2013 Audi S6 problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Audi S6, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Audi S6 vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 33 | 79% |
| Power Train | 8 | 19% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
| Child Seat | 1 | 2% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% |
| Seats | 1 | 2% |
| Steering | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 30 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 52,250 and 70,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving my Audi when I got transmission malfunction light on along with suspension fault and epc light and check engine light all together and the car wouldn’t go faster than 20 mph. Causing someone to rear end me and them fleeing . So not only was my car hit because of this but I had no driver to hold…”
Power Train · filed Feb 4, 2026
“Was just driving down the highway at normal speed and my car lost all power, every like came up on the dash and disabled my power steering causing me to almost crash. Took it to the shop mechanic tells me the turbos failed due to oil screen and it will cost me $8,000 Not sure why they failed I have amazing service…”
Power Train · filed Mar 1, 2025
“the 2013 Audi 4.0T generation have a massive issue where the engine start leaking from the bottom of the crankcase where the block connects to it and to fix all these issues audi is asking a rebuild of the entire engine this issue is very common on the 2013 2014 2015 S6 S7 S8 with the 4.0T worldwide problem”
Engine · filed Oct 15, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine Stall - Turbo Failure
Engineering Analysis EA22001 · opened Apr 4, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023
- Engine Stall - Turbo Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE21009 · opened Mar 29, 2021 · closed May 27, 2022 · led to recall 22V178000
Technical service bulletins
823 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Audi S6. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin provides a statement regarding the bottleneck of supply for VW approved oil types VW 504.00 and VW 507.00.
TSB_2082846_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 27, 2026
This bulletin provides information when there is a film/visible rings on the clear glass cover of the headlight when the dipped beam is switched on.
TSB_2073282_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 9, 2026
This bulletin provides information when there are noises from the area around the instrument cluster.
TSB_2059335_7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This bulletin provides informaiton when the transmission warning message appears in the cluster; P074100 stored in the TCM.
TSB_2028902_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This bulletin provides informationwhen noises/vibration are detected from front of vehicle in dynamic mode.
TSB_2074729_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This bulletin provides informaiton when the engine is not running smoothly, misfiring.
TSB_2082323_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 10, 2026
This Reporting Obligation requires technicains to contact the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) in cases where the airbag/seatbelt is deployed/not deployed; general accident information; and fire and overheat damage.
TSB_2052680_6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: The ODIS Audi Brand update 2.41.1…
AOS-26-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2026
The high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles are subject to various ageing effects which could lead to the energy content (energy density) being reduced. This reduction in the energy content, which is due to factors…
TSB_2074808_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 6, 2026
This bulletin provides diagnostic information for the vehicle locking system.
TSB_2022032_12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2013 Audi S6 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2013 Audi S6?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 60,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.