2012 Audi S4: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 22 owner complaints on record; most reports concern power train.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Circuit board on the mechatronics unit failed and car is under 100k miles. Sudden shaking and banging on the highway when giving it gas above 30. Frequent jolts, dangerous to drive...”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2019
“The gearbox malfunction screen on the dash showed up out of nowhere then followed by a parking brake malfunction then the car goes into neutral and just sits there revving the engine. I try to put it in neutral then drive but the lever gets stuck and I cant move to drive. This first happen in the highway and I couldn't do anything about it and I know this car has high mileage but looking at it this transmission has problems all the way to the 2016 models. This is something that needs to be looked at because this is a potential hazard at highway speeds”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2018
“While driving today on the highway my 2012 audi s4 experienced the common dsg gearbox malfunction alert along woth the tpms fault light. On the highway loosing all power and causing the vehicle slow drastically while in traffic nearly causing an accident. The amount of complaints on this same issue is astonishing that audi has not taking care if this yet. This malfunction can cause a serious accident, its time to recall the dsg transmission and fix the issue!!!!!! As well as reimbursement for all the people who spend thousands of dollars trying to diagnose the issue, audi will try to make you pay upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 in repairs rather than do the right thing and fix the problem.”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“The dsg transmission in my audi s4 experiences abrupt jerking from 2nd to 1st great while decelerating. It also jerks and feels like it is being hit while shifting from 1st to 2nd when accelerating normally.”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2018
“While driving in traffic, my car dropped into lower gears and stopped moving, and two error codes popped up "gearbox malfunction" and "tpms malfunction". Looking this up online and discussing with my mechanic, this is something happening in a lot of the cars that are this make & model and have the same transmission.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2018
“My coolant pump went out and overheated the car. The coolant leaked out. My car only has 60k miles on it. Audi recently recalled coolant pumps for this very reason on the a4, a5, a6 but havent made the recall for the s class. Please be advised this is a serious issue and placed me and family in harms way.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2018
“At ~61,000 miles the 2012 audi s4 started driving rough in low gears. The car has hesitation issues followed by & jerky acceleration/deceleration in low gears out of & into a stop. The reverse gear has similar hesitation & jerky acceleration. Car then started periodically displaying the message: gearbox malfunction: you can continue driving dealer diagnosed the error code as p179e - drive position sensor electrical error, which is tsb 2032211/1”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2018
“Vehicle flashes a gearbox malfunction warning and most electronics went dead. Vehicle would not accelerate causing me to nearly be rear ended. After turning off car and restarting the vehicle continues to lose power randomly every mile or so. This created very unsafe conditions on a busy freeway. The problem turned out to be a faulty sensor in the transmission. Audi has issued a technical service bulletin on this issue but will not acknowledge the huge safety issue with this defective transmission.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2017
“While driving approaching a stoplight, I received a "gearbox malfunction. Ok to continue driving with limited functionality" error. The car then barely accelerated and I could not go more than 20mph (I was on a busy road speed limit 35mph but everyone goes about 50). I was able to finally get it to drive well enough to get it to the dealer. Dealer said it needs a new circuit board which is not covered by only the power train warranty, as it is considered an electronic component.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2017
“I have a complaint audi s4 and other audi cars have the same issue as I'm having you can be driving on the main road or on the highway and all of a sudden the car loses power and excelleration . I found that as a problem to the safety of me and the other people that have the same car model.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2017
Recalls - 1 campaign
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. In the affected vehicles the fuel injection system may experience a fuel leak.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails and corresponding seals, free of charge. The recall began on March 17, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 24AP for Audi customers and 24BK for Volkswagen customers.
How other years compare
Check your exact S4 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Audi S4 reliable?
NHTSA has 22 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2012 Audi S4. The most complained-about area is power train.
Does the 2012 Audi S4 have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system:fuel rail. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.