Car has developed a transmission problem in the mechatronic unit. Car gives a gearbox malfunction display in the car. Reverse will not working and the car will repeatedly go into neutral at any speed. Sometimes then it will jerk back into gear very violently.
The worst 2011 Audi S4 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission22
- Engine5
- Electrical2
- Acceleration1
- Driver assistance1
- Suspension1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2011 Audi S4
Recalls 1
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the injection system in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
- 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.
Recall number 15V019000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Audi S4 780
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Speed S-tronic, leaks from transmission
- This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).
- This bulletin provides information to aid in diagnosing the vehicle locking system.
- This bulletin provides information when the engine is not runing smoothly; all gas engines.
- This bulletin provides information on VIN plates, Safety Certification labels, and ordering procedures.
- This bulletin provides information for reporting safety related information to the manufacturer.
- This bulletin provides information about vibrations and rotational steering vibrations.
- This bulletin provides information when the horn sound quality is poor.
- This bulletin provides information on the zirconium insercts in the brake piston (ceramic brakes only).
- This bulletin provides information for all models regarding brake sounds.
2011 Audi S4 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 18 | 27-28 | 21 |
What 2011 Audi S4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
This vehicle is known for the transmission issues that can be extremely dangerous at times due to the vehicle making sudden and unexpected movements.
Transmission blew up on the highway at cruising speed. Has to get a tow and pay 12000 for a new transmission
My car is having jerky shifting whenever the vehicle is driver, especially once the engine gets hot. I have had felt the car jerk forward a countless amount of times and have gotten whiplash a couple times where I've been in pain. Transmission on my audi s4 is giving the same issues as many others have encountered on audizine.com and audiworld.com, with the same symptoms. Audi needs to rectify this issue and do a recall on all b8/b8.5 s4 vehicles!
My 2011 s4 started getting the "transmission malfunction continue driving" light at about 40,612 miles. At the same time my vehicle would jerk when stopping and acceleration. When shifting down the gears make a clunking noise specially from 3rd and 2nd gear. I was able to use my extended warranty that I bought because audi didn't want to cover my vehicle. Audi service advisors recommend changing the mechatronic and circuit board but my warranty only authorized the circuit board. My vehicle still jerks when stopping as it downshifts and when I accelerate from a stop.
Driving on the highway at 25 MPH, car randomly shows 'gearbox malfunction' and 'TPMS' simultaneously. Car drove in limp mode for a few minutes until I was able to come to a standstill and put it in park and turn it back on to drive. 'tmps' sign is still showing. Possibility of being a mechatronic issue, which is very well known as an issue with the 2010+ audi s4s.
I was exiting off of the interstate and the car began to sputter. I had to cut 3 cars off to pull onto to the shoulder, where the car continued to lose power and eventually died. A gearbox malfunction warning light came on, but said it was still safe to drive. I was able to get me car into park and start . After sitting for a few minutes I went on my way, however, the car sputtered again out of 1st gear but smoothed out once I got going. The light remained on the remainder of the trip but didnt come back on the next morning. I called audi USA to explain what happened and they acted like they never heard of such a thing happening and said it was okay to drive. I have only had this car for 6 months and that gearbox malfunction has now happened 3 times, the latest of which almost caused an accident. I have called a couple mechanics, including a local audi dealership, and have been informed that its a bad mechatronics unit and that it is extremely common for my particular year, model and type (there is a tsb for it). Worst of all, it will cost me $5000 + to repair. I bought this car 6 months ago from a large, well respect dealership as a certified pre-owned, with 75,000 miles. I also purchased an extended warranty that will not cover it. Im not sure what to do.
Driving under normal conditions (~30 MPH, city street) and the dsg auto transmission slipped from gear and gave a warning that there was a malfunction, no reverse gear available. After driving to the nearest parking lot to stop and try to diagnose, found research that stated the mechatronic unit in these transmissions are prone to fail. It appears that I lost half of my gearbox. R, 2, 3, 4, 6. After the car was able to sit overnight, the issue appeared to go away by itself, but a few days later, the issue happened again. I was driving about 45 MPH on a city road. Same exact issue, lost half of the gearbox. I then got home and immediately ordered parts to attempt to rectify and prevent any further damage from happening to the trans. And then again, just the next day, it happened again. This time while driving ~70 MPH on the highway. The vehicle just gave up all power and instantly dropped to about 55-60 MPH ,in morning commuter traffic, due to being in a steep canyon. It took a moment before the car found a gear and gained power again. I limped the car to work and parked somewhere where I can easily move the car if the transmission is still stuck without half of the gears.
Gearbox malfunction warning and the TPMS malfunction came on at same time. Continued to drive in limp mode for about 1 mile and the car shut completely off. Start the car back up and still showing warnings. Get it home and attempt to put into reverse and the car won't engage. I just happened to start the car again and all lights were gone. Car went into all gears, drove fine, and got it to the dealer. Two hours later I get in to go to the store and as soon as I shift into d, the TPMS and gearbox malfunction light flash up telling me I have no reverse and I'm still good to drive. So I decide to drive down the street and see what the issue is. As soon as the car went to shift from 1st to 2nd it skipped, revved in neutral for about 2 seconds then dropped hard into 3rd gear. The next morning I went to drive the car and drove around the neighborhood with no problem - no error message, no faulty shifting, no jerking or anything. So I decided to run to the store about 4 miles away and see how it help up. I made it to the store and halfway back before boom - it happened again. Car will start in 1st gear fine, went shifting into 2nd it slips into neutral for about 2-3sec then drops abruptly into 3rd, when you have enough speed it does the same thing trying to shift into 4th - skips and drops into 5th, same thing into 6th - slips out of 5th and drops hard into 7th. Slowing down was not a huge problem as long as you have plenty of room to take it easy. If you slowed to fast the gears wouldn't keep up and it would jerk very hard. This is a serious matter since it is a system factory failure with the dsg unit simple as that. Reason why I am contacting this agency as the car shut off on me while you were driving it in the middle of the highway and I could have been hit/killed the first time it happened.
Dec 5 2016, while pulling out of my driveway in route to a scheduled service appointment at audi of asheville, my 2011 audi s4 lurched and several warnings came up including "dsg failure, no reverse, TPMS warning", followed by "you may continue to drive". Within 5 miles and at a speed of approx 35 MPH the vehicle suffered a catastrophic loss of drive and came to a stop in a two lane road, the engine was still running, but no connection with the rest of the drive-train was evident. I believe the "mechatronics" control unit failed causing total loss of drive and uncontrolled, unsynced gear changes. I was approx 5 miles from being on an interstate with a 6% grade. Vehicle is one owner, ordered and serviced exclusively by audi, 70000 miles, not abused. Requires complete transmission replacement, with the noted exception of the transmission there was nothing mechanically wrong with the rest of the vehicle.
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Questions about the 2011 Audi S4
Is the 2011 Audi S4 reliable?
Owners have filed 26 complaints about the 2011 Audi S4, 1.5 times a typical S4 model year.
What is the 2011 Audi S4 year score?
The 2011 Audi S4 scores 60 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Audi S4: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Audi S4?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 22 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles. Next is engine (5).
How many recalls does the 2011 Audi S4 have?
1 recall, covering fuel system, gasoline.
What gas mileage does the 2011 Audi S4 get?
Official estimates for the 2011 Audi S4 range from 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, AWD) gets 18 city and 27-28 highway.
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