Problems · by component
2008 Volkswagen Eos power train problems
26 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Volkswagen Eos cite power train, 55% of all 47 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
26
55% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“CAR WAS IN MORNING TRAFFIC AND FAILED DUE TO TIMING BELT FAILURE AT 85000 MILES. CAR WAS MAINTAINED BY DEALERSHIP AT RECOMMENDED INTERVALS. THE MANUALS AND DEALER RECOMMENDED BELT REPLACEMENT AT 110000 MILES. FORTUNATELY MY WIFE WAS NOT INJURED OR KILLED IN WHAT COULD HAVE LED TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. AFTER LOOKING AT THE INTERNET AND TALKING TO MECHANICS, THIS APPEARS TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY FLAW THAT SHOULD LEAD TO A RECALL OF THESE MOTORS BY THE NHTSA AND CORRECTION BY VOLKSWAGEN AND PAYMENT FOR MOTOR REPLACEMENT.”
“EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS IN DRIVE IT WILL GO DOWN I FEEL BACKWARDS THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS. THE ELECTRIC WINDOWS GO UP AND DOWN CONTINUOUSLY YES, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT THEY REFUSED TO FIX THIS THE DISTRACTION IS GOING TO CAUSE PEOPLE ACCIDENTS. THIS MAKES TEXTING WHILE DRIVING SEEM LIKE A SAFE WAY TO BEHAVE.”
“GEARBOX FAILURE! DIRECT FAILURE TO GEARBOX CAUSES CAR TO MALFUNCTION WHILE IN MOTION. VEHICLE WILL STOP ABRUPTLY (TRAVELLING ON THE INTERSTATE!) AND REFUSE TO GO BACK INTO ANY GEAR, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, REVERSE AND DRIVE. REPEATITIVE PROBLEM AND ISN'T ISOLATED TO ONE SPECIFIC EVENT (BUT MANY OCCASIONS)”
“I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A LOCAL CITY STREET AND HALFWAY THROUGH A TURN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL ON IT'S OWN, ALL THE GEARS ON THE DASH STARTED FLASHING (THE PARK, REVERSE, AND DRIVE) THEY STARTED FLASHING ON AND OFF AS MY TRANSMISSION WENT HAYWIRE. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND AVOID BEING HIT AS I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY SPEED, I COULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE WAS RACING AND THERE WAS NO FORWARD MOTION AT ALL. MY CAR HAS A DSG (DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX).”
“FIRST INCIDENT (MANY MORE TO FOLLOW) OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL ON HIGHWAY. THE ENTIRE DASH PANEL APPEARED TO HAVE GONE HAYWIRE AND THEN CAR JUST TURNED OFF. COASTED OFF OF THE ROAD AND WAS TOWED DOWN THE HILL. CHARGED THE BATTERY AND IT STARTED JUST FINE, FOR ABOUT 20 MILES, THEN THE SAME THING OCCURRED AND CAR TURNED OFF. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, AFTER DIAGNOSIS, HAD FUEL PUMP, FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR AND GASKET REPLACED. DURING THEIR TEST DRIVE, CAR STALLED OUT AGAIN. HAD TO ALSO REPLACE ALTERNATOR, FREEWHEEL PULLEY AND BATTERY. PICKED UP CAR, BEFORE I EVEN GOT HOME ENGINE LAMP CAME ON AGAIN, TOOK BACK TO DEALERSHIP IN A CLOSER LOCATION TO ME. NOW THE PROBLEM WAS TURBO UNDERBOOST AND EVAP SYSTEM LEAKS, RECCOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF TURBO PURGE VALVE, EVAP PURGE VALVE AND EVAP VENT HOSE. VOLKSWAGEN IS AWARE OF AND HAS HAD MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THESE SAME PROBLEMS, YET THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT, AND CAN ONLY APOLOGIZE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS THAT THEY ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH "THEIR" PARTICULAR VEHICLE. I AM CONCERNED THAT MY VEHICLE WILL NOT EVEN PASS SMOG NEXT YEAR AT THIS RATE, GIVEN I COULD NOT FIND ANY SMOG RECORDS AT ALL FOR THIS VEHICLE...IS IT…”
“THE CAR SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO 5K RPMS ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND DUE TO THE RAPID REDUCTION IN MY SPEED. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THIS TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN WORKED ON AND VW WILL NOT WORK WITH ME TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM FOR A REASONABLE PRICE. *TR”
Showing 6 of 26 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.