10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,018 miles

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problem #57

Aug 242021

A4

  • miles
August of 2021. It was raining out and I drove through a puddle and my electric steering shut down. This has been a known defect for at least 10 years with Audi and NHTSA has done NOTHING about it.

- Naugatuck, CT, USA

problem #56

Aug 202021

A4

  • miles
2013 Audi A4 with a 2.0 turbo engine approximately 62.5K miles and up to date with all services. I was driving on the highway at highway speeds when the engine suddenly started to misfire with a partial loss of power making the car difficult to steer. At that time the check engine light was not illuminated. I was able to get off the highway and drive home about 2 miles away from when the misfires first occurred. The police did not get involved as I was able to return home. The following week the car was towed to my mechanic where it was diagnosed that cylinder 3 had a problem. At that time the check engine light illuminated. He recommended that I tow my car to the Audi dealership as they have better availability of parts. The dealer took apart the engine and diagnosed a broken piston ring which destroyed many other parts of the engine. The engine had to be replaced with a new one from the factory. Audi should be held accountable for catastrophic engine failures that may result in injury to others due to poor engine design.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #55

Feb 122021

A4

  • 75,000 miles
Steering wheel randomly locked while the car was in motion. The car was almost inoperable. It was extremely dangerous and is also a safety hazard. There have been several complaints, but no recall from Audi. It needs to addressed and fixed. Lives are at risk.

- Spring Park, MN, USA

problem #54

Sep 152020

A4

  • 7 miles
While driving, on or off the highway steering stiffens making it hard or impossible to make turns. It is a scary situation, which forced me to pull over on the highway once- I was not able to switch lanes due to the hardness of the steering wheel. This occurs randomly, at anytime or speed, even at slow speeds while driving in the neighborhood. It occurs to either side, sometimes one side of the wheel or both sides.

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #53

Mar 092020

A4

  • 150,000 miles
My car recently started feeling stiff while taking turns and it looks as it's been an ongoing reported issue. Nothing that has been recalled in the past however most reports are of people "fixing" the problem only for it to continously come back.

- Bradford, MA, USA

problem #52

Jan 252020

A4

  • 108,000 miles
The steering wheel became difficult to make turns.

- Park Ridge, IL, USA

problem #51

Feb 022020

A4

  • 60,000 miles
Purchased my 2013 Audi A4 in 2017 and similar to all the other complaints the steering seized sporadicly indicating it was unsafe to drive etc.. the car was towed and I after a couple weeks the problem was that the power steering module was defective. I had a new one installed at the cost of 2500$ (the dealer wanted to charge 4000$!). the car was running smoothly until recently (it always seems to be in the winter when it becomes mild) the steering has begun to stick once again and its only a matter of time before my dash lights up notifying me the car cant be driven. This is clearly a problem as there are hundreds of complaints for the same issue. Please fix it!

- Kirkland, AL, USA

problem #50

Nov 012019

A4

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A4. While driving various speeds, the power steering seized without warning intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to Audi indianapolis (4610-B E 96th St, indianapolis, in 46240, (317) 853-4582) where the intermediate steering shaft was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Carmel, IN, USA

problem #49

Jan 012019

A4

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A4. While driving 5 mph, the front passenger tire struck a curb and the "steering wheel defective don't drive" warning indicator illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to Audi san francisco (1525 howard St, san francisco, ca 94103, (888) 779-0546) where it was diagnosed that the steering mechanism was defective. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Mill Valley, CA, USA

problem #48

Oct 142019

A4

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A4. While driving 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn left. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle on the side of the road for ten minutes. Once she continued driving, the failure recurred. The contact called van horn Volkswagen of sheboygan (located at 5515 racetrack rd, sheboygan, wi 53081, (920) 457-8844) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 140,000.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #47

Jul 212019

A4

  • 35,000 miles
The steering wheels present temporary problems since the car was new, showing noises (like a pressure valve air leaking), and change in resistance to steering the vehicle. I've asked the dealer to check it sometimes, but they could not reproduce the problem. Last Sunday, July 21, 2019, after stopping the car, the steering wheel lost all power, stop working, and send a message not to drive the vehicle. I tow it to a dealer which recommend change the steering rack and made alignment ($2900). The car is in the dealer right now. Reading this site, I realize it may be a more generic problem, with serious safety implication, on this particular model of Audi. I have to sya that otherwise it is an excellent car.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #46

Jun 062019

A4

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Audi A4. While the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized and was difficult to turn. In addition, "do not drive the vehicle, steering wheel failure" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called Audi West houston (located at 15865 katy fwy, houston, tx 77094, (855) 627-2941) and informed them of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Cypress, TX, USA

problem #45

May 242019

A4

  • 55,000 miles
Power steering gets stiff and almost impossible to turn. The issue happens sporadically while driving at any time. It's been extremely dangerous.

- South Orange, NJ, USA

problem #44

May 162019

A4

  • 61,000 miles
2013 Audi A4 quattro with approx. 61K miles - the steering wheel has started to offer inconsistent resistance to driver input. The steering wheel appears to intermittently lose the electric power assist which impacts drivers ability to judge the amount of force it would take to make a turn or change a lane. Issue occurs intermittently at various speeds including the vehicle being stationary. While rotating the wheel, it feels like the steering has hit a dead end after turning a mere 20 degrees, upon additional force the steering wheel will rotate further. This behavior is intermittent which makes it hard to drive the car safely through turns and at high speeds.

- Harrison, NJ, USA

problem #43

Feb 252019

A4

  • miles
I have a 2013 Audi A4, I love my car, but at 39K miles I started having issues with my steering. The problem is intermittent, in the beginning I felt like at times the steering was just very hard to turn, now it is doing it more and more often and the steering wheel does not come back on its own once you turn a 90 degree turn. Plus the wheel gets extremely hard to turn without warning, this is very dangerous, at time I have to use both hands to really put on the wheel to make a turn. I have taken it to the dealership and they said that they do not feel anything wrong with the car, they stated that they placed it on the computer and that no failure codes were registered. I have three small kids, this is a very dangerous situation, I can't believe that Audi does not have a recall on this, when I see that were are so many complains on this issue. I just hope that there won't be a fatal accident before something is done to address this issue.

- North Riverside, IL, USA

problem #42

Mar 152019

A4

  • 78,452 miles
I experienced rough half a dozen intermittent warnings of a "dynamic steering fault. You may still drive the vehicle." (yellow warning symbol) while driving and making turns which lasted 15 seconds, at most before going away. During these intervals the steering became mildly stiff and notchy. Yesterday I attempted to crank the car in my driveway and it wouldn't crank but gave me the following error, "steering defective! do not drive vehicle! now the car won't start.

- Chapin, SC, USA

problem #41

Feb 152019

A4

  • 108,000 miles
Purchase a Audi A4 2013 in February of 2019. Steering wheel is an ongoing issue with Audi electric power steering rack and needing it to be replaced. Its dangerous to drive because turning takes strength and a handful of effort. It is extremely dangerous to drive to the point where I dont want to risk my life driving the car. After researching the "electric power steering rack" issue multiple people have it. Searching youtube, and google multiple owners have the issue and as a result some dont drive or have to spend an enormous amount of money to get it fixed. It is an issue for multiple models the stiffness of the steering wheel is severe. Nearly crashed multiple times due to the stiffness and had to revert back to my older car. I want to see whether this is an ongoing issue with the "electric power steering rack" and would like to get a recall or something since this is an ongoing issue. Got it checked by dealer and they also said this is an ongoing issue but, there is no recall as of now.

- Whitehall, PA, USA

problem #40

Feb 062019

A4

  • 107,000 miles
Electric power steering randomly becomes inoperable leading to hard steering or wheels not returning to center. Feel can be notchy where steering assist is inconsistent as a function of steering wheel position. Issue happens randomly while car is in motion at various speeds

- Colchester, CT, USA

problem #39

Jan 092019

A4

  • 53,500 miles
Reference: 2013 Audi A4 quattro. The steering has suddenly become very stiff. Steering wheel will not return to center after making a 90 degree turn on urban streets. I must turn it back manually. I have been driving non-power steering vehicles and power steering vehicles for 60+ years. This is not the way that any steering system that I have ever driven works. I consider this a very serious safety issue that should warrant a recall of all Audi vehicles so affected.

- Bangor, ME, USA

problem #38

Jul 232018

A4

  • 57,500 miles
The steering wheel became stiff after 57500 miles. Very very occasionally the issue goes away. But it is persistent for most of the time. Diagnosed with no fault codes. It is a nightmare to take a right or left turn. I took the car to an outside technician twice but both the times my car did not replicate the issue. He did not believe me and thinks I'm wasting his time. This is a very serious issue if ignored. Since no one believes me, I do not what to do. The issue has become worse. Audi needs to address this issue as safety is at stake.

- Franklin, MA, USA

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