AUDI S4 · model year

2013 AUDI S4

34 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013AUDIS4 carries 34 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 S4 is steering with 19 filings, followed by power train (8) and engine (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2013 S4. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

34
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
2013 AUDI S4 — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2013 AUDI S4. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

34 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING19
POWER TRAIN8
ENGINE4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recalls (1)

14V66700024/10/2014

AIR BAGS

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Audi A4 and S4 vehicles manufactured February 16, 2012, to October 21, 2014, and 2013-2015 Audi Allroad vehicles manufactured March 12, 2012, to October 21, 2014. Due to an improper algorithm in the air bag con

Recent Complaints

20250124ENGINE

Engine mount failure at 60,000 miles

20241125POWER 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.

20221230ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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. N

20201011POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 36,000

20191115POWER 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.

Mileage: 33,000

20171009POWER TRAIN

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.

Mileage: 38,000

20170914ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 58,000

20170914POWER TRAIN

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.

Mileage: 58,000

20170901POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION WARNING INDICATOR ON, SHIFT HARD

Mileage: 85,032

20170824STEERING

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.

Mileage: 34,700

20161108POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 38,500

20160321STEERING

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.

Mileage: 48,000

20160304STEERING

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.

Mileage: 21,000

20150920STEERING

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.

Mileage: 34,105

20150818STEERING

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.

Mileage: 12,000

20141207STEERING

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 105692

Mileage: 9,500

20140804POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 25,000

20140624STEERING

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). SHO

Mileage: 5,160

20130620STEERING

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

Mileage: 580

20130605ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

Mileage: 1,000

Compare 2013AUDIS4 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 AUDI S4 have?
The 2013 AUDI S4 has 34 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2013 AUDI S4?
The 2013 AUDI S4 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 AUDI S4?
Yes, the 2013 AUDI S4 has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 AUDI S4?
The most-complained component for the 2013 AUDI S4 is STEERING with 19 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ENGINE.
Is the 2013 AUDI S4 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2013 AUDI S4 has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.