The flight control malfunctions covered in the simulator are hydraulics, tail rotor control, and damper jam. The AP malfunctions don't behave like any of these. In any case, AP malfunctions are easy to diagnose. Just turn off each AP one at a time and see what happens. If the problem goes away then the AP system you just turned off is the culprit. Just leave it turned off and keep flying. The AP only has 5% control authority. There is no AP malfunction that would necessitate "land immediately" or result in loss of control.