2013 AUDI S5 Problems

Complaints Reported

Complaints by Component

POWER TRAIN

8 complaints

I had a very pricey service performed on my vehicle and during that service they said there was a service bulletin or recall that required a software upgrade for the transmission (Audi of El Paso, TX). Once that occurred, my transmission would shift very hard especially going from 1st to 2nd gear or downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear. My service advisor told me that my vehicle had to learn again and that it would smooth out in time. It never has. My vehicle with only 79,000 miles on it should certainly not be having any transmission issues, especially since they were non-existent until the software upgrade was applied. I have researched the issue and have found that it is a common and widely known issue in Audis with similar electronic transmissions. I was able to find well over a hundred Audi owners who documented the same issues. Due to this update my vehicle showed simultaneous warning for a TPMS failure and gearbox failure.

Mar 03, 2025

mechatronic unit failed incident : random jerking when driving had to pull the car over car lost power "gear box malfunction" code on my dashboard. after replacing the mechatornic unit had to pay 5127 dollars out of pocket to get fixed

Feb 02, 2023

while driving, got a notification on the dash board "transmission malfunction, limited functionality" and a "tpms malfunction" notification. Car seemed like it was skipping 1st and 2nd gear after i continued driving.

Jun 03, 2021

AFTER THE CAR SITS OVER NIGHT, AND IS DRIVEN W/O BRING WARMED UP IT SLIPS GOING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR, ROUGH DOWNSHIFT OR SLIGHT BUMP WHEN COMING TO A STOP, AND A ROUGH IDLE AND NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IN PARK. CAR HAS 87K.

Nov 06, 2020

MY CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE WHERE THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T ENGAGE AND COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE MECHATRONIC UNIT IN THE TRANSMISSION AND A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE WHEN I WAS ON A BUSY ROAD. IT SAID CONTINUE TO DRIVE BUT I COULDN'T. IT HAPPENED AT 65K MILES. I HAD IT REBUILT FOR OVER $2000 AND THE CAR IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED.

Aug 18, 2020

+ 3 more complaints for this component

STEERING

3 complaints

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILS WITH EITHER WATER INFILTRATION INTO THE CONTROLLER, OR WITH SEVERE COLD WEATHER. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN BY AUDI USA BY THEY ARE REFUSING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IN MN IN THE MONTH OF 2/2019 3 AUDI DEALERS EACH TOLD ME THAT THEY EACH REPLACED 20+ STEERING RACKS DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE CAUSE THE ELECTRIC ASSISTED POWER STEERING TO FAIL CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE ALL POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING. THIS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS IF YOU ARE NOT EXPECTING YOUR POWER STEERING TO FAIL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SERVICE ADVISER I WORKED WITH AT ONE OF THE AUDI DEALERS SAID THIS PERSONALLY HAPPENED TO HIM ON 2 DIFFERENT CARS HE OWNED. THERE ARE REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING IN EVERY AUDI FORUM ON THE WEB.

Mar 05, 2019

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THERE IS RESISTANCE AT THE 12 O'CLOCK POSITION IN THE STEERING. THIS RESISTANCE CAUSES THE DRIVER TO OVER CORRECT AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED AS THE 'NOTCH' FEELING IN THEN ELECTRIC STEERING TO DEALER AND MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD NO FIX IS AVAILABLE. *TR

Feb 03, 2014

I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN AND A MESSAGE CAME UP "STEERING DEFECTIVE. DO NOT DRIVE". THE DEALER PICKED UP THE CAR AND AFTER RESEARCHING INFORMED ME THE POWER STEERING MODULE HAD FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY SAID THEY NEED TO ORDER PARTS FROM GERMANY AND IT WILL TAKE 2-3 WEEKS. TODAY IS THE START OF THE 3RD WEEK AND THEY ARE STILL WORKING ON THE CAR. *TR

Dec 31, 2013

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

I smelled a super strong gas smell from my car leaking somewhere in the engine hidden by other parts, it smells so bad it’s hard to be in the car it’s a fire hazard. Due to the fuel the car hardly starts due to the fuel not getting to the engine

Apr 11, 2023

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

1 complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, AN ABNORMAL ODOR WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S WIFE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. GREEN AUDI (3881 WABASH AVE, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62711) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT AN APPOINTMENT SHOULD BE SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THE VIN WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V019000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,618.

Aug 24, 2020

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE

1 complaint

MY VEHICLE AS WELL AS MANY AUDIS WITH THE MECHATRONIC SYSTEM ARE HAVING AN ISSUE THAT PRESENT A ERROR, " MECHATRONIC FAILURE TPMS GEARBOX MALFUNCTION). IT OFTEN EITHER NOT DRIVABLE, EVEN WHEN IN TRAFFIC OR DRIVES AT A SNAIL'S PACE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO EXIT TRAFFIC. AUDI CORPORATE SAID A RECALL IS ONLY DONE WHEN THE NHTSA FEEL THAT'S IT A ISSUE THAT CAN CALLS SAFETY &/OR DEATH. THIS SEEM TO EFFECT, FROM MY RESEARCH, 2010 - 2014 AUDI S4, S5 AND A5 MODEL [N THE USA AND THERE ARE SOME EUROPE COMPLAINTS, WHICH I HAVE FOUND AS WELL] MANUFACTORED AT A PARTICULAR PLANT OR PROVIDER. THIS TYPE OF MALFUNCTION CAN CERTAINLY CAUSE 'LOSS OF LIFE' AS IT OCCURS IN TRAFFIC. I HAPPEN TO LIVE IN METRO ATLANTA GA, WITH OUR FAST PACE TRAFFIC, ITS A SERIOUS ISSUE. THERE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE COST TO REPAIR CAN BE UP TO $15K. THERE IS NO WAY THIS SHOULD HAPPED TO A $60-$75 HIGH-END VEHICLE. HAVE VIDEO'S OF THE DASHBOARD WITH THE ERROR AND CAN UPLOAD TO YOU. I WAS OFFERED 15% ON THE REPAIR, WHICH IS REALLY AN INSULT. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND ITS NOT HARD TO FIND OTHERS WITH THIS ISSUE. I PRAY FOR SOME RELIEF IN THE FORM OF A RECALL. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINE 2010, FROM WHAT I HAVE LEARNED.

Jul 27, 2019

ENGINE

1 complaint

AFTER ~106,000 MILES, AN ERROR CODE 'TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. YOU CAN KEEP DRIVING', WITH ERROR CODE P179D00 (PER DEALER). CAR HAS HESTITATION AT LOW RPM OR WHILE STOPPED (AS AT A LIGHT OR HEAVY TRAFFIC) AND OCCASIONALLY JERKS FORWARD, DESPITE BRAKES BEING FIRMLY APPLIED.

Nov 13, 2018

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4.8/5.0

67 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2013 AUDI S5 have?

The 2013 AUDI S5 currently has 15 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2013 AUDI S5?

The most common problems reported for the 2013 AUDI S5 are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2013 AUDI S5 problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2013 AUDI S5 comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.