2010 Audi S4: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Oct 24, 2017 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · IL

Audi 7sp dl501 's-tronic' transmission for: 2010-2015 audi s4 and s5, 2013-2015 audi rs5, s6 and s7. Vehicles experience mechatronic unit failure and clutch faults. Resulting in: sudden shaking and violent 'juddering,' hesitation from the car when pressing the gas pedal, a 'surge' forward that feels like the car has been rear-ended, and hard downshifting or clunking when slowing down or driving at slow speeds. Also clunking and trouble shifting gears, difficulty engaging into drive or reverse. Vehicle showing "gearbox malfunction, you can continue driving" "gearbox malfunction, do not continue driving" vehicle going into "limp mode" in any driving situation. Clutches not engaging properly, slipping between gears. Issues can occur while trying to accelerate, merging into traffic, driving up a hill, shifting gears at a low speed. My experience: while switching vehicles in driveway, vehicle when into reverse and I backed up, then stopped, put transmission into drive and after a jolt forward, vehicle felt like it stalled, however engine was still running, but no forward gear, (epc light illuminated) vehicle then rolled backwards into parked vehicle, but could have been catastrophic had it jumped back into drive as 3rd car, father, and garage were in front path. 2nd time: vehicle could not reverse,(epc light illuminated) ran into parking curb while expecting to go backwards. 3rd time: after finally getting out of the parking spot (restarting car for the 4th time and epc lights) put into drive, vehicle surged forward, then transmission disengaged,(epc light illuminated) leaving me and vehicle vulnerable for rear collision,with leg out of the door I was able to push and coast my vehicle out of the way, just to miss being rear ended, as car would not engage in drive after 3 attempts of cycling ignition.

Filed May 13, 2017 · Transmission · 83,380 miles · MI

My s4 threw the "gearbox malfunction, reverse disabled" as well as a TPMS error code while in traffic, and went into limp mode and would not allow me to accelerate. Very dangerous, and inconvenient. Limped home at very slow speed while transmission clunked and struggled to change gears. The code has gone away since I restarted the vehicle, and now it lunges forward when you're coming to a stop, which makes you feel like you've been hit from behind. Taking off from a stop is bouncy and super jerky. If I hesitate before accelerating from a stop, it will sometimes go smoothly. The engine RPM's surge while coasting to a stop, or going down, hill especially with foot off the pedal.

Filed Jun 19, 2016 · 92,000 miles · DC

Gearbox malfunction light, limited function, car drops to 10 MPH with no warning. Car removes drivers ability to control car in situation on highway limp mode is not safe and can not be disabled. Car performs normal except for limp mode sensor known fault

Filed Sep 30, 2015 · Transmission · 74,500 miles · OH

At approx 55k miles, mechatronics unit failed. Extremely rough shifts from 1-2 and 2-1, lurching forward after coming to complete stop. Dealership replaced mecharonics unit. At 74k miles entire dsg gearbox failed, while on highway with virtually no power or ability to accelerate. Luckily traffic was at near stop due to rush hour, was able to make it to next offramp in what they call 'limp mode'. Dealership is replacing entire transmission.

Filed Jan 1, 2015 · Engine · 49,265 miles · TX

Received "gearbox malfunction warning, okay to continue driving" warning on the dash while driving 45mph, three miles away from home. Arrived 20 feet from my residence and received another error, "parking brake malfunction." the car went into limp mode; with pressure being applied to gas pedal, no vehicle movement. Turned the vehicle off and then back on. The car corrected itself and was able to park in garage. Took the vehicle into audi and the rude and unknowledgeable service advisor took my vehicle and applied a software update. Drove the vehicle home without error that night. My wife drove the vehicle next day and experienced the same malfunction errors but the car went into limp mode while driving on a major highway and almost ended up being rear ended. She now fears for her safety and will no longer drive or be a passenger in the vehicle. The vehicle now sits at an audi dealership. I have asked them to pick up the full cost of repair ($5628) being that this is a known issue and I have reported and had audi document the symptoms before this occurred. The dealership indicates there is a tsb (technical service bulletin) that documents my issue but they refuse to fix the vehicle on their dime, especially when I reported the issue before my warranty expired and they knew of the tsb.

Filed Oct 5, 2014 · Transmission · 53,890 miles · CA

I was driving on a normal stretch of flat highway approximately 65mph and the dash lit up like a christmas tree out of the blue. Car indicated reverse gear not available, transmission warning lights, and tire pressure monitor system problem all at the same time. Car went in to a "limp mode" and it only shifted in even number gears, and felt like the car was dangerously unstable due to erratic missed shifting. The car had recently been in prior for a service check and had no codes or check engine light problems at all! After a little research it is a well documented problem that the mechatronics fails on this vehicle rather often. That was the problem. Cost of repair was near 3300$. I was approximately 4k miles out of warranty when this occurred, after numerous persistent exchanges with audi of america they finally decided to cover the failure as I was considering seeking legal action. ( I had the part in hand and could submit it to failure analysis engineering for cause). On an poll on a popular audi website, approximately 15% of these mechatronics have failed. The design issue is a circuit card embedded in hot transmission fluid that affects the hydraulic control of the transmission. If the transmission is damaged it can be over a +10k$ repair.

Filed Dec 17, 2013 · Transmission · 38,000 miles · MA

Mechatronics unit failed in the vehicle automatic transmission. Transmission failure message listed on car dashboard. Car would not shift out of 1st gear and there was no reverse gear. Car had to be towed to the dealership for repair. Multiple web forum posts stated the audi b8 models suffered this failure frequently.