2013 Audi S6 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (25) · Power Train (7) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3)
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
30 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/Supercharger 2022-03-23 · campaign 22V178000 · 26,093 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2013-2017 A8, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, and 2014-2017 RS7 vehicles. The turbocharger oil supply strainer can become blocked, causing wear to the bearings due to lack of lubrication.
Risk: Worn bearings can cause the turbine wheel to contact the turbocharger housing or cause the shaft to break, causing an engine stall and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the oil strainer and perform an oil change, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 21H7.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2018-06-04 · campaign 18V370000 · 139,249 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). Stress or wear of the body-sensing mat within the front passenger seat may cause the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module to malfunction.
Risk: If the PODS module malfunctions, the front passenger air bag may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a PODS system repair kit, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 74D5.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2013-09-23 · campaign 13V450000 · 3,594 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Audi S6 and S7 vehicles equipped with 4.0L engines. Due to manufacturing tolerance issues, a fuel line may leak fuel.
Risk: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, may result in a fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line, free of charge. The safety recall is planned to begin in late October 2013. Owners may contact Audi of America at 1-800-822-2834. Volkswagen's number for this campaign is 20U6/L8.
Service bulletins (836)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2913-04-01 · 35 13 09 2028085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
speed s-tronic, leaks from transmission
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2083409_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin states that technicians are required to report to the manufacturer when a vehicle has flooded, and specify the height to which the vehicle has been flooded.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-25 · TSB_2052680_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
Steering 2026-09-22 · TSB_2074846_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · TSB_2030471_9 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information when the license plate mounting bracket threded inserts are stripped.
Structure:body 2026-09-08 · TSB_2068999_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this tsb describes a corrosion issue due to outside influence and the prohibition of warranty in these cases.
Showing the 6 most recent of 836 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-02-04 · Power Train · 💥 crash“i was driving my audi when i got transmission malfunction light on along with suspension fault and epc light and check engine light all together and the car wouldn’t go faster than 20 mph. causing someone to rear end me and them fleeing . so not only was my car hit because of this but i had no driver to hold responsible for the damage …”
2025-03-01 · Power Train“was just driving down the highway at normal speed and my car lost all power, every like came up on the dash and disabled my power steering causing me to almost crash. took it to the shop mechanic tells me the turbos failed due to oil screen and it will cost me $8,000 not sure why they failed i have amazing service records on my car. this needs to b…”
2024-10-15 · Engine“the 2013 audi 4.0t generation have a massive issue where the engine start leaking from the bottom of the crankcase where the block connects to it and to fix all these issues audi is asking a rebuild of the entire engine this issue is very common on the 2013 2014 2015 s6 s7 s8 with the 4.0t worldwide problem …”
2023-07-04 · Power Train“all 2013 audi s have a transmission issues where it cause the transmission to stop shifting or skips gears or clutch slips and audi has not done anything about them this repair is expensive and millions of people experience this problem and audi still won’t fix it …”
2022-11-23 · Power Train“i noticed my car wouldn’t engage in reverse when shifted so i took it in for a transmission flush and it was performed and 2 days later i got a light on dash saying transmission overheating . and the car completely lost power while on freeway and went from 60 to 20 miles per hour and will not shift past first gear . so i took it back in to dealer p…”
2022-08-10 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 55,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 audi s6. the contact stated upon test driving the vehicle after an oil change, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the oil strainer was clogged and the turbine wheel was desegregated. the oil strainer and gasket, the pcv head gasket, and two turbochargers were replaced. additionally, three consecutive oil changes were co…”
2022-03-29 · Engine“the mfg defrayed some of the cost of replacing the two turbos but i was charged $5,607.06 on the repair on 9/24/20. the cause of the repair was do the mfg defect and they should pay 100% of the repair. the vehicle only had 42,040 miles at the time of the turbo failure.…”
2022-01-11 · Fuel/Propulsion System“recently learned that my car broke down on my spouse in an extremely unsafe location due to turbo failure(s) probably caused by the turbo oil inlet screen. she was on a busy street when the car shut off on her putting her in an extremely unsafe situation to move the car and wait for tow truck service. the car is still with the audi dealership for…”
2021-11-10 · Engine“vehicle has had all recommended maintenance performed on schedule at the audi dealer. driving down a highway at about 73k miles, engine stopped running with no warning. electronic systems appeared as though engine was running, but it was dead. we were extremely fortunate that this happened on a rural highway and not the big city freeway system we h…”
2021-10-29 · Engine“turbocharged failed while driving in afternoon traffic, leaving car stranded at heavy traffic stoplight until tow could be arranged. failure occurred while idling at the stop light. failed turbochargers are available for inspection. failure was initially diagnosed / confirmed by dealership (audi chantilly) but due to extreme cost of repair quo…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.