Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Audi S4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
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. …
At about 49K miles the car would sometimes lurch backwards when in reverse or going from reverse to park. Took into mechanic. No diagnostic codes showed up. Around 60K miles the car overheated. Audi stated it needed a new thermostat which was around $1000. Drove the car across country from ca to co. Around 62K miles car went into limp mode and would not get out of 1st or 2nd gear. "gearbox malfunction" warning came on. Stated not to go into reverse. Drove home slowly. Next morning all warning lights were off. Took to mechanic. No problems could be found. May 2016 at 69K miles car went into limp mode again. Couldn't get rpms up. Reset codes using diagnostic tool. Drove from utah to co. Car went into limp mode probably 40 times on I-70. Car would lurch forward. Made it to dealer (prestige in lakewood, co). Mechatronics found to be faulty and car in need of entirely new transmission. …
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. …
Vehicle would exhibit strange shifting behavior in low gears. When upshifting or downshifting from 1-2-3 and vice versa the transmission would sometimes hesitate or shift inappropriately. Audi dealership updated software and checked the problem numerous times. They could not find any problems not any error codes. Problem would come and go usually when it was hot outside. A little over a year (sept 2015) car has again been oddly shifting in low gears and even revving to high rpms before downshifting in automatic mode. Car finally threw and error code saying gearbox malfunction and car went into limp mode. The transmission could not find the right gears to shift. Car has been exhibiting symptoms of mechatronic unit failure for over a year now.
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.
This vehicle suffers from a faulty mechatronics unit, causing the car to mis-shift and surge while driving, or fail to move forward when stopped in traffic in "d" drive, due to parking brake drive-select malfunctions. In these cases the car must be turned off, in traffic in order to move forward again. This technique has worked so far but I am afraid this will not work eventually, and become a safety issue on the roadway.
I was accelerating, after leaving a restaurant, into traffic. I received the "dsg malfunction light" and suddenly at about 20mph my lurched forward and failed to respond to the throttle and shut off in traffic. Car restarted after about 30 seconds but definitely not something that should go without notice. If I was on the interstate and throttle went out situation could have been much worse.
I was cruising at approx. 55mph on my way to work. I had no symptoms of anything prior to the transmission failure. Suddenly the car started vibrating and decelerating as if I had a flat tire. I made an emergency merge into the center median and was luckily nobody rear ended me. After inspection of my tires which were OK I got back in car. D or r would not work. The car would not move.
After turning my car on a gearbox malfunction warning appeared but said I could continue driving. After driving the message and service light eventually went off with everything going back to normal. The car appears to have a very common mechatronic unit issue that is part of the faulty dsg that Audi has put in the b8 S4 model.
Transmission complaints in other S4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2011 Audi S4?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2011 Audi S4, 85% of the model year's 26 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Audi S4 transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2011 Audi S4, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Audi S4 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.