2013 Audi S6: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
42 NHTSA owner complaints · 3 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 42 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 3.23
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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 responsible for the damage
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 records on my car. This needs to be a recall.
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
Recalls: 3 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 18V370000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Audi S6 and S7, 2012-2018 A7 and A6 Sedan, and 2014-2018 RS7 vehicles equipped with basic seats (with or without heating). |
| 22V178000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Turbo/Supercharger | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2013-2017 A8, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, and 2014-2017 RS7 vehicles. |
| 13V450000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Audi S6 and S7 vehicles equipped with 4.0L engines. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a large premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 20 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine33 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train8 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Fuel/Propulsion System3 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Electrical System3 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Suspension2 complaints · typical job: Struts, springs and control-arm bushings, one axle (4.0 h labour + parts)$780–$1,580
- Air Bags2 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
Other Audi S6 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Audi S6?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (33 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2013 Audi S6 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 47/100, computed from 42 NHTSA complaints and 3 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2013 Audi S6's most common problem?
33 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2013 Audi S6 sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2013 Audi S6 cost to run per year?
About $6,211 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $31,055 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2013 Audi S6 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Audi S6, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/06/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury larges of about the same age.
What will a 2013 Audi S6 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 42 complaints, 3 recalls on record
- 42 NHTSA complaints on record (3.2/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (0.6/yr)
- 3 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality