2009 Volkswagen Eos Owner Complaints

Car randomly turning off/on. Key stuck in ignition, cannot turn off or on. Bouncing from on to accessory mode without user control. Vehicle was taken to dealership, VW North America has not been very helpful. Could have gotten into an accident as this occured in the road turning into a restaurant. No lights came on about this. Dealership has had car for 3+ weeks "waiting for parts". VW North America does not want to get involved. To kill the engine I had to pull the fuel pump fuse.

NHTSA ID

11739271

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

approximately 6 years my daughter and her boyfriend were driving and she heard a loud pop sound, and thought it might be a tire but it wasnt behaving like it was and then all of the sudden people are driving next to her telling her to pull over cuz the car was on fire, she pulled it over and as soon as she got out the whole car caught fire. when they noticed the fire it had started near or under the passenger front seat, there was no warning lamps or any problems proir. The auto insurance company took the car and they said they inspected it but never gave me any answers, they simply paid off my loan and that was it. The fire department put out the fire, the car was burnt to a crisp, and the fire men were accusing my kid of smoking and starting the fire, so they did no investigation.

NHTSA ID

11732242

Incident

May 6, 2019

The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Eos. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of a persistent oil leak on the ground. The vehicle had undergone three separate repairs to resolve the failure, but the oil leak persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel was running lean. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11729062

Incident

Mar 26, 2026

Mileage

150,000 mi

While in slow traffic and transmission in Drive position, if I slow down or stop for traffic in front of me or a red light, the transmission does not engage again when given acceleration. I have shut the car off and restarted again, sometimes more than once to get it to engage and get me out of traffic. I have held up traffic behind me. There are also loud clunking noises coming from what I believe is the transmission at each start causing the PRNDL to flash and no power for reverse and drive. I believe all of this will eventually cause a collision as it appears to other vehicles that I should be moving. People have also become very frustrated with my vehicle holding up traffic, especially on the busiest of days and long lines waiting to advance behind me. People have become impatient and angry to the point of road rage. Thankfully, no one has actually tried to hurt me physically. The date below would be the latest incident.

NHTSA ID

11685828

Incident

Aug 28, 2025

I slowly at 5mph went over a bump and my car went automatically into neutral, all of the P R N D S lights on the dash started blinking and the car just kept revving when I tried to put it into gear. I had the car towed to the dealership and it is currently there. I looked on Kelly Blue Book and saw there was a recall for my vehicle type and the recall states exactly what happened to my car. Can my VIN number be added to this recall since it is the very same mechanical issue? Here is the information I found on the recall NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 09V333000 Report Date: AUG 20, 2009 Vehicles Affected: 16000 What You Should Do: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, INSPECT THE DSG AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE AN AFFECTED DSG TEMPERATURE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED A NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987. Summary: VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND AUGUST 2009. THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED. WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH. IN ADDITION, THE "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL" INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES. To see if your specific vehicle is affected 1-800-822-8987 or nhtsa.gov Please let me know if there is anything that can be done. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11551092

Incident

Oct 17, 2023

All of my lights on the right side of my dashboard is on..the traction light, brake light,steering wheel light and the speedometer is acting iradical..I put new speed sensors on it and it still haven't fixed the problem..alot of mechanics say it's and electrical problem..I bought the car from flow Mazda dealership a couple years ago it's been sitting since then

NHTSA ID

11543616

Incident

Aug 30, 2021

The vehicle has exhibited intermittent ABS, ESC, and Brake light. Code check revealed intermittent communication errors with various parts of the ABS system including the control module. Diagnostics varied, undiagnosable due to intermittent activity and varying codes. April 2021, ABS, ESC, Brake light, codes indicate communication error with the ABS control module. Codes and light reset after being cleared, the vehicle was operational and drives with no detectable issues other than lights/ and possible non-operational ABS. 06/29/2021, 10 minutes into drive vehicle speedometer begins to dance from zero to operating speed, to total fault intermittently in interstate traffic on I-10 west into Houston at Channel View, braking begins to engage automatically/intermittently, loss of engine power, check engine/flashing brake light , vehicle narrowly avoids collision. Vehicle parked and restarted, driven back home with check engine and flashing brake light and intermittent speedometer, no drivability issues. 6/30/21 internet search for similar issues reveals an abundance of similar issues without drivability problems and 2017 recall# Part 473 Safety Recall Report 16V-913. I would call attention to pages 3 and page 4 of this recall 1.) Considering the events of 6/28 and page 3 of the recall under Chronology, Volkswagen appears to admit the problem, and with a thorough understanding of its own systems should openly acknowledge the ability of this system to cause dangerous drivability conditions. 2.) Page 4, Recall Schedule, Description of Recall, Indicates that VW has still to provide dealers and owners with notification of this issue. As an owner and knowledgeable professional in automotive service I can assure you as of 7/1/2021, nearly five years after VW acknowledged the issue in Dec. 2016 to the NHTSA, and 11 years after addressing the concern in production with the 2010 models, we have not been notified.

NHTSA ID

11423072

Incident

Jun 29, 2021

THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

NHTSA ID

11423006

Incident

Jun 30, 2021

ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON, CAR SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL ON IT'S OWN. FEELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, BECAUSE OF THE NEUTRAL SHIFT THERE IS NO POWER. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11399804

Incident

Mar 8, 2021

Mileage

4 mi

THE ABS BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT IS ON AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO A CERTIFIED EURO CAR MECHANIC HE SAID THAT 8 CODES SHOWED UP FOR THIS. HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL 45F2 ON THIS. WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE VW DEALERSHIP IN PANAMA CITY, FL. THEY WERE EXTREMELY RUDE AND SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE. THEY WOULD NOT TELL ME IF OR WHEN THE RECALL WAS COMPLETE, AND IF IT WAS COMPLETED AND THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING, THEN THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM WITH THE INITIAL RECALL THAT WAS NOT FIXED.

NHTSA ID

11374273

Incident

Nov 12, 2020

Mileage

113,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE N,D, R, P, S STARTS FLASHING. IT CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326932

Incident

Jun 2, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

IT HAS A MAJOR OIL LEAK AND ONLY HAS 56,000 MILES ON IT. THE LEAK IS AT REAR MAIN SEAL AND UPPER TIMING GASKET. I FEEL DUE TO THE LOW MILEAGE, THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. DUE TO WHERE THE OIL LEAK IS PRESENT, THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE PULLED WHICH IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11318394

Incident

Mar 16, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER ABS WARNING LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HILEY VOLKSWAGEN OF ARLINGTON 1461 E INTERSTATE 20, ARLINGTON, TX 76018 (817) 575-6000 FOR A NHTSA RECALL REPAIR NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL). A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS THEN GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF $2,700.00 FOR AN UNSPECIFIED PUMP. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AUTOBAHN VOLKSWAGEN FORT WORTH 2810 WHITE SETTLEMENT RD, FORT WORTH, TX 76107 WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED AGAIN THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE AND GAVE HER THE SAME ESTIMATE AS THE PREVIOUS DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND SET UP BOTH APPOINTMENTS FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE SERVICED. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,328.

NHTSA ID

11300146

Incident

Oct 1, 2019

Mileage

122,328 mi

HARSH/JERKY SHIFTING IN DSG POWER TRAIN UNIT. TYPICALLY AT VERY LOW SPEEDS. THIS CONDITION PREVIOUS INVESTIGATED THROUGH CLOSED CASE # PE09035. ISSUE RELATES TO EXCESS WEAR IN SOLENOID BUSHINGS. PREVIOUSLY REPORT BY NHTSA THAT VW ISSUED EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 10YEARS/100,000 MILES. CAR WAS WITHIN LIMITS BUT VW REFUSED REPAIR SAYING MECHATRONIC UNIT (WHERE THE DEFECTIVE VALVES ARE LOCATED) NOT COVERED BY AGREEMENT WITH NHTSA. CURRENT NHTSA WEB PAGES APPARENTLY INCORRECTLY REPORT THAT VW DOES REPLACE DEFECTIVE UNITS. JERKING IS DANGEROUS IN PARKING MANEUVERS.

NHTSA ID

11297785

Incident

Oct 18, 2018

Mileage

69,621 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SENSORS TURNED ON AND OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING BUT THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE REPAIRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE RECALL HAD LAPSED. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11296713

Incident

Dec 7, 2019

Mileage

160,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION JERKED AND THE RPMS INCREASED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE ALSO ACCELERATED INTERMITTENTLY, WHICH PRESENTED THE POTENTIAL RISK OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS EXLCUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V333000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE09035 (POWER TRAIN), BUT THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR. VOLKSWAGEN VAN NUYS (6115 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401, (818) 785-7571) WAS NOTIFIED AND WAS CURRENTLY SERVICING THE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND SUGGESTED THE DEALER REPLACE THE SAME OEM TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,700.

NHTSA ID

11229591

Incident

Jun 30, 2019

Mileage

51,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE RPMS ACCELERATED ON THEIR OWN. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE GEAR LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE TURNING ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VOLKSWAGEN VAN NUYS (LOCATED AT 6115 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401, (818) 785-7571) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,790.

NHTSA ID

11229363

Incident

Jun 28, 2019

Mileage

123,790 mi

ON SUNDAY, JUNE 30TH, 2019, @ ABOUT 6PM, @51K I WAS DRIVING 25MPH AND CAR JERKED, THEN THE RPMS REVVED REALLY HIGH AND CAR SLOWED DOWN, AND "PRNDS" LETTERS STARTED BLINKING. I SLOWED DOWN EVEN MORE AND CAR WAS STILL GOING AT HIGHER THAN NORMAL RPMS. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT VERY SLOWLY THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS TO MY HOUSE. WHEN I WAS GOING TO PARK IT IN MY SPOT, I HAD TO PUT IT IN REVERSE, AND WHEN I DID, IT DID NOT MOVE IN REVERSE! DURING ALL THIS THE "PRNDS" LIGHTS KEPT ON FLASHING. I HAD TO TURN IT OFF, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, AND GET PUSHED INTO MY PARKING SPOT. WHEN I TESTED TO SEE IF CAR WOULD START, IT STARTED PERFECTLY, NO FLASHING LIGHT OR ANYTHING, NO DELAY OR TROUBLE TO START IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER TURNED ON EITHER. THE DAY BEFORE, I DID HAVE AN ISSUE WITH GETTING THE CAR STARTED, IT NEEDED A JUMP START, AND WHEN THE BATTERY WAS TESTED FOR ITS VOLTAGE, IT WAS RUNNING ON THE LOWER SIDE. I HAD NOT DRIVEN IT ALL DAY ON FRIDAY, AND THE STARTING ISSUES WERE ON SATURDAY. I WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT I MUST HAVE LEFT A LIGHT ON, BUT NOTHING WAS LEFT ON TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. EARLIER ON SUNDAY, I NEEDED TO GO ON ONE OUTING AND THE CAR DID GIVE ME TROUBLE TO START, WITH A DELAYED SLOW START, AND IT DROVE FINE TO MY DESTINATION LESS THAN 4 MILES AWAY. WHEN I LEFT THERE, THE CAR MANAGED TO START WITH THAT DELAY AGAIN, AND WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME IS WHEN THE CRAZY JERKING, RPM REVVING, AND CAR SLOWING DOWN HAPPENED ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS WAS VERY SCARY, AND I HAVE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME THING! I AM TOO SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR! I HAD IT TOWED TO THE VW DEALER, AND I AM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM. WHEN I WAS SIGNING IN AT THE DEALER, ANOTHER LADY WAS REGISTERING HER CAR FOR THE SAME EXACT COMPLAINT AND HER CAR WAS THE SAME EXACT CAR!!! VW NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY PROBLEM AND FIX IT!!!!

NHTSA ID

11228751

Incident

Jun 30, 2019

Mileage

51,700 mi

ABS MODULE NOT WORKING SINCE SUMMER OF 2018.

NHTSA ID

11195017

Incident

May 10, 2018

2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS 2.0T TSI ENGINE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE DUE DEFECTIVE DESIGN. CAR DID NOT START AND I HAD TO CHANGE THE ENGINE AT MY EXPENSE. NOW I AM NOT SURE IF THE NEW ENGINE (USED) HAS THE NEW DESIGN VERSION TENSIONER OR THE OLD. I HAVE INVESTIGATED AND THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE. THIS MOST ENGINE CODE IS CCTA AND IS USED IN MANY VW CARS 2008 AND UP. VOLKSWAGEN SENT A BOLETN EXPLAINING THIS FAILURE AND CHANGE THE DESIGN OF THE TENSIONER ON 2012 THIS FAILURE MAY CAUSE CATASTROFIC ENGINE FAILURE AND DESTROY IT. VW HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11182065

Incident

Jan 13, 2019

Mileage

177,000 mi

WITHOUT NOTICE THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTS AND THE CAR COMES TO A QUICK SPEED REDUCTION AND YOU PULL OFF THE ROAD AND IT WILL NOT GO IN REVERS. IT WILL MOVE THEN AT A VERY SLOW SPEED. ON BUSY STREET OR HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC HARD TO KEEP FROM BEING RUN OVER.

NHTSA ID

11176364

Incident

Feb 11, 2019

Mileage

82,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE BRAKES STARTED TO HESITATE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE BEGAN APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AGO AND HAD GOTTEN WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ABS CONTROL UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GUNTHER VOLKSWAGEN OF FT LAUDERDALE (1660 S STATE RD 7, FT LAUDERDALE, FL 33317) TO BE REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL), BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA ID

11172090

Incident

Jan 21, 2019

Mileage

103,000 mi

I HAVE A EPC LIGHT THAT GOES OFF AND ON AND REDUCES THE POWER AND SPEED TO 10 MPH SOMETIMES NOT ABLE TO GET GOING PLUS ENGINE LIGHT ALSO POPS ON I ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BECAUSE OF THESE LIGHTS

NHTSA ID

11157155

Incident

Nov 14, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED BACK AND FORTH AND THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATORS BEGAN TO FLASH. WHEN THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND THEN DRIVE, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HERITAGE VOLKSWAGEN OF WEST ATLANTA (1981 THORNTON RD, LITHIA SPRINGS, GA, 30122, 770872-0033) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11139851

Incident

Oct 8, 2018

Mileage

118,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ABS STABILITY CONTROL AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON WITH BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING. ECU SCAN IDENTIFIED PROBLEM AS "IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL" IN ESP. CLEARED FAULT CODE BUT IT RETURNS IMMEDIATELY WHEN DRIVING. FOUND THERE IS NHDTA RECALL FOR THIS YR/MDL BUT WHEN VIN ENTERED NO RECALL FOUND. WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I I AM EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AS REPORTED AND HOPEFULLY YOU WILL TAKE A LOOK AT MY VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND EXPAND YOUR RECALL AS THIS ISSUE IS ALSO AFFECTING MY VEHICLE. THE CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS 16 V 913.

NHTSA ID

11089261

Incident

Apr 10, 2018

Mileage

45,760 mi