2013 Audi A4 Problems: Steering (24 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2013 Audi A4 is Steering (38% of 24 owner reports). There are 0 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Steering — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 24 complaints · 0 recalls

What problems show up on the 2013 Audi A4?

9 of 24 filings named Steering (38% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Engine (5 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2012 has 19 reports on file; this year has 24. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2013 Audi A4

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov even if this page lists none.
  2. Steering. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight.
  3. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Steering. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Steering 9 complaints · 37.5% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Steering (STEERING) appears in 9 of 24 owner complaints (37.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. Steering (STEERING): 9 complaints, 37.5% of reports Steering (STEERING) 9 · 37.5% Engine (ENGINE): 5 complaints, 20.8% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 1 fire reports 5 · 20.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 8.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 2 · 8.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 8.3% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 · 8.3% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 1 complaints, 4.2% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 crash reports 1 · 4.2% Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE): 1 complaints, 4.2% of reports Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) 1 · 4.2% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 1 complaints, 4.2% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 · 4.2% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 4 complaints, 16.7% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 · 16.7% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Steering (STEERING) 9 37.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 5 20.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 8.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 4.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) 1 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 16.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2019. 2019-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2019 Jan 2026
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2019-Q4 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 4
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (0)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

No safety recalls are on file for this model year in this snapshot.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 7 of 24 complaints · page 1 of 1
2026-03-25Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11726906
CrashFireInjuryDeath
After run collant pump caught fire and damaged the engine wiring harness. I reported it to progressive insurance and they came and inspected it at a body shop. They concluded it was due to an open recall on the vehicle so insurance refuses to cover it. Had car towed to Audi dealership and they reported it to Audi USA. They came back and told me that because of the mileage and year of the vehicle that they wouldn't cover it.
2024-09-28Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11617050
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Component that failed is a/an electric coolant pump for turbo. Yes, it is available for inspection. Safety was compromised due to increased risk of fire. Yes, the issue has been confirmed by Audi Service Department. Yes the vehicle has been inspected by Manufacturers local service department. Yes, the check engine light and ECU light were illuminated on the dash of vehicle 3 weeks before car was taken in for service.
2024-06-25Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11596572
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owned a 2013 Audi A4. The contact stated that his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed when he heard a loud unidentified sound coming from the engine compartment. Suddenly, white smoke and flames were emerging from the engine compartment. The vehicle was successfully pulled to the side of the road by the contact's grandson. After the grandson managed to exit the vehicle, a short while later the vehicle caught fire. A bystander came over and assisted in extinguishing the fire. No one was injured during the incident. The fire department arrived and extinguished the remaining flames. There was no police or fire department report filed. The vehicle was towed and the insurance company determined the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.
2023-02-10Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11506710
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My Audi A4 failed to start on the coldest day of the year when my daughter was out doing errands and left it for an extended time parked outside. When she returned and tried to start the car, she got an error message: "Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!" She re-tried over a dozen times, leaving the vehicle and returning to try again....to no avail. It was extremely cold so she retreated into the building and searched the internet and found others who had had this same problem. She finally called a friend who came to pick her up and take her home. I called Audi, and they confirmed that it's a know problem that occurs in extreme cold and there's no way to get it started until things warm up. We waited until later in the day before my son and I drove over and successfully got the car started. Luckily my daughter could get warm refuge in a nearby building. But it is easy to imagine other circumstances, say, someone who lives in the country who stops at the side of the road for whatever reason and might freeze because the car won't start. Although Audi has known about the problem, they have chosen not to issue a recall but instead an extended warranty that had expired a month or so before this incident. Surprisingly, they refuse to fix the problem because it is beyond that extension date even though we brought the car to the dealer and they confirmed the error was recorded 18 times which might match my daughter's desperate but failed attempts to start the car. This is not an optional fix. It is a danger that should be addressed by recall. This is the first time we had this problem or even knew to be concerned. Furthermore, the notice for extended warranty (see attached) was not even addressed to me but, instead, to my teenage son who clearly didn't understand how important it was to get it fixed.
2022-12-12Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11497096
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I purchased this vehicle on 10/16/2022 and the very next day took it back and informed them that it was leaking oil. It was repaired and from that point on it was telling me to add a quart of oil once every week. Was diagnosed by the Audi dealership of the pistons needing to be replaced and that my car fell under the lawsuit that has yet to be settled. Was told I could spend the 9k to fix the car and be reimbursed. Audi really needs to be fixing all vehicles with these issues. That is just insane to pay 9k to fix a vehicle when I just got it and have barely been able to drive it.
2022-07-27Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11476041
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I have a 2013 Audi A4 2.0. I was driving home at night close to my home and the car started puttering and wouldn’t go and I found out that the timing chain had “jumped” and caused sudden engine failure. I later found out that same issue is the subject of class action lawsuits for the second time around because Audi didn’t properly take action after the first suit and repair the issue, which is apparently a major problem with my model and other class vehicles and instead continue to let people unknowingly buy and drive these cars.
2021-12-06Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11442785
CrashFireInjuryDeath
August of 2021. It was raining out and I drove through a puddle and my electric steering shut down. This has been a known defect for at least 10 years with Audi and NHTSA has done NOTHING about it.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2013 Audi A4?

Owners named Steering most often — 9 of 24 reports (38%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2013 Audi A4?

NHTSA lists 0 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2013 Audi A4?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources