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2012 Audi S4 problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2012 Audi S4 has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 1safety recall
- 22owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 2fire reports
- 0injuries reported
22 complaints, against an average of 11 for the other 7 Audi S4 model years.
Every Audi S4 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2012 Audi S4?
The components named most often in the 22 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
Has the 2012 Audi S4 been recalled?
1 U.S. safety recall. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Fuel System, Gasoline: Fuel Injection System: Fuel Rail 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.
Fix: 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.
Is the 2012 Audi S4 recalled in the UK or Europe?
Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.
EU Safety GateThe airbag may deteriorate over time and if deployed, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator body to burst and metal fragments…The airbag may deteriorate over time and if deployed, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator body to burst and metal fragments could pass through the cushion material causing injury to occupants.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
What do 2012 Audi S4 owners report?
12 of the 22 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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...
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.
FUEL INJECTOR LEAKING AND NEEDS REPLACED. MY CAR WAS NEVER ON THE RECALL LIST. SITTING AT AUDI DEALER NOW.
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
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…
COOLANT PUMP BLEW OUT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I AM A MECHNIC WITH 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND I JUST STARTED THIS NEW JOB TWO WEEKS AGO. THEIR JUST THREE MECHNICS IN THE SHOP. WE HAD A 2012 AUDI S4 COME INTO THE SHOP WITH THE OWNER COMPLAINING OF BRAKE PROBLEMS. THE OWNER OF THE CAR SAID THE SOMTIMES ALL THE SUDDEN HIS BRAKES WOULD GO OUT WHILE HE WAS DRIVING AND HIS BRAKE PEDEL FELT SOFT. I TOOK ON THE WORK. MY SHOP FOREMAN TOLD ME TO BLEED THE BRAKES OUT. SO I DID. I NOTICED THT THE BRAKE RESIVIOR HAD A THICK GREEN SUBTANCE IN IT. I KNEW FROM MY EXPERIENCE THAT THEIR WAS A LOT OF WATER AND OTHER CONTAMINATION IN THE SYSTEM. I IMEADITLY…
VERY ABRUPTLY SHIFTS UP OR DOWN LAUNCHING THE CAR FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING
2012 Audi S4: questions owners ask
Is the 2012 Audi S4 reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 22 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Audi S4; the most common categories were power train (14, 63.6%), fuel/propulsion system (5, 22.7%), electrical system (3, 13.6%). There is 1 safety recall. 2 mention a fire.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Audi S4?
Across 22 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are power train (63.6% of complaints), fuel/propulsion system (22.7% of complaints), electrical system (13.6% of complaints), service brakes (9.1% of complaints), vehicle speed control (4.5% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2012 Audi S4 have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2012 Audi S4; the most recent (campaign 15V019000, 2015-01-20) concerns Fuel System, Gasoline: Fuel Injection System: Fuel Rail. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own S4
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2012 only.