2013 Audi S6 problems, complaints & recalls

2013 Audi S6 recalls (3)

• Recall 22V178000Mar 23, 202226,093 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 18V370000Jun 4, 2018139,249 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 13V450000Sep 23, 20133,594 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA22001Opened Apr 4, 2022Closed May 26, 2023

  Engine Stall - Turbo Failure

  On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE 21-009) after the agency received 58 reports alleging engine stalling in 2013-2016MY Audi vehicle models A8, S6, S7, S8 & RS7 equipped with the 4.0L, twin-turbocharged engine. Complainants reported the vehicles would stall with no warning while driving at highway or city traffic speeds. Several of the complainants alleged an inability to restart. The complaints alleged the major contributing factor to the engine stalling was the failure of the turbochargers. The complaints cited the turbocharger fa…

• PE21009Opened Mar 29, 2021Closed May 27, 2022led to recall 22V178000

  Engine Stall - Turbo Failure

  On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 21-009 after the agency received 58 reports alleging engine stalling in 2013-2016MY Audi vehicle models A8, S6, S7, S8 & RS7. The subject vehicles are equipped with 4.0L, twin-turbocharged engine. Complainants reported that the vehicles stall suddenly with no warning while driving on the highway or in city traffic. Several of the complainants alleged an inability to restart. The complaints allege the major contributing factor to the engine stalling is the failure of the turbochargers. The complaints…

Recent 2013 Audi S6 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Feb 4, 2026CACrashTransmission & Drivetrain

   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

   NHTSA complaint #11715436 · source
2. Filed Mar 1, 2025PAEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   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 be a recall.

   NHTSA complaint #11645758 · source
3. Filed Oct 15, 2024KSEngine

   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

   NHTSA complaint #11619889 · source
4. Filed Jul 4, 2023KSTransmission & Drivetrain

   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

   NHTSA complaint #11530266 · source
5. Filed Nov 23, 2022CATransmission & Drivetrain

   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 paid diagnostic fee and then was told my transmission was bad and had to be replaced and was quoted a price of 15683$

   NHTSA complaint #11494663 · source
6. Filed Aug 10, 202255,000 miCTEngine

   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 completed in order to flush the metal fragments from the turbocharger oil strainer. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later…

   NHTSA complaint #11478567 · source
7. Filed Mar 29, 2022COEngine

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11458804 · source
8. Filed Jan 11, 2022HIEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   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 repairs but has been confirmed that this is the likely incident and fixing it will likely prevent further issues. This car has…

   NHTSA complaint #11447092 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology