7.1

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,202 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Volkswagen Eos transmission problems

transmission problem

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2008 Volkswagen Eos Owner Comments

problem #17

May 312008

Eos

  • 5,843 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have had a 2008 Eos for less than 3 years. I started having problems with the car after 4 months, it has had several repairs including electrical seat not working properly, leaks in window, cheap materials falling off needing replacement, brakes needing sooner than most cars (brakes are very long, takes forever to come to stop). At about 1yr I started having major problems with how it drove. It has been in and out of the shop, one time it was in for one month! it has had problems with lurching, surging, jerking and lack of power when accelerating or putting into sport mode, there have been numerous electrical problems and leaking from windows as well. They replaced one part (that was officially recalled) and the car drove worse. They finally replaced the transmission and now have a new rattling problem that seems to come from the engine, along with window button on driver side sticking. There is still times when I accelerate and there no increased power or I put it into sport and there is no increase in speed or RPM's. I have taken it in again and they have told me that it is no longer under warranty and I will have to cover costs that are not under powertrain warranty. With as much problems as I have had with this car, everything should be covered. I am afraid to drive this car and try to stay local and do not drive much if I don't have to. After reading other peoples problems I can see that this is a problem with this particular vehicle and there needs to be an investigation. I believe it is a dangerous car.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

problem #16

Jul 252009

Eos 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 300 miles
My 08 VW Eos has been having a jerking (feeling like being rear ended) and sputtering in the transmission since I have had it, bought the end of June 08 I have contacted the dealership about this several times to include just before my surgery Nov 11, 09. It was in the shop several times and I was told everytime there was no issue. I finally recv'd a notice in the mail Dec 22, 09 from VW saying that there has been an issue but no fix till summer 2010. On Nov 11 09 I had to have neck surgery because the car jerk is so bad it feels like I am being rear ended I would have to look in my rear view mirror to see if I had been hit. And I have told the dealership this as well. After telling the dealership I had surgery because of this they are requesting my car to come back to the shop and it will be dropped off tomorrow 2/5/10 but there is still no fix for this issue according to the letter I recv'd in Dec.

- Nevada, TX, USA

problem #15

Oct 132009

Eos

  • 5,000 miles
2008 VW Eos switched from drive to neutral with high engine RPM.

- Milford, CT, USA

problem #14

Sep 232009

Eos

  • 29,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2008 Eos 2.0T with 6 speed dsg transmission has erratic acceleration in forward and reverse from standstill. Usually the car has been parked for several hours and the engine and transmission have cooled. It has occurred over a wide range of temperatures although it does sometimes dissipate after extended driving. The failure can best be described as several surges of the throttle in first gear or reverse gear. My foot is typically depressing the pedal with a constant velocity to a shallow position which would normally permit me to slowly pull away from a stop sign or back out of a parking space. Instead, the car seems to surge at a much greater speed for an instant, coast for another instant, and repeat until I either apply the break or further decrease the pedal. When decreasing the pedal further the surging stops once I reach an acceleration consistent with the peak of the surge. My primary concern is that the inconsistent acceleration will lead to property damage and minor accidents. A secondary concern is that if this problem worsens it may cause whiplash from ever more violent acceleration and deceleration cycles. No corrective measures have been taken as VW has not provided dealerships and service shops with a way to accurately reproduce the effect or detect it's occurrence via fault codes.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #13

Apr 012008

Eos

  • 500 miles
The continuing problem first reported to VW service in October of 2008 has to do with the bucking and lurching of the car when starting from a complete stop. It often lurches and does not start smoothly. We have reported this to the service department and taken it into the service department twice. The first time we were told it was ok and just something Eos's do. The second time we took it in because it was getting worse and they actually drove it and acknowledged it was "lurching" more than expected. They did look at it but it continues to lurch. Since having it back the lurching still occurs and seems to be getting worse. It seems to occur more frequently when the car engine is warm. This has been an on-going problem since shortly after purchasing the car in March of 2008. I will be taking it back to the service department again to see if they can fix the lurching. This continues to be of great concern as when in traffic and not smoothly starting, the possibility of accidents is very real as cars are whizzing around us.

- Mill Creek, WA, USA

problem #12

Aug 012008

Eos

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,500 miles
2008 VW Eos dsg automatic transmission has same issues as reported by other drivers on newer models. The biggest safety hazard are delays in shifting gears crucial for lane changing and passing. At worst vehicle seems to run out of steam or not be 100 percent there. I have owned another VW with dsg and those symptoms were never present. The problems are on and off. Car has never stalled but most of the incidents involved delayed shift and loss of power.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #11

Nov 012008

Eos

  • 4,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car surges and bucks at low speeds, sometimes when accelerating from a stop in drive, always when backing up a slight incline in reverse.

- Florissant, MO, USA

problem #10

May 202008

Eos

  • 1,100 miles
Mar 08 leased 08 VW Eos/ May 08 driving home (1100 miles on car) turned into subdivision going up hill car just stopped. Had to be towed to dealership, they just said there was a problem with the transmission and gave me rental and then called and advised that they would give me a new 08 Eos but it would have to B ordered. They repaired the original Eos and I drove it until Aug 08 when I was given a new 08 Eos. At about 4000 the car started lunging, jerking either forward or back and if I was stopped on a hill I could not pull out without using gas and brake to keep from drifting back. Took it in for 5000 mile check up and advised them of the problems -- they put in a new transmission. I now have 8800 miles on the vehicle with the replaced transmission so in essence May 4,000 miles on that transmission and it is beginning to power up by without my actually pushing on the gas pedal and some jerking. I am due for the 10,000 miles check up and I don't know what to expect. I am afraid to drive this car and I never use it to go further than about 20 miles from home. I don't know what recourse I have. I have another 12 months on the lease! I have no complaint with the dealership - they have treated me very well I am just reporting for your information only since I have had 2 vehicles. I have 2 VIN numbers I don't have them available at the moment.

- Mckeesport, PA, USA

problem #9

Aug 272009

Eos

  • 17,943 miles
Purchased 2008 VW eox on 09/11/2009. Car would briefly stall-out and pop into gear when accelerating into traffic from a stop. 02/12/08 - dealer could not duplicate or find error codes. 12/16/08 - car has become worse, stalls more often, rolls backwards, bangs - dealer could not duplicate or find error codes. 03/18/09 - after almost having an accident from the transmission failure, dealer scans and found no failure records - unable to duplicate. 07/07/09 - dealer was able to verify problem by test driving - 07/31/09 - dealer replaced mechatronics unit. The car drove better than ever after the replacement. Yesterday 08/27/09 car stalled lurched, banged, and slipped through gears when accelerating from a stop into traffic. Narrowly missed having an accident.

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #8

Jul 012009

Eos

  • 15,000 miles
I own a 2008 Volkswagen Eos. Experienced uneven, lurching, and labored shifting starting out from a dead stop in drive or reverse. Took it to the dealership and they told me that the mechatronics unit had gone out. The dealership (northpoint Volkswagen of North little rock) will not return any phone calls. My husband had to drive 30 minutes today to go to the dealership in person. They told him the part was on backorder and gave no indication of a timeframe when the car would be finished.

- Maumelle, AR, USA

problem #7

Sep 122008

Eos

  • 952 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle purchased on 02 Sept 2008. Have had continuous problems with the transmission kicking, stalling, lurching, rolling back. Have taken to dealer at 952, 5632, and 10171 miles. Dealer stated that they could not recreate and no errors were found during testing. Recently car stalled going into traffic and came very close to causing an accident. Last time in @ 15,845 miles dealer ordered new mechatron unit.

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #6

Jun 132009

Eos

  • 500 miles
Transmission stutters erratically from dead stop and reverse. Hesitation and then surge in acceleration that can be dangerous in close quarters with other objects or vehicles. I noticed the problem as soon as I took delivery of the car in June, 2008, but it seems to be getting worse and more dangerous.

- Pompano Beach, FL, USA

problem #5

Jul 242009

Eos

  • 17,000 miles
2008 VW Eos lux. When new, the vehicle was great, and then we experienced what felt like running over a speed bump when accelerating from a stop; at around 25-30 mph, the shift is very harsh and the car seems to momentarily lose power. The dealer "reflashed" the car, which seem to solve the problem, but it came back. They then replaced the mechatronics unit, but the problem persists. When pulling onto a busy street this problem is an accident waiting to happen.

- Lacey, WA, USA

problem #4

Feb 152008

Eos

  • 5,000 miles
I purchased a 2008 VW Eos lux 2.0T with dsg transmission in September 2007. Almost from the time of purchase I experienced antic behavior from the transmission which I initially dismissed because I knew it was a new kind of transmission that I wasn't used to. My problems consisted of surging, rough shifts and a complete loss of power when attempting from a dead stop. This latter condition was the most dangerous as I would be putting my foot down for power (for instance, accelerating into fast moving traffic) and the power would just disappear completely and the car would hedge and balk. My VW dealer has seen my car 5-6 times now for repeated transmission issues. They replaced a mechatronics unit in February 2008. Then they replaced the dual clutch packs later that year. This year they replaced the mechatronics unit again when they determined that the first replacement unit was from a manufacturing run of units that were known to be faulty. I'd say that after this recent fix the transmission is about 95% of normal. I still experience awkward shifts from time to time. It is worth noting that these persistent problems were extremely difficult to diagnose because they were often intermittent and there were no computer fault codes recorded by the car's diagnostics. It was only through the patience and persistence of the service department at my VW dealer that the problems were eventually diagnosed and remedied. As it happened, the most dangerous condition (the dramatic momentary loss of power when accelerating hard) was determined to not be a result of the transmission but from a faulty brake switch. This switch is responsible for protecting the transmission by not allowing the transmission to be revved too high when the brakes were still on. The switch on my car was delayed in telling the computer on my car that I had taken my foot off the brake and wanted power. The switch was replaced and the hedging/loss of power from a dead stop went away.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #3

Sep 152007

Eos

  • 1,000 miles
I have a 2008 VW Eos with a dsg transmission. Either accelerating from a stop or accelerating from a slower speed (such as passing or blending into traffic) all power to the wheels is lost for between 1 and 5 seconds, the car not only does not accelerate it slows down significantly. This does not happen often, perhaps once or twice a month, but it is both dangerous and frightening. I simply cannot depend on the car to react consistently. This is not just a very momentary turbo lag or transmission shift. The dealer has looked into the problem, but I was unable to replicate the problem. They also said that without an error code being thrown, there was nothing for them to do. I put down a date of incident required by your system, but it is an ongoing, intermittent problem.

- Delmar, NY, USA

problem #2

Jun 012008

Eos

  • 500 miles
Dsg automatic transmission issue: The car briefly loses power while accelerating and downshifting, then suddenly makes a hard clunk sound and lunges forward. This has made merging onto interstate a bit stressful. This failure occurs regularly though I can avoid it by using manual mode to hold the lower gears longer. This issue was brought up to the VW dealer back in the early summer of 2008 and as expected, they "found" nothing wrong as has been the case with everyone else in the vwvortex forums.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #1

Feb 152009

Eos

  • 12,000 miles
Dsg transmission in 2008 VW Eos began lurching/hesitating and dropping into neutral at 12,000 mi. By 15,000 mi. Car couldn't be driven in bumper to bumper traffic without bucking like a Bronco. Several times when merging at highway speeds, car would lose complete power as the trans shifted to neutral without warning. Backing up, especially with any incline, was another lurching affair, much like a new driver attempting to drive a manual trans for the first time. Taking of from a stoplight was hit or miss. Car would lurch and hesitate, causing drivers behind me to slam on brakes as I lost power. Very dangerous and uneasy feeling. VW dealer determined problem was caused by a failed mechatronics unit in the dsg. Was replaced under warranty at approx. 16,000 miles. Old part was not made available.

- Rockford, IL, USA

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