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2012 Volkswagen Eos

The Verdict

75 Solid Pick

The 2012 Volkswagen Eos has 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (62 complaints) and engine (17 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 75/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Volkswagen Eos, consider the 2015 model year which has 96% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2015 has 96% fewer complaints

View the 2015 Volkswagen Eos dashboard →

75

Klunk Score: Solid Pick

Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
20071011496
20081303625
200992051634
201056271120
2011121212
20129062175
2013302030
2014403402
201511100
201600211

By Category

Electrical
62
Engine
17
Body
9
Transmission
5

By Severity

1
54
2
35
3
1
4
3

Worst Problems

Complaints

Electrical 2

My airbag light came on my 2012 EOS and Vw dealer said it was a Clock Spring part issue causing it part number (5K0-953-569-AL) I mentioned this is a safety issue as it also disabled my horn on steering wheel and was pretty sure VW had a recall/bulletin or campaign on this issue. Appears for some odd reason VW didn’t have my vin [XXX] listed or flagged which I believe is a clear mistake. I am escalating this situation with VW and now here as my vehicle is having this same problem and needs listed as well. I strongly feel vw should replace the defective part 5K0-953-569-AL as part of an unidentified vin or vehicle they seem to pick and choose and that isn’t right. VOLKSWAGEN RECALL # 69L2 NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 15V483000 I am not driving it right now as not safe and feel Vw needs to step up and do what is right as exempting vehicles by vin or whatever is not taking proper responsibility for the defects known. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

3mo ago
Electrical 4

In an accident I was struck by another vehicle that swerved into my lane at a very high rate of speed. His vehicle struck my car on the drivers side front quater panel just after the head light and continued past the drivers door. Air bags failed to deploy causing injuries to my head and body. In a separate accident, head on collision the airbags failed in the front and side causing bodily injuries. The failure of the air bags to deploy was supposed to fixed in Nov 2022 at the VW dealership with the clock spring recall . I did have that replaced so why did mine fail not once but twice after the clock spring was replaced?

16mo ago
Body 4

While driving, turned seat heater on, it overheated enough to burn the seat and my coat. No noticeable fire.

17mo ago
Body 1

Due to the cold weather I turned on the driver heated seat. I suddenly started feeling it extremely hot, I was wearing a quilted sweater. When I arrived at my work a coworker noticed that my sweater was burned from the back, it had a hole. Then I saw that the seat was burnt due to the extreme heat, the seat melted, it had three small holes and one bigger. I am just concerned that my car could’ve burned while I was driving, due to the malfunction of the heated seats.

18mo ago
Transmission 2

My car goes into a false neutral and shifts out of gear while driving. The "PRNDS" indicator on dash had a blinking "D" alternating with a wrench. I have to come to a complete stop turn the car off and right back on and it goes away for about 5-10 minutes only to reoccur. This started happening when weather became hot, and only occurs after driving for an hour or more. Only when hot outside. I performed transmission fluid service with no resolve. There was no debris in the old fluid to indicate mechanical issues. I also get error code P2711- "unexpected mechanical failure". This has almost caused me to wreck several times putting my life and others at risk until I turn car off and immediatly restart engine which allows normal operation for a few minutes. It doesn't operate normally until car cools down. My engine is not overheating. My transmission fluid, and coolant services are current. NHTSA safety recall 09V333000 addressed this exact same issue on 20 August 2009 but it only covers model years 2009 and 2010. This is still a well known problem for the VW DSG transmission experienced by many others. VW said that they couldn't help me even though it's the same issue because my car is a 2012, and it only covers 2009-2010? I am a Disabled Veteran with a heart condition and can't afford to be on the side of the road in the heat without severe health issues.

25mo ago
Body 1

The vehicle has 37444 miles on it and the front driver side coil spring was laying broken off partially by the front wheel well when I went to move vehicles around (The vehicle was sitting, not driving when the coil broke, which really is curious). I reported the issue to VW customer care tonight (9/6/22) and they said that it was outside of warranty-Essentially nothing they could do. The complaint number is 05384519, and the rep I spoke with is named Tara. This is not something that should happen with a front coil spring (maybe sagging at 100k+) and seems indicative of bad heat treat. There are other complaints filed with NHTSA regarding this same issue on VWs of the same era. If this had happened while driving, it could’ve caused a catastrophic failure and a pretty significant accident if the tire was hit.

46mo ago
Body 2

While my wife was exiting off of I-75 approaching the traffic light to turn left, the sun roof exploded into pieces. Large and small pieces of glass were scattered throughout the car. The approximate speed was 40 MPH. Luckily she was not hurt or got any glass in her eyes. My name is [XXX] (Husband) and cell phone # is [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

54mo ago
Engine 4

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.

54mo ago
Engine 1

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. http://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.

59mo ago
Body 1

Broken front coil spring. It is available for inspection Broken spring can dislodge potentially causing a tire rupture and steering issue Also occurred on my other previously owned 2012 VW Eos where both front coil springs broke within 6 mo. of each other. That vehicle had around 60K miles. No No

62mo ago
Electrical 2

VW RECALL69L2 AIRBAG -CLOCK SPRING FAILURE NHRSA CAMPAIN #15V483000

64mo ago
Engine 2

TIMING BELT ADJUSTER FAILED, LOST OIL PRESSURE AND AND DAMAGED VALVES. THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. 69664 MILES.

81mo ago
Engine 1

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.

81mo ago
Engine 1

WHILE DRIVING A 2012 VW EOS, THE ENGINE STUMBLED AND UNLOADED TONS OF SMOKE OUT OF THE REAR OF THE CAR. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND CAUSED A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE FUEL INJECTOR, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE UNDER WARRANTY FOR 120,000 MILES. THE ISSUE I HAVE IS THAT VW WILL NOT PROACTIVELY REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL INJECTORS, POTENTIALLY CAUSING 3 MORE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN A FUEL INJECTOR FAILS THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF A CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE DUE TO THE ENGINE MISFIRE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME AND VW WOULD NOT COVER THE FAILURE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER - WHICH SEEMS UNFAIR, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF VW'S ISSUE WITH ITS RECENT EMISSION SCANDAL. I HAD 2 INDEPENDENT MECHANICS VERIFY THE IMPACT A FAILED FUEL INJECTOR HAS, YET MY VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP DID NOT AGREE MINE WAS CAUSED BY A FAILED INJECTOR.

81mo ago
Electrical 1

TAKATA RECALL. RECALLED OCTOBER 2018 FOR REPLACING THE AIRBAG UNIT, RECALL COMPLETED. IN NOV. DEC. 2018 RECEIVED PHONE CALLS TELLING US THE WRONG PART HAD BEEN FITTED AND WE SHOULD RETURN TO THE DEALER JOSEPH VW 3813 MONTGOMERY ROAD, CINCINNATI OHIO 45212. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER WHO AFTER 2 1/2 HOURS COULD NOT GET THE WRONG PART OFF. DEALER TO CONTACT VW FOR INSTRUCTIONS. CAME BACK NEXT DAY TO COLLECT THE CAR. I FOUND THAT BACK IN OCTOBER A NEW AIR BAG ASSEMBLY HAD BEEN FITTED WHICH WAS THE CORRECT PART. THE WRONG PART WAS INFACT THAT ONLY A NEW IGNITER WAS TO BE FITTED. THE DEALER CLAIMED HE HAD KEPT THE OLD AIRBAG ASSEMBLY, REMOVED THE NEW ASSEMBLY FROM THE VEHICLE AND CHANGED THE IGNITER FROM THE NEW ASSEMBLY TO THE OLD ASSEMBLY AND REINSTALLED THE OLD ASSEMBLY. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE MECHANIC COULD NOT GET THE PART OFF WHICH WAS STUCK TO THE ASSEMBLY. TO REINSTALL THE NEW IGNITER IT NEEDED MODIFICATION WHICH THE MECHANIC UNDERTOOK AND REPLACED WITH AN UNCALIBRATED TORQUE WRENCH. I REFUSED TO SIGN THE ORIGINAL INVOICE AND ONLY SIGNED WHEN I CORRECTED THE WORDING. MY WIFE WHO DRIVES THE CAR IS CONCERNED THAT THIS MIS MATCH OF MODIFIED PARTS IS STILL LESS THAN 100% SAFE AND WILL NOT DRIVE OUR GRANDCHILDREN TO AND FROM SCHOOL. *TR THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE AIRBAG AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. *TR*JS

91mo ago
Electrical 1

TAKATA RECALL - WE WENT TO VW DEALER OF VAN NUYS ON AUG 17, 2018 AND THEY STATED THAT PART HAVE BEEN SPECIAL ORDER. I HAVE FOLLOWED UP WITH PHONE CALLS TO DEALER ON DEC 26, 2018 AND THEY STATED TO CALL BACK IN 2 WEEK, SO WE FOLLOWED UP ON 1/3/19 AND STILL ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER WITH NO ESTIMATE DATE OF ARRIVAL.

91mo ago
Electrical 2

AS I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT ON 12/29/17, NOT QUITE 3 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED, WHICH MEANT NO AIRBAGS. SINCE I KNEW THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY AN ISSUE, I CONTACTED VW DIRECTLY SINCE THE RECALL WAS NOT COMING UP AT THE DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PART HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY FIXED IN 2016 UNDER THE RECALL, AND EVEN THOUGH THE PART FAILED AGAIN IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS, IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

92mo ago
Electrical 1

2012 VOLKSWAGEN EOS KOMFORT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO VEHICLE AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED SINCE THE AIRBAG RECALL WAS COMPLETED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. *JS

93mo ago
Body 3

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE SUN ROOF SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT RECEIVED MINOR CUTS AND GLASS WAS EMBEDDED INTO HER SKIN DUE TO THE FAILURE, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT REQUIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 24,000.

94mo ago
Engine 1

VEHICLE CONTINUES TO STALL WHILE AT LOW IDLE OR STOPPED. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS OF FIXING THIS ISSUE AT THE DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED TO IDENTIFY AND CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP FIRST REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND COIL PACKS, TWO MOTHS LATER WHEN THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED THEY REPLACED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND TWO MONTHS LATER THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP FOR THE SAME ISSUE. ON TWO OCCASIONS MY CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY.

95mo ago

93 total

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