Problems · NHTSA complaints

2010 Audi S4 problems

Owners filed 60 complaints about the 2010 Audi S4 with NHTSA between Aug 2010 and Sep 2025. The most-cited component is power train (42).

Complaints
60
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train42
  2. Engine and engine cooling11
  3. Electrical system6
  4. Engine4
  5. Vehicle speed control2
  6. Exterior lighting2
  7. Service brakes2
  8. Fuel/propulsion system1
  9. Steering1
  10. Other / unknown2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20108
20114
20120
20132
20147
20158
201612
20177
20182
20197
20202
20210
20220
20230
20240
20251

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

42 reports
“CAR SLAMMED INTO DIFFERENT GEAR, WASN'T ABLE TO SHIFT INTO 2ND AND THREW GEARBOX MALFUNCTION AND TPMS ERRORS. THANKFULLY I WAS NEAR HOME AND ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT OR BEING STRANDED, BUT MY CAR IS NOW IMMOBILE. I SPOKE WITH AUDI AND THEY SAID IT WILL LIKELY BE A $4K REPAIR (MECHATRONICS UNIT). AFTER RESEARCHING THIS MORE, IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME AND CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THERE'S ALSO A PENDING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT TO GET AUDI TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND RECALL THESE CARS AND FIX THEM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 3, 2020Power trainODI 11320125

Engine and engine cooling

11 reports
“MY COOLANT PUMP BLEW AROUND 10K MILES. I LIVE IN BOSTON. IT WAS COLD THAT MORNING - SINGLE DIGITS. I STARTED THE CAR AND HEARD A FLAPPING NOISE. I IGNORED IT AND DROVE TO GET COFFEE. WHEN THE CAR WARMED UP, THE FLAPPING NOISE WENT AWAY SO I STARTED OUT TO MY DESTINATION. ABOUT 5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, THE COOLANT WARNING LIGHT CAME ON TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE INSIDE WAS WET. I CALLED AAA AND THEY TOWED THE CAR TO THE AUDI DEALERSHIP. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I LEARNED THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. COUNT ME AMONG THOSE THAT ARE UPSET THAT AUDI IS NOT FIXING THIS BEFORE IT HAPPENS. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A PUBLIC RECALL BUT A SIMPLE CALL FROM MY DEALERSHIP ASKING ME TO COME IN SO THEY CAN FIX A POTENTIALLY FAULTY PART. *LN”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 7, 2011Engine and engine coolingODI 10380975

Electrical system

6 reports
“MY CAR FLASHED GEARBOX MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE I-264 IN LOUISVILLE KY. CAR SEAMED FINE FOR ABOUT 2 MILES AND THEN SUDDENLY WENT LIMP AND I HAD NO GEARS. HAD TO HIT FLASHERS AND COAST INTO MEDIAN. WAS ALMOST HIT BY SEMI TRUCK. REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. HAPPENED AGAIN 1 DAY AFTER GETTING IT BACK FROM SHOP. TAKING IT TO AUDI NOW. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 23, 2019Power train, Electrical systemODI 11270568

Engine

4 reports
“MY AUDI S4 2010 IS HAVING A MECHATRONIC ISSUE. WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE DOWN THE STREET IT DROPPED A GEAR AND A ERROR MESSAGE POPPED UP STATING GEARBOX MALFUNCTION: NO REVERSE GEAR. MY VEHICLE WAS THEN UNABLE TO REVERSE AND ALSO KEPT DROPPING AND JUMPING TO DIFFERENT GEARS. IT MADE A VERY UNSAFE AND SCARY DRIVE,I HELD UP ALOT OF TRAFFIC TRYING TO DRIVE BACK TO MY HOUSE. TO GET A NEW MECHATRONIC COST BETWENN 3-8 THOUSAND DOLLARS. ALSO THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF AUDI OWNERS ON THE WEB WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I THINK AUDI SHOULD RECALL THIS PART THAT IS CAUSING SO MANY ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 13, 2016Vehicle speed control, Unknown or other, EngineODI 10906235

Vehicle speed control

2 reports
“GEARBOX MALFUNCTION AND TPMS MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD WITHIN THE CITY ABOUT 45MPH I FELT A SLIGHT JERK AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE WARNINGS CAME ON IN THE DASHBOARD "TIRE PRESSURE! SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" & "GEARBOX MALFUNCTION: NO REVERSE GEAR (YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING)" THROTTLE RESPONSE WAS OFF AND FORCED ME TO IMMEDIATELY PULLER OVER! WHILE STOPPED I RE-STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE WARNINGS WENT AWAY, I SAT THERE FOR A COUPLE MINUTES AND THEN CONTINUED DRIVING. FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE JERKED AGAIN AND WARNINGS CAME BACK ON, I NEEDED TO GET TO WORK SO I CONTINUED DRIVING; THE CAR WOULD TAKE VERY LONG TO SHIFT GEARS AND IT WOULD JUMP FROM 1ST TO 3RD, FROM 3RD TO 5TH AND 5TH TO 7TH GEAR JERKING KIND OF VIOLENTLY EVERY-TIME AND THROTTLE RESPONSE BETWEEN SHIFTS WAS VERY LETHARGIC TO THE POINT THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SLOW DOWN SEVERELY AND I FELT UNSAFE DUE TO CARS GETTING REALLY CLOSE TO MY REAR AND THEM HAVING TO SLOW DOWN DRASTICALLY WHILE THE CAR SHIFTED GEARS. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I STRONGLY FEEL THAT AUDI SHOULD BE LIABLE AND HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALL REPAIRS NECESSARY AND ACCIDENTS THAT THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE. IF THIS ISSUE…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2018Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 11118724

Exterior lighting

2 reports
“WHEN DRIVING IN REGULAR DRIVE BOX INDICATOR COMES ON. SAYING GEARBOX MALFUNCTION LIMITED FUNCTION. I ONLY HAVE 63125 MILES AND KEEP MY CAR MAINTENANCE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 8, 2017Power train, Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 10971272
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.