Audi dsg transmission safety issue - the"prnds" on my dash often starts flashing, and the transmission is now in a "limp" mode. I then have to put the car in neutral, turn the ignition off, start the car, and put it back in drive mode. I do all of this while either rolling down the road or the alternative is find a place to pull over. Audi recognizes this as a problem on dsg equipped vehicles just a few months newer than mine. I don't understand why they will not admit it is a safety issue on cars built with the same equipment just a little earlier. Please help me resolve this safety issue with Audi. They claim it needs a new transmission that will cost $4800 and can only be done at a dealer. This has been an ongoing problem for over 1.5 years and has gotten much more frequent in the last half year.

- Camden, MO, USA

My 2006 Audi A3 with dsg transmission sometimes slips when hot while pulling out into traffic from a stop. Also surges in first gear occasionally when hot. I have not taken it in for repairs as they are too expensive. There has been many complaints of this same issue on auto forums. Im going to take it in this week and see what the charge would be to check it out. But im sure its the same problem as all the other Audi and VW cars out there with the dsg tranny.im scared to pull out into traffic and get hit.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

I notice after driving my 06 Audi A3 for about 30 minutes and with the engine warmed up, the car would jerk violently every time after warm up, and it would sometimes stall. My car is a automatic with dsg. The jerking happens when I applied the gas and it would happen in all the gears. There would be times where I'd be making a turn to cross on coming traffic, I hit the gas and the car would jerk giving me no power and stall in the middle of the street with on coming traffic! good thing they stopped for me! but what if I'm not so lucky the next time around" what if they don't stop in time? and what if I have my little sister, nieces and nephews in my car when it happens" I took it to the Audi dealer and told them about the problem but they found nothing that would cause the jerking and stalling. Twice! I feel like Audi knows about the problem but wont admit to it and do nothing. So many VW or Audi owners have the same issues. This isn't just about money, is about human lives which should be more valued than money to Audi.

- Westminster, CA, USA

Since the day I bought my 2006 Audi A3 2.0T, I am having this issue. When I start moving from a complete stop (such as on a red light), the car jerks back and forth 1-2 times roughly. This happens all the time without fail. The jerk is so powerful that it makes all passengers' bodies shift forward with its momentum. It feels as if I slammed on the brake suddenly. Also, at times, from a stop when I put my foot on the gas, the car hesitates before slamming into gear after 2-3 seconds of not responding to my throttle input. This has scared hell out of me at couple of instances because I almost got into a read rend collision from someone behind me not paying attention and almost slamming into the back of my car. Luckily, as I know my car had this characteristic so I react quickly in such occasions. From what I understand after reading plenty of stuff online, this is a problem with the mechatronics unit. Many people have had success fixing the problem by getting a replacement dsg/transmission/mechatronics unit installed. When I visit Audi dealer, they say everything is fine. I had been to Audi dealer for 3 times. But, I'm sure that everything is definitely not fine. Something needs to be done to fix this problem as everyone I have met with the same car has the same problem. Instead of ending into the hospital beds for whiplash from read end collision or worse, this has to fixed in all the Audi A3S.

- Louisville, KY, USA

As with a lot of people that have complained about the Audi A3 transmission. The trans started to lag thru the gears especially around 40mph. Also in reverse, you would press on the gas pedal to go back and the engine would rev but wouldn't move and then all of a sudden it would launch backwards. Very dangerous. The car wouldn't get out of its own way sometimes.

- Cream Ridge, NJ, USA

This is for a 2006 Audi A3 2.0T with the fsi engine and the dsg transmission. Both my wife and I experience a few dangerous situations where the automatic transmission disengaged unexpectedly and we lost the ability to make the car move via the gas pedal. The car's lcd gear selector display then began to flash intermittently to indicate a transmission failure of some type. We did regain 1st gear after a few seconds as well but this put us at danger and is not acceptable for a family car with only 42590 miles on it. The problem then re-occurred within the next few days about 3 more times and even failed while driving into the dealership. I had to call a couple of dealerships to get a straight answer as well on whether this was covered under any kind of recall warranty as well as they were about to try and make me pay for this until I asked. The service for a failed dsg transmission is exorbitantly priced and also unacceptable for a car that only has 42590 miles on it and is driven as a family car strictly. Not to mention it has been routinely serviced under warranty and is not due to any neglect or abuse. The dealer did replace the failed mechatronic unit and even noted that the transmission fluids were all at the proper levels. The old part was not available for me to view and I did neglect to ask for it as that is usually my practice when getting parts replaced.

- Riverside, CA, USA

For two days in a row, I have had issues with my automatic transmission shifting down to first gear. It occurs after a slow commute over a prolonged hill. Once I reach the top and accelerate, the transmission downshifts to first, resulting in extreme rpms. I have to shift the car done to low gear then back to D(rive) to reset it. The issue sounds extremely similar to issues encountered with the dgs system. My vehicle is a 2006 and therefore does not fall within the 2007-2009 VW and Audi recall. I'm extremely concerned about the cost I am about to incur to rectify this situation.

- Edmonton, 00, USA

I got a 2006 A3 (automatic) with 90K miles on it. We started experiencing transmission problems 2 weeks ago, basically while driving (at any speed) transmission would sporadically shift to neutral followed by a jolting/clunking noise, and then prnds lights would go off onthe dashboard. The same thing has happened 3-4 times within 1 week. The scary thing is that driving on highways, such I-95, my wife almost got rear ended by a 18-wheeler. This is a safety issue. Talked to Audi na complain line, and they mentioned there wasn't anything reported to them, there was no recall on this item, and no willings to help to cover the cost of replacing parts. I don't see this any different from the gas pedal issue that Toyota is addressing. Many complains or cases have been reported on Audi/VW forums.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

My wife is traveling a long trip. She is driving a 2006 Audi A3. She had been having weird things happen during her trip. It started when she made a right hand turn from a stop sign. She pushed the gas, but the car did not move for a few seconds and then it went. This happened a few times, all the same sort of way. Then after a right-hand corner turn, the car made this huge noise and clunk upon acceleration. Again, it drove ok after that. However, the big unsafe problem first occurred @ apx. 49,870 on odometer, ironically, just before the warranty was out. She was driving about 45 mph & backed off of the gas to slide in between two cars & then pressed on the gas to accelerate to the speed of the moving traffic & suddenly without warning, the car seemed to go into neutral but because the gas was increasing, the engine kept revving. She seemed to coast, no increase in speed. The car behind her swerved over in time, but it was too close! she backed off of the gas or braked, she couldn't remember and the car clunked into gear. When she called me, the car had 50,150 & she was concerned because this had just happened a 2nd time. It happened the same way, when she was accelerating. I called my local Audi dealer & spoke with the service manager who agreed to provide a free diagnostic test. We have since discovered that there is a recall for this same problem in effect for the 2007-2009 Audi (including A3) as well as for 2007-2009 VW's with the same transmission problem. 2006's need to be included in the recall too.

- Plantation, FL, USA

My Audi A3 with dsg has been experiencing shifting problems from 1-2 and 2-3. on the 29th, while accelerating from a light in heavy traffic, the transmission shifted very roughly and the engine seemed to have lost power. When I looked into my mirror, the car directly behind me didn't expect my sudden loss of acceleration and came close to rear ending me. This rough shifting is getting progressively worse and I am going to take it to the dealer to have it checked out soon.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

I have a 2006 Audi A3 3.2 quattro with the dsg transmission. I was driving home from my 45K mile service(the last one before it goes out of warranty). I was doing about 45-50 mph going through the sunpass express lane. I lifted off of the throttle for a second and then, when I went back to the gas, no drive, no gears. The rpms shot up to around 7500 RPM's and the gear indicator screen lights (P, R, N, D, S) were flashing and I had to pull off of to the shoulder. And trying to pull over with no drive on the palmetto expressway in miami almost got me into 2 different accidents. I tried to select reverse then drive and sport mode on the shifter, nothing, screen still flashing and the car would not move. I called my dealer and he told me to call Audi road service and have it flat bedded back to them. About 15 minutes after the occurrence, I turned the car off and back on and it now was able to select a gear and the flashing stopped. I drove it very delicately back to the dealer and was awaiting a diagnosis. They said they are replacing the faulty transmission control/mechatronics unit. This happened on 7/24 and I am still waiting on the new part to come in. I want to report this because, it has come to my attention that I am not the only person to experience this failure on an Audi or Volkswagen car using the dsg or S-tronic gearbox.I want this to be documented in case something happens. I'm also worried that my car is just about to come out of the warranty period and, if I have this failure again, it could cost me thousands of my own dollars to have it fixed.

- Miami, FL, USA

I have been experiencing dsg shifting issues. On slight inclines such as driveway entrances, when in reverse, I'll accelerate and there is no response. Many times, neighbors think I am revving my car. Also, when accelerating from start or a slow speed on D or S mode, the engine will rev very high close to 4000-5000rpm. A dsg service had been done by the dealer a few years ago and I had another one done last month suspecting that it could be the fluid but to no avail, I am still experiencing this issue.

- Glendale, CA, USA

I have a 2006 Audi A3 3.2 w/ dsg. The car was driving fine until one day, complete disaster. What happens now is when you start up the car, drive any distance and come to a stop, the car will go neutral, the prnds will start to flash, and come to a jolting stop. The only way to get it going again, is to power off then start up again. There has been times when the car has gone neutral while driving and I'll have to come to a stop. This occurs 99% of the time. Being in the D.C. area, there's lots of traffic so powering down and up again at each stop and go traffic isn't safe for me and others around. The car has been at the dealer for 5 weeks now B/C the replacement part (transmission control unit / mechatronic unit / dsg) is from germany and has to be "coded to your VIN". it also has to go through us customs before arriving at the dealer. Being out of warranty, this is going to be a costly repair for what seems to be a fault that many others are having.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

1) no problem leading up to transmission failure. 3 months and 7100 miles. 2) transmission failed mid-commute home from work...car still in shop, will take at lease a few weeks to fix due to lack of parts 3) nothing done...parts are on order.

- Sherman, CT, USA