUDI NOW. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #11270568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Audi S4 at 20 miles Hialeah Gardens, FL

POWER TRAIN

THIS VEHICLE IS KNOWN FOR THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES THAT CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT TIMES DUE TO THE VEHICLE MAKING SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED MOVEMENTS.

NHTSA complaint #11265330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Audi S4 at 98,000 miles Elmwood Park, NJ

POWER TRAIN

CIRCUIT BOARD ON THE MECHATRONICS UNIT FAILED AND CAR IS UNDER 100K MILES. SUDDEN SHAKING AND BANGING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN GIVING IT GAS ABOVE 30. FREQUENT JOLTS, DANGEROUS TO DRIVE...

NHTSA complaint #11258596 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 79,000 miles Braintree, MA

POWER TRAIN

MECHATRONIC ISSUES.

NHTSA complaint #11251998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Audi S4 at 64,000 miles Colorado Springs, CO

POWER TRAIN

THE DSG TRANSMISSION IN MY AUDI S4 EXPERIENCES ABRUPT JERKING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GREAT WHILE DECELERATING. IT ALSO JERKS AND FEELS LIKE IT IS BEING HIT WHILE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND WHEN ACCELERATING NORMALLY.

NHTSA complaint #11246180 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 72,000 miles Orlando, FL

POWER TRAIN

THE WHOLE CAR JERKED WHEN GOING TO 2ND GEAR AND THEN THETPMS, NO REVERSE, AND GEAR MALFUNCTION LIGHTS COMES ON. 2ND, 4TH, 6TH, AND REVERSE GEAR ARE GONE. RESTARTING THE CAR CLEARED THE WARNING AND DROVE FINE FOR 10 MILES BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. TRY RESTARTING AGAIN TO CLEAR THE WARNING BUT LIGHT WILL COME BACK ON WHEN GOING TO 2ND OR REVERSE.

NHTSA complaint #11232383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 56,000 miles Sebastian, FL

POWER TRAIN

GEARBOX FAILURE SEEMS TO BE COMMON ISSUE ON THE 2010 MODEL. SEEMS A REPLACEMENT MECHATRONICS UNIT OR FULL TRANSMISSION WILL NEED TO BE DONE TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint #11229466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Audi S4 at 58,000 miles SAN Diego, CA

POWER TRAIN

WHILE TRAVELING AT 75MPH, UPHILL, IN 100F WEATHER THE FUEL LOW PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM DEVELOPED A VAPOR BUBBLE THAT STALLED THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND STARVED THE MOTOR FOR FUEL. THE CAR STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND WOULD INTERMITTENTLY RESTART UNTIL THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED. THE REPAIR REQUIRED ADDITIONAL VALVES AND HOSES HE ADDED TO THE LOW PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM TO COMPENSATE FOR THE POOR VAPOR MANAGEMENT DESIGN. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE THE APPROPRIATE FIX AND TSB WAS EXECUTED. TOTAL COST WAS ~$2200, $715 OF THAT TOTAL COST WERE THE NEW VALVES AND HOSES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF THE INITIAL DESIGN.

NHTSA complaint #11220686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 67,455 miles Burbank, IL

POWER TRAIN

IT HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY GOING UP TO SPEED, AT ABOUT 50 MPH I GOT A "GEARBOX MALFUNCTION" ERROR MESSAGE IN THE CLUSTER AND IT WOULD NOT LET ME ACCELERATE ANYMORE, IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL AND PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD JUST REV UP THE ENGINE. THE MECHATRONICS UNIT ON THESE VEHICLES ARE FAULTY, I KNOW 2 OTHER S4 OWNERS WITH THE YEARS OF 2011 AND 2012 WHO ALSO HAD THEIR MECHATRONICS FAIL ON THEIR S4. ALONG WITH THE GEARBOX MALFUNCTION ERROR ALSO COMES "PARKING BRAKE ERROR" WHO KNOWS WHAT IN THE WORLD CAN HAPPEN WHEN THAT MESSAGE COMES UP. IS IT GOING TO SUDDENLY APPLY THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE GOING 50-70 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND CAUSE A POSSIBILITY OF A VERY BAD ACCIDENT? THE REPAIR IS VERY PRICEY FOR THE MECHATRONIC UNIT THAT GOES BAD, IT IS NO COINCIDENCE MANY OF THESE S4 MODELS HAVE THESE GO BAD.

NHTSA complaint #11217005 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 67,320 miles Burbank, IL

POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THE MECHATRONICS UNIT ON MY CAR IS FAILING AND JUST MANY MANY OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR. THE VEHICLE CAN STOP ENGAGING GEARS AT ANY SPEED AND CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AT ANY SPEED, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY

NHTSA complaint #11210713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Audi S4 at 85,000 miles Homer Glen, IL

POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION BLEW UP ON THE HIGHWAY AT CRUISING SPEED. HAS TO GET A TOW AND PAY 12000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION

NHTSA complaint #11181609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2010 Audi S4 at 109,000 miles SAN Diego, CA

POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. LURCHING FROM A STOP AND LURCHING DURING SHIFT CHANGES.

NHTSA complaint #11180272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Audi S4 problems