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2013 Audi S5 problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2013 Audi S5 has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 0safety recalls
- 19owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 0fire reports
- 12%fail the UK MOT
19 complaints, against an average of 11 for the other 8 Audi S5 model years.
Every Audi S5 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2013 Audi S5?
The components named most often in the 19 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2013 Audi S5 owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 19 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2013 Audi S5 been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2013 Audi S5 as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.
Is the 2013 Audi S5 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 GateIn certain vehicles, fuel can leak onto the engine fuel rail.Fuel leakage close to a source of ignition may increase the risk of the vehicle catching fire.
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
How often does the 2013 Audi S5 fail its MOT?
Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2013, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do 2013 Audi S5 owners report?
12 of the 19 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.
NHTSA Safety Complaint DraftVehicle Information:Year/Make/Model: 2013 Audi S5 Premium Plus CoupeVIN: [XXX]: Power Train / Transmission (7-Speed Dual-Clutch S-Tronic / DSG)Description of Safety Defect:I am writing to report a severe, recurring safety defect regarding the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission in my 2013 Audi S5. The vehicle is experiencing catastrophic transmission issues, including sudden power loss, violent juddering, erratic shifting, and abruptly entering "limp mode" without warning.This issue presents an immediate and severe safety hazard. When the transmission abruptly loses…
I had a very pricey service performed on my vehicle and during that service they said there was a service bulletin or recall that required a software upgrade for the transmission (Audi of El Paso, TX). Once that occurred, my transmission would shift very hard especially going from 1st to 2nd gear or downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear. My service advisor told me that my vehicle had to learn again and that it would smooth out in time. It never has. My vehicle with only 79,000 miles on it should certainly not be having any transmission issues, especially since they were non-existent until the…
I smelled a super strong gas smell from my car leaking somewhere in the engine hidden by other parts, it smells so bad it’s hard to be in the car it’s a fire hazard. Due to the fuel the car hardly starts due to the fuel not getting to the engine
mechatronic unit failed incident : random jerking when driving had to pull the car over car lost power "gear box malfunction" code on my dashboard. after replacing the mechatornic unit had to pay 5127 dollars out of pocket to get fixed
while driving, got a notification on the dash board "transmission malfunction, limited functionality" and a "tpms malfunction" notification. Car seemed like it was skipping 1st and 2nd gear after i continued driving.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 AUDI S5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, AN ABNORMAL ODOR WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S WIFE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. GREEN AUDI (3881 WABASH AVE, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62711) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT AN APPOINTMENT SHOULD BE SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THE VIN WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V019000 (FUEL SYSTEM…
MY VEHICLE AS WELL AS MANY AUDIS WITH THE MECHATRONIC SYSTEM ARE HAVING AN ISSUE THAT PRESENT A ERROR, " MECHATRONIC FAILURE TPMS GEARBOX MALFUNCTION). IT OFTEN EITHER NOT DRIVABLE, EVEN WHEN IN TRAFFIC OR DRIVES AT A SNAIL'S PACE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO EXIT TRAFFIC. AUDI CORPORATE SAID A RECALL IS ONLY DONE WHEN THE NHTSA FEEL THAT'S IT A ISSUE THAT CAN CALLS SAFETY &/OR DEATH. THIS SEEM TO EFFECT, FROM MY RESEARCH, 2010 - 2014 AUDI S4, S5 AND A5 MODEL [N THE USA AND THERE ARE SOME EUROPE COMPLAINTS, WHICH I HAVE FOUND AS WELL] MANUFACTORED AT A PARTICULAR PLANT OR PROVIDER. THIS TYPE OF…
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILS WITH EITHER WATER INFILTRATION INTO THE CONTROLLER, OR WITH SEVERE COLD WEATHER. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN BY AUDI USA BY THEY ARE REFUSING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IN MN IN THE MONTH OF 2/2019 3 AUDI DEALERS EACH TOLD ME THAT THEY EACH REPLACED 20+ STEERING RACKS DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE CAUSE THE ELECTRIC ASSISTED POWER STEERING TO FAIL CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE ALL POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING. THIS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS IF YOU ARE NOT EXPECTING YOUR POWER STEERING TO FAIL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SERVICE ADVISER I WORKED WITH AT ONE OF THE AUDI DEALERS SAID THIS…
AFTER ~106,000 MILES, AN ERROR CODE 'TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. YOU CAN KEEP DRIVING', WITH ERROR CODE P179D00 (PER DEALER). CAR HAS HESTITATION AT LOW RPM OR WHILE STOPPED (AS AT A LIGHT OR HEAVY TRAFFIC) AND OCCASIONALLY JERKS FORWARD, DESPITE BRAKES BEING FIRMLY APPLIED.
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR DOWN A SIDE ROAD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WHEEL LOCKED UP AND THE CAR HAD A MESSAGE 'POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION. DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE'. LUCKILY FOR ME, I WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST OR ON A BUSY ROAD, AND COULD STOP THE CAR SAFELY. THE WHEEL WAS EFFECTIVELY USELESS AND I COULD NOT MANEUVER THE VEHICLE AT ALL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AUDI AND BECAUSE THERE IS NO 'KNOWN' ISSUE WITH THIS HAPPENING AND THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BESIDES QUOTE ME $3200 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE POWER STEERING RACK. IF SOMEONE WAS DRIVING ON A CURVED ROAD OR ON…
THE AIRBAG LIGHT IN MY CAR CAME ON ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. ACCORDINGLY THE CAR FAILED MASSACHUSETTS INSPECTION IN DEC. 2017. AUDI DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS 'DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG INJECTOR'. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY DEALER TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY HAVE NOT DONE SO DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF A REPLACEMENT AIRBAG AND INJECTOR. I CANNOT LEGALLY DRIVE MY CAR (NO CURRENT INSPECTION STICKER) AND AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. MY AUDI DEALER AND AUDI USA HAVE NOT OFFERED ANY SOLUTION E.G. A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE UNTIL A REPLACEMENT AIRBAG CAN BE INSTALLED (ESTIMATED AT…
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THERE IS RESISTANCE AT THE 12 O'CLOCK POSITION IN THE STEERING. THIS RESISTANCE CAUSES THE DRIVER TO OVER CORRECT AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED AS THE 'NOTCH' FEELING IN THEN ELECTRIC STEERING TO DEALER AND MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD NO FIX IS AVAILABLE. *TR
2013 Audi S5: questions owners ask
Is the 2013 Audi S5 reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 19 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Audi S5; the most common categories were power train (10, 52.6%), steering (4, 21.1%), engine (3, 15.8%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Audi S5?
Across 19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are power train (52.6% of complaints), steering (21.1% of complaints), engine (15.8% of complaints), air bags (5.3% of complaints), electronic stability control (esc) (5.3% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2013 Audi S5 have any recalls?
As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2013 Audi S5. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why do the tires wear fast or the tire pressure light come on in my 2013 Audi S5?
3 of the 19 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2013 Audi S5 (15.8%) describe tire wear, blowouts or tire pressure warnings. One owner wrote: "while driving, got a notification on the dash board "transmission malfunction, limited functionality" and a "tpms malfunction" notification. Car seemed like it was skipping 1st and 2nd gear after i continued driving." (NHTSA complaint 11419483, June 2021). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own S5
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), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2013 only; combines NHTSA's entries for S5 and S5 CABRIOLET.