2012 Volkswagen Eos: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 94 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (60% of complaints); the 2011 and 2013 and 2014 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 94 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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?”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2025
“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.”Owner report · Seats · Jan 2025
“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).”Owner report · Structure · Feb 2022
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“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.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2022
“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.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2021
“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”Owner report · Suspension · May 2021
“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”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2018
“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.”Owner report · Visibility · Sep 2018
“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.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Sep 2018
“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.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2012 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Eos by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Volkswagen Eos reliable?
NHTSA has 94 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Volkswagen Eos. The most complained-about area is air bags (60% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 Volkswagen Eos problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 59,451 miles or less.
Does the 2012 Volkswagen Eos have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning unknown or other. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.