2012 Volkswagen EOS Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other EOS years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 10 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 94 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen EOS. That is the most of any EOS model year in the database (10 years). The most reported problem area is air bags (64 complaints, 68%), typically at around 50,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 2 fires, 2 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 94owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Volkswagen EOS problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 64 | 68% | 50,000 | “takata air bags” (23%) | — |
| Engine | 13 | 14% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 6 | 6% | 68,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 6% | 67,900 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 5% | 48,656 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 5% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 4% | 61,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 2% | 47,654 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 32,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 9,900 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Volkswagen EOS recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Unknown or other
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (EA18003) — opened Apr 18, 2018, still open.
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (RQ17009) — opened Nov 13, 2017, closed May 4, 2018.
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (PE15010) — opened Mar 24, 2015, closed Sep 28, 2015, led to recall 15V483000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
While driving, turned seat heater on, it overheated enough to burn the seat and my coat. No noticeable fire.
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…
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…
Other Volkswagen EOS years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 EOS | 4 | 2 |
| 2015 EOS | 3 | 2 |
| 2014 EOS | 40 | 3 |
| 2013 EOS | 26 | 4 |
| 2012 | 94 | 4 |
| 2011 EOS | 18 | 2 |
| 2010 EOS | 69 | 2 |
| 2009 EOS | 84 | 2 |
| 2008 EOS | 47 | 0 |
| 2007 EOS | 40 | 0 |
See all Volkswagen EOS problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
Similar Volkswagen models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Volkswagen EOS?
Owners most often report air bags, engine, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 64 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Volkswagen EOS?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Volkswagen EOS a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other EOS model years, the 2012 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.