10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,983 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.

2012 Volkswagen Eos engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Volkswagen Eos Owner Comments

problem #13

Jan 142022

Eos 4-cyl

  • miles

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

The motor abruptly shut off while driving. Within 20 seconds the inside of the car filled with smoke and shortly thereafter there were visible flames seen through the front grill. Fire spread and fully engulfed the car. Flames extended 20 feet. Fire dept and police responded. The vehicle was a total loss.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

problem #12

Aug 012021

Eos

  • miles
00927 - Terminal 30 (Right) 011 - Open Circuit 01516 - Terminal 30; Left 011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent I believe this is a major fire hazard and also will leave you stranded. Based on the codes and physical condition of the issue apparently many other people have had the same problem. wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/00927_-_Terminal_30_(Right) The noticeable thing is the A/C turns off and once the car is turned off you will not be able to lock the doors or turn the car back on.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #11

May 232019

Eos

  • 69,774 miles
Timing belt adjuster failed, lost oil pressure and and damaged valves. The engine needs to be replaced. 69664 miles.

- Smithtown, NY, USA

problem #10

Jul 012016

Eos

  • 68,000 miles

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

I bought the vehicle on 02/15/2013 it only have 10,000 miles on it. Then as soon as it hit 68,500 miles and went out of warranty. I had just had it serviced for the last time under warranty on 6/21/2019 at 67,996 miles. The timing chain snapped and bent all the valves. I had to rebuild the engine. Which coasted a fortune. I saw that their were a bunch of class action suites going on against Volkswagen for similar issue but was dealing with a family crisis that ended poorly and went into a state of depression from the death of multiple family members back to back so I never followed up on it. Now my car is at 80,000 miles and seems to be experiencing electrical problems as well as problems with the cd player it progressed and now all disk spaces say error and I cant play cds. When I could get it working it was fine until turning off the car then opening the door I heard noises from the player when starting the car it says error in all the disk spaces and half the time wont even let me load the disk. This is ridiculous. This car is my biggest regret of my life. Its a night mare there have been more issues but these are the biggest and most recent issues.

- Rocky Ridge, MD, USA

problem #9

Sep 042018

Eos

  • 55,000 miles
My 2012 VW Eos shut off while driving on the highway. The car needed to be towed to the repair shop. The timing change completely malfuction by mechanical failure. The car has had all services, great condition and only 55,000 miles. Cost to repair the car is over $3,000.

- Hanahan, SC, USA

problem #8

Sep 112017

Eos

  • 75,000 miles
I have a 2012 VW Eos with 75,000 miles, maintained regularly. Last month the timing chain tensioner failed and fell into the engine while it was moving, destroying the remainder of the engine (lost compression on 3 of 4 cylinders, engine replacement was $6,980 with my private mechanic-no used engines are available nationwide so I had to purchase new). There are many complaints about this happening to others on the internet. I contacted VW customer service, who said it was not recalled. There are at least two class action lawsuits about this same issue affecting others and one private lawsuit in NJ. I spoke to an attorney and personal law suit will be too expensive for me. Note also, I called NHTSA in September and filed a compliant over the phone--I added my compliant at that time but it does not appear to be registered on this NHTSA website.

- Trabuco Canyon, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 112017

Eos 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Eos. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact's husband coasted the vehicle to the right side of the road. The vehicle would not restart and was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain tensioner fractured and destroyed the engine. The vehicle was repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that there were no recalls on the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000. Updated 12/13/2017

- Trabuco Canyon, CA, USA

problem #6

May 132017

Eos

  • 3 miles
I was trying to merge onto expressway traffic and when I pushed on the accelerator the car was unresponsive. It created an unsafe situation where I had to hit the brakes and let the traffic pass by, then I put the car in manual shift so that I could accelerate enough to merge with traffic. The inability to control the speed of the vehicle due to no response from the engine happens usually around speeds of 55 to 65 miles an hour. I have noticed that the car has a delay that takes 1 or 2 seconds when gas pedal is pressed and car start shaking. This results in a lose of power and does not allow me to safely maneuver the vehicle in emergency and non-emergency situations.

- Greenacres, FL, USA

problem #5

Jan 222017

Eos

  • 59,000 miles
The 2.0T tsi engine was made with a faulty timing chain tensioner which will fail and cause the timing chain to break causing immediate catastrophic engine damage putting the driver and occupants in danger because of loss of power and difficulty steering. Fortunately for us, the timing chain tensioner failed while the car was started and parked in our garage.

- Lake Zurich, IL, USA

problem #4

Nov 242016

Eos

  • 80,000 miles
My 2012 VW Eos had a tensioner chain jump 5 teeth with no warning. And now that is supposed to cost my over 4,000$ to repair according to the dealership I had it towed to from my house. I tried to start it and it just wouldn't start. I took it to the dealership, they sold me a new battery, charged me a couple hundred dollars to tell me that this faulty part is what caused it. The car only had about 80K miles on it with very regular servicing and I believe there is a systemic issue going on here. Please assist.

- Helotes, TX, USA

problem #3

Oct 202015

Eos

  • 60,000 miles

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

I bought a used 2012 Eos in September of 2015. Since owning the car, I have had to replace all 4 ignition coils twice, in less than a year of owning this car. The first time happened 3 weeks after I bought the car. The vehicle is in motion, then fails to accelerate. It does not transition from the lower gears to the higher gears smoothly and I am constantly in fear of getting stranded.

- Cutler Bay, FL, USA

problem #2

Dec 162015

Eos

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Eos. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle jerked and the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder one fuel injector was stuck open and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

- Kingston, MA, USA

problem #1

Feb 172015

Eos

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Eos. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle jerked forward and failed to accelerate as the check engine and epc warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinders one and two misfired. As a result, the intake manifold and two ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder four misfired and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.

- Sewickley, PA, USA

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