10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
73,650 miles
Total Complaints:
3 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (3 reports)
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problem #3

Aug 212021

S4 Prestige 3.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,950 miles

Great car, owned since new and fully serviced. Early evening, 500 miles from home the transmission smokes, car drops to limp mode and leaves me and family stranded. "Gearbox Malfunction" on dashboard, but car lurching and basically undrivable. Transmission fluid from the DSG box all over the road. Had to trailer it home and Audi says they've never heard of this problem despite there being a class action suit raised.

- David C., Santa Monica, US

problem #2

Jun 222018

S4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

As per others on this site, the car always had a hitch to it when coming to a stop from the time I drove it off the lot. Dealer upgraded "software" with some improvement. Since year 4 (2014), sporadic (1x/year) Gearbox malfunction - you may continue driving warning would come on and disappear with no real effect the car. Annual services at the dealer did not find anything wrong. Got the major 75,000 mile service completed last November (at 73,000) with no faults noted.

I rarely drive the car so by beginning of June, the gearbox malfunction and a hitch to the car began to come on more frequently. Was traveling, so didn't have time to take to dealer right away and the car would drive normally for about a week until the end of June, when the warning came on and the car sputtered. Ended up driving to the dealer with diagnosis of transmission failure; need complete replacement at cost of 14,000. Researched the issue online and this seems likely to be defect with the car; so contacted Audi of America, which after a month of back and forth, agreed to cover 50% of the cost.

Thinking about taking legal action as this seems to be an original manufacturer defect and entire cost should be covered. This was my dream car from teenage years but I will never recommend an Audi to anyone ever again. Anyone offered more than 50% or anything else from Audi of America or the dealer?

- Abhishek S., Sunnyvale, US

problem #1

Oct 302017

S4 Prestige 3.0t

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,000 miles

Again on the same day the car overheated, the gearbox failure occurred, right after the car had passed its annual inspection (it literally failed coming out of the inspection bay!)

Another known design fault causing a potentially dangerous failure in the vehicle, and excessively expensive repair. Audi should absolutely pay for these repairs because each one of us personally may never buy another Audi again (I have had 4), but will ensure all our friends do not either. I have had at least 50 people seriously ask my recommendations on the purchase of an Audi. Until this month I had encouraged them to do so. I guarantee that will not happen again.

Moreover dealer actively pushing replacement of entire transmission stating a mechatronics replacement may not fix the problem. The presumably new gearbox would be $13,000. Before speaking to the customer Audi service representatives should take the time to actually understand the nature of the fault rather than offering two options either a $3200 mechatronics replacement or a $13,000 replacement of the full gearbox.

If the mechatronics unit replacement is not entirely successful, I am highly likely to pursue legal action. My patience as a customer over 20 years is now exhausted. We need to protect future consumers.

- celticfanx, Boston, US